The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-01-16
VOL. VIII.
THE BLESSED PUBLIC SCHOOL
SYSTEM OF TEXAS.

We certainly agree with the TEE
phone that every child in the State
should be educated. The purpose of
the State in giving every family fixed
homestead, exempt from execution or
mortgage, is to assure the proper rear
ing of the youths of the commonwealth
and profTer a premium for self-reliant
families and households. II is'not abb
solutely certain that people should
look to the State further than this for
the greatest boon God bestows. They
should rather rely upon Themselves.
There is no such stimulant to Industry
and none so ennobling as that Fhich
impels the father and mother a toll
that their children may be intelligent
and honored. Besides all this, public
schools, the greater number of item,
are like public offices. They areior-
NAL, stiff machines. $50 much IA so
much" is the law of their operation.
It is machine work. Competition be-
tween these public schools is ial-
ueless and only formal. Tiey
have, too, the effect to f.
stroy all private schools. The to-
ing, laborious, earnest, efficient, j.
vate schooImaster can hardly cor
pete with them. Ignorant peope
patronize the ''cheap Johns OF literh
ture and since the State educates fcl
nothing they are content with what tn
State gives and this is Commonly
meanest article In the market. Pre-
vision might well fbe made by tn
State or by counties and towns for tht
education OF pennIless orphans, but
whetheFthe universal system Of pander-
ing TO universal mendicancy should be
tolerated Is an open question. Boston
and New York and many other cities
and towns are growing weary of the
education of the children of the State
by the State. John Randolph was
not singular in denouncing it.
But this undetermined question should
be Philosophically and dispassionate-
ly discussed by our lawgivers. Ped
sgogues are sharp, shrewd fellows.
They write and talk we'll. The public
school system has been fastened on
many States even as the genius of
Texas is fettered by it. Schools now
exist spasmodically. Children are
given time to forget all they ever knew,
when a new pedagogue comes along
to rake in philanthroplcally the
public funds, give out few fresh
ideas and then depart to prey
upon some other benighted COM
munity. He himself constitutes the
brilliant nucleus of comet, but black
shadow marks the path of its flight.
We have now three months of training
paid for by the State and then comes
an interregnum of nine months that
the State-.aught brats may indulge
in sweet oblivion. Then the peda-
gogues again swoop down upon drowsy
urchins with new methods and new
books and they are made, through two
months more, marvelously wise. The
process would be criminal were it not
farcIcal. There is much consolation
in knowing, however, that it costs
Texas taxpayers each year only
a million dollars. The value
received is accurately measured by
as many cents. But it serves to pre-
vent Individual effort. 1t prevents
each fathers exertions to establish
fixed schools and to educate his own
children and thus destroys all good
country and village academies and
rears the children of Texas in besotted
ignorance. And does this account for
the plethoric condition of the peniten-
tiaries in States blest with free
schools2