Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-01-29
AN EXTRACT FROM GOV. PHELPS
RECENT MESSAGE.
DEDICATION,

OI november last Is III excess 81 INC
number in any previous year attend
ing those Institutions at the same
date. The number Of students At
the State University, III all its de-
partmsnts, is now 500. This number
of students is a SURF test of the cor
rect discipline maintained, and the
meritorious standard of education
adopted at the University, and is q
testimonial to the good character OF
the president and other members Of
the faculty as educators and instruc-
tors of the youth entrusted to their
care. At the Normal schools fewer
students are in attendance than in
former years. This, perhaps. may
be attributed to the fact that those to
whom has been entrusted the man.
agement of the Normal schools have
been ore strict III requiring the
student to obligate himself to follow
the profession of teaching in this
state, after he shall have graduated.
This requirement is in accord with
the basis upon which the Normal
schools were established, and should
be exacted of the students by those
schools. The schools OF Mines and
Metallurgy. at Rolla, are in , pros
porous condition. The frequent
discovery st mines of the precious
metals in the territories, aud the de-
mand in this state for mining engin-
esrs,> have ne doubt caused iii in
crease of students to qualify them
selves to follow the profession of
mining engineer aud geolegist. For
the first time in it's history, the Lin
coin Institute has an entire corps
of colored teachers. Prof. Page aud
his assistant teachers, have thus far
given general satisfaction to the
trustees, and the patrons of the in
stitute. The Lincoln Institute was
organized in 1870, and was establish
ed by the mensy previously sub
scribed fer that purpose by colored
soldiers, aided by a few philanthrop:
lists. After slavery was abolished,
aud the negro was made q citizen and
entitled to all the legal rights TO
which other citizens were entitled, it
was deemed desirable to educate
ZONE Of their class to be teachers in
the public schools of this state, so
that the celored children should have
the same legal right to the public
money, and to obtain III education,
which the white children in the state
possessed. Provision. vas made for
separate schools, and in many of the
| villages aud towns of the state,
schools for colored children r reg
ularly taught, aud are we'll patroniz-
ed and maintained. The Lincoln
Institute, however, has struggled for
an existence. The youth who re-
sorted to it to obtain an education
had a rugged pathway to travel to
support themselves aud to devote
their time to study, instead OF labor.
The legislature did assist the lnsti-
,ute, but the building did not belong
to the state. A debt had been incur
red by the trustees, which embar'
raised the operations of the school
The last legislature of 1879 apprOpri'
ated $15, 900 to the support OF the In
,tituts, provided $4,000 should be
applied to the payment Of it's indebt'
ednsss. This appropriation wal
contained in the general apprsPria'
ton bill, and was a grant to a cor
pOration managing a charity. The
constitution provides: "The general
assembly shall have 40 power te
make any grant
Ut public money or thing of value tt
any Individual, association Of indi
viduals. municipal or other corpora
ton whatever" The gram o
money to the Lincoln Institute
was in violation of the par
of the constitution just quoted
and as matters then stood, could no
receive my approval. l was ex-oficit
d member of the board of trustees
The trustees were assembled, ant
with no dissenting voice, it was re
solved The buildings of tho Linool,
Institute and its school apparatus ant
furniture should be conveyed to tn
state. The deed was made, executed
acknowledged and recorded, and tn
T-e.Ariaiinn bill was then approx
ed. Ii 10 too soeH uUw to t1 done
but the Lincoln Institute will, i
properly cared for. occupy the sam
position to the colored people of lib
state which the State University hold
i, to the white people of the state. !
was . wise act to place the Lincsl
!, Institute under the control OF tn
Z state government, whore it eau B
t cared for and protected in the sam
manner as,other state institutions ar
;, protected aud maintained. e.
VI l requested the superintendent G
: public schools to ascertain the nun
] Der of students, on the first day G
November in each year, for the las
: six years, III all the institutions q
: learning aud education througheu
the state. except the public distrie
schools aud private schesls of lik
i grade. 1t has been stated that th
: people of the west.if they emigrats
: from the southern states, are not dil
posed to aid, encourage and foster il
, stitutiens of learning. This opinio
has probably been based upon crit
, cisms expressed concerning the maj
!, sgsment Of our public schools, an
a some are found condemning the syl
tenn, who only wish to censure til
mode of management. We find i
many portions of the state large an
orhately built public school houses
some of them thrses stories in heiss
land when the children of the schO,
district are assembled, there is not
' s%uficisnt number of them to fill tt
rooms On the ground aoor. Aud
l. this were all, it would be tolsrabl
But these school houses were bui
is with money raised by the sale
bonds issued by the district, and Il
as schssl taxes for interest and 9TH
proper purposes, become so enormo,
n that the people csnnot pay them.
much less the principal-and mar
's join III a pardonable complaint again
!" the system, when the censure is res
ly intended to be hurled against Il
extravaganza and recklessnsss of Q
;. penditure sometimes practiced in q
name of the public schools. The pc
pie of the west and south are the
oughly imbued with the necessiti
v of q free public education, and ha
demonstrated their perfect williu
ness to support aud encourage suct
Is. system. So far as this state is &C
ne cerned, Its aid and encouragement
IT. u public schools will favorably CO
to pare with any other state in t
"a Union.
A statement of facts furnished
the reports made to Thai able and
the 6cienL officer, Hon. R. D. Sham,
Tic superintendent of public schools, "
substantiate the statements made
sas me. There are three descriptions
= school funds-the state school fu'
~ the county school fund and tho C
AZ gressional township school fund.
-, 1874 the state school fund was :
~ 624, 1854. In 1875 that fund was
.ss5 creased about S286,O0O and the
.so rease was principally from the C
~ version of 500 United States bon
4sl held nv the state info honda Of 4