The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-01

pul uilly some S9,Wp worth have been DIS
posed of so far The
LUNATIC ASYLUM
Is located about two miles from Austin on
a beautifully situated plateau of ground
with outrageous groves about it. These
grounds have been laid Off by a landscape
gardener and beautiiied with flowers and
plants, grottoes and summer houses and
are Kept in the ncateSt condition for the
pleasure and enjoyment of those patients
who can be trusted to walk through under
the eye of keepers. The building. while il
is indeed handsome one and commodiouS,
owing to the increase of POI "'r.' I is
not now large enough t,r the
public want and the last legislUtg lapro-
priated $4,000 with which to oYllr e it,
and the work is now going on. fni 'lsti-
tuition is under the direction of lr ans,
of Rusk county who is skilled ia the man
agement and treatment of the insane Pa
uents i'll this asylum, except the paupcr
class, are not kept free of charge, but are re-
CURED to pay reasonable sum for board,
the medical attention, etc, being provided
provided by the state, To this aSylym lOl
100 acres of land have heen given by the
state as u perpetual endowment, only some
5000 worth of which have been disposed of
and invested in bonds.
Texas has established no
ORPHAN ASYLUM
as yet, but has endowed one with
l03,229 acres of land, none of
which has yet been sold. As all of this
land is situated in populated counties
(where ii is worth now from from 81 to So
per acre., except g, 5S3 acres, it will have a
handsome sum to its credit when the state
feels able to build it. The
PENITENTIARlEs
of the state are in reality more than self
supporting, but as the state does NOT
endorse the policy of making her con-
victs q source of income, they are leased for
n sum per annum no greater than il would
cost the state to maintain them. The state
law requires that conyicts be treated Justly
and humanely, and has paid commissioners
to supervise and see that this is done. In
the pcnitentiaryat Huntsville, cotton goods
are made as well as wagons, furniture, and
boots and shoes. In the penitentiary at
Rusk it is the intention of the state TO
operate toundries, etc, so as to utilize the
iron ore all about it. The lessees employ
such convcts serving sentences for the
lesser grades of crime, and those whose
sentences have nearly expired, that they
can not proiitably empty within the prison
walls, on plantations and railroads provid-
ing guards for them. Another one of the
public institutions of the state is the
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE.
situated in Brazos county a few miles from
the town of Bryan. This college was estab-
lished few years ago under law of CON
Eress donating land to endow colleges ''for
the benefit of agriculture and the mechan
ical arts" In 1871 the government issued
to Texas land scrip for 10000 acres, which
scrip was sold and money to the amount of
$4,000 put in bonds. The state
went to work at once towards the erection
of the necessary buildings, which, with the
apparatus necessary etc, cost some 500, 900,
In the mean time the interest on the bonds
before mentioned was accommodating and in
1878 this interest was funded, Increasing the
original permanent fund to 100000, which
yields an annual interest of $1,000 This
institution did not start ont in pursuance of
the objects of its establishment, the agricul-
tural and mechanical features beingignored,
and only the literary features maintained.
The pupils We're required to dress in mill.
tary uniform, the adjutant generals depart.
ment provided arms and military in
structor was called into requisition to teach
them military tactics in the infantry branch
thereof The people complained of this and
their demand became so urgent
that the state authorities Welded
and now il is n college strictly in accordance
with the provisions gifts establishment, rs
far as it is practicable. There are grounds
attached where the pupils are given practi-
cal instruction in agriculture, us well as the
theoretical instruction of the class room,
and the same is the case in the work shops
attached. IL will take time to thoroughly
develop these branches of the college, but
progress is being made in this direction as
rapidly as possible. In the mean time the
literary features with the military attach
mcnt are also maintained II is made a
branch of the university of Texas by the
constitution of the state, and military train
ing is made part of the course, by act of
the legislature. When the constitution so
constituted this Agricultural and Mechani-
cal college branch of the university il set
one million acres of the public lands, as an
endowment for the university and its
branches so that when the university is es-
tablished, this college will have the benefit
of this endowment us it becomes available
There is also, nominally, a smaller college
at Hampstead, in Waller county, for the
benefit of colored youths, The public free
school system of this state being so rapidly
developed It became evident that the state
should have
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
So the legislature of 1870 passed an act for
the establishment of two-0ne for white and
the other for COlorcd teachers. The former
Is located at Huntsville, in Walker county
that town having donated the necessary
buildings, and IL Is known rs the Sam
Houston Normal school, taking its name
rom the father of Texas, i'm honor
of that distinguished gentleman. Ii
was offered as q yearly fund from
the Peabody fund, 5000 for its support
provided the state would also give as much,
but this sum was afterwards increased, and
by this means II Is maintained. The other
normal school was established ut Prairie
View college in Waller county, and is sup
ported by the state. The tuition is free IN
these schools, as is also board for q certain
number the pupils plcdgng to teach three
years in the public free schools Of the state.
We now come TO consider of the
UNIVERSITY or TEXAS
In 1870 ut the suggestion of President
Lamar of the Republic of Texas, the con-
gress set apart as an endowment for the
university of Texas, 22l 100 acres of the
public land and in addition TO this the
present constitution set apart 10000 acres
OF the public land as an endowment fUr the
and its branches, making Il
grand total of | ,22l 400 ncrcs of land set
apart and reserved for permanent fund
for the support of the university of
Texas" As fast as this land is sold the
money Is invested in the bonds of the Natc,
II they can be obtained, and if not, then Ia
the bond of the United States. We are not
to give the exact figures of money
on hand in the state treasury belonging To
the university fund, hut il Is up In the