Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-08-18
The Public School of La BaIIona.


The examination of Mr.. SaXOn's
school at the Ballona on Wednesday,
Aug. 1lth, gave perfect satisfaction to
all present. The children gave proof,
in spite of their embarrassment, which
the little ones always feel in public
exhibitions, of the care and talent of
Mr.. Saxon as an educator, and the as
sistance which the parents have rend-
cred him by sending their children
regularly to school. 1t is quite evil
dent that the people appreciate the
good intentions of Mr.. Saxon as
teacher where it is known that the
school has increased from 25 the form
er number to 40 the present number in
attendance; and as the number is in
creasing daily, it will not be long 'ere
an assistant teacher will be needed
and employed. We congratulate our
selves on the result as it demonstrates
most emphatically that the reproach
which has so long been hurled at our
Spanish-American population, that,
while they are too poor to send to our
private institutions of learning, onr
public school advantages are lost upon
them, and that it is worse than useless
to ask them to send their children to
"the public schools.n To this unjust
aspersion, we invite candid investi-
cation of Mr.. SaXOn's school at the
Ballona, composed almost exclusively
of children of Spanish parentage, and
the unprejudiced will at once bo con-
vinced, that the Spanish American
population but ask that a teacher when
he comes among them should come as
a friend, not as an adventurer in order
to make little money, and then
leave them, but as one who would eX-
ercise the prerogatives of his profess
sion, correct them when they err and
be, in word, tender father to the
youngsters. Should he act so, he
would find, as Mr.. Saxon has found,
that the doors of their houses are al
ways open to him, that there is always
at their tables a spare cover if he is
disposed to accept of their hospitality,
that their children will be sent to his
school, that the four boards of which
this is built will form an edifice as de-
cent as any in the county, and that
furniture and other accessories will be
of the best kind to be found in any
first class school. And if he should
ever be forced to abandon or leave
them, he will take away with him the
gratitude of the parents, the love of
the children and the sweet remember
ance of having done his duty as teach
er of a school among the Spanish
Americans. We will add that when
Mr.. Saxon took charge of the Ballona
School it was classified as Third Grade
and it is now classified as First Grade,
according to the studies prescribed by
the laws of this State.
The names of children who have
been promoted are as follows:
1st Grade.-Amanda Sanford, Igna-
clio Machado, Vicente Lugo, Alfredo
Talamantes.
I'd Grade.-Felician Gotta, Amelia
Talamantes, Ella Stanford, Esperanza
Gotta, Petra Talamantes, Jose Ma. Lu-
go, Juan Lugo.
Sd Grade.-Leonides NIachado,
Henry Lyons, Ignacio Valdez, Henry
Sievers, Francisco Bojorques.
Among those present were the trus-
tees of the school, the Misses Gotta and
other persons from Los Angeles.
We will conclude by observing that
the school was adorned with flowers
and foliage and that the scholars were
regaled with lunch by their teacher.
The motto of Mr.. Saxon is "Welcomen
and well does he know how to observe
it to the letter.