The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-01-20
STATE UNIVERSITY.

|
You are referred to the report of the Board
Regents for statement Of the condition ant
i wants of the State University. l canno
doubt that that institution is performing &C
! ceptablv it's important part in the educatlona
| system of the state. The completion OF SCI
ence Hall will greatly enlarge the 1acinneI
for instruction in a department possosSmrih l
| great interest and value TO students. Inc
/ death of the lamented DR.. Lapham has causec
| his large and valuable collection OF specimens
TO be offered for sale, and 1t is submitted &c
your consideration whether it ought not to DC
secured by the state, and added to the csDine'
of the University.
COMMON SCHOOLS.
It would be waste of your time ana 2 re-
Election upon your Intelligence If were 70
urge any considerations upon you IN support
of the proposition that our common scnool
system should be sacredly preserved, ana
Steadily developed. to the end that it may
more fully secure the vital purposes Tor
which 1t was established. Your deliberations
the devising of means that will visit the advan,
tages of our public schools upon greater
number of the youth of the state.
Compulsion, except to prevent and punish
crime, is not in accordance with the spirit or
our institutions, and is obnoxious to the Amer
lean people, But rejecting how essential 1t is
to our political and social welfare that our inhab
itants should be educated men and women, it
is submitted to your candid consideration
whether some penalty should not be imposed
upon parents who Geny their children that
without which they inevitably become danger
and disgrace to society There is one OBJECT
which We may certainly promote that Will at
once guard our educational system and extend
its benefits. Excessive cost is, perhaps the
only thing that could impair its foundation In
the hearts of the people, and that part OF the
cost which falls Immediately upon the parents IN
the form of text books IS undoubtedly an OD-
stacle that prevents many people from gaining
the rudiments OF an education. Hence there
is great reason that economy should be prac-
tised in the erection of school buildings, and
that the need of the many rather than the ad,
vantage OF the few should be considered IN
the selection of branches to be taught.
Your attention is also invited to the question
whether it would not be practicable and deslr-
able to establish uniformity of text books
throughout the state, and thus effect con-
siderable reduction in the expense to which
parents are subjected on this account.
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
There have been added to the library of the
State Historical Society, during the past year,
books pamphlets and documents te the num-
Der of 4,s16, making the present strength OF
the collection "a, 701. 1t ls everywhere re-
cognized as the most valuable and useful
library in the Northwest, and ranks among
the best in the Union in the department OF
history, statistics, science, genoalogy and
American and English literature. The Perkins
Collection of Wisconsin antiquities, Of the
stone-copp er age has been received, and it is
hoped that the society may be able to retain it.
THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
There has been expended during the past
fiscsl year, for geological survey $13, 500, and
I am advised that the work has been PROSE
cuted with due expedition. The expenditures
that have been made on this account cannot
afford any return to the people of the state
until the survey is completed and the results
published. ] therefore recommend that an
adequate appropriation for that purpose be
made during the present session.
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The reports Of the trustees of the several
charitable institutions of the state will place
you in possession of such information as you
may desire concerning their condition and
needs. The two Hospitals for the Insane
were accommodating at the close of the fiscal
year an aggregate of 651 patients. It repre-
scented that there is need of more capacious
accommodations and I invite your attention
to the recommendations of the board of trus-
tees of the State Hospital for the Insane at
Madison, that two wings be- added to the