The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-08-15

An Ignorant Youth "WhO Did Not
Know Which End or Cow Got Up
First"
To the Editor of The Herald
In Sundays HERALD a long and pa
thetic story is told of farmers son,
who, after going to school for twelve
years, could not tell when II COW rose
from the grond which end of her got
up first. And on this sad story of ig-
norance and imbecility you predicate a
long argument in favor of free schools
in Dallas 1t seems that this unhappy'
youth had been sent to the common
schools of this country, the same kind
of schools as that in which Alex.
Stephens, Lamar, Gordon, Governor
Coke and other Southern gentlemen re-
ceived their education, The result was
that in twelve years his teachers, being
incompetent persons, rs is always the
case in these schools, could not learn
him which end of COW got up first
Now, if he had only been sent to one of
the new, model, patent, selfadjusting,
back-action free schools, he would
have learned, not only which
end of COW got up first, but
by constantly pcgging away at him they
might in the course of two or three
years, have learnt him to tell correctly
which jaw u COW has teeth in. This boy
has excited both my sympathy and my
curiosity, have not, since the death
of my mother-in-law, been so deeply
of al 10 |, al.
graph; and am curious to know what
size hat the youth wears who ut eigh-
teen years of age, and after twelve years
hard study, could not master the prob
lem which end of COW gets up first, !
will tell you what | think about the case
of this poor youth. 1t seems that he
has an unusually feeble mind This is
evident from the statement Of his
parient that in twelve years close appli-
cation he could not learn to read or
write correctly, and could not learn in
which jaw a COW has teeth, or which
end Ola cow when she rose, got up first
Now, it is evident his teachers endcay-
ored to cram too much knowledge into
the feeble mind Of this youth, When
tllty odN NuuI llltl' lltCllCCl nC HhN,
they should have been satisfied with
teaching him one great truth only; they
should have taught him which end of n
COW got up first, and not attempted any
thing else. For suppose that in the
course of years they could have
drilled into his mind some
other acknowledgements have learnt
him not only which end of a
COW gets up first, but could have learnt
him which jaw COW has teeth in; and
suppose they could even have learnt
him to distinguish green oats from
green wheat. What would have been
the effect? Why all that knowledge,
GRAINED into the weak brain Of that
poor boy, would have burst his head
wide open. Now The HERALD seems to
take this granted, that in view of the
fact that the teachers in our present
schools do not teach their pupils which
end of II COW gets up first and which
jaw COW has teeth in, therefore the
city OF Dallas ought to tax her people
to establish free schools in which these
mighty truths will be taught.
VIC All llluJ no lllitIl Ntlll
coed in life, or be respected in the COM
munity in which he lives, unless he
can tell without a moments hesitation
which jaw COW has teeth in, and
which end OF the COW is the first to rise
in the m orning.
But is it necessary to spend twenty
thousand dollars in establishing free
schools to teach these important truths.
In view of our depressed finances and
in consideration of the desperate strug-
gle with which we now have to hold
our trade against the competition
of Eagle Ford, would it not
be best to economic in this matter, !
am satisfied that for twelve or fifteen
hundred dollars per year we could EN-.
ploy competent person, who would en-
gage to teach every child in Dallas,
which end of COW is the first to get up,
and if the city insisted on complete
and thorough education, he might 20
on and learn them in which Jaw COW
has teeth and where he found child
unusually intelligent, he might learn
him to tell green wheat from green oats.
But what is to become of the farmers
son, John, all the usual avocations of
life seem to be closed against him.
You can't make q doctor, or mer-
chant, or sewing machine agent, of him,
hecause each of these require some little