Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1881-03-31

Eataouaning OF the Stahe cnAforh1.
Nh. srrAkER:
hare deliberately made up my mind TO |
! vote mo- on this bill, and though the time 1
may come when shall regret il, still win
| the lights before me. and the conclusions q
| which my reasoning has led me, my convic
ttons are against II and am willing to bad
| my convictions with my vote. am ava
mat The constitution provides for the esta
! ment OF state University, and that hAv
Iaken an oath TO support that constitution
| Dut as soon rs practicable" Is the lau7
guage employed in the constitution, and
ueem II wholly imrracticable now II ever,
| move on in this matter. Education, cons
| mon ana collegiate, is yet in its infancy II
: our state. But few years have elapsed sine
| any part OF that magnificent domain set Apa
| " cur fathers for free education has bee
| uuiized Tor that purpose. our system of con-
| mon schools is yet admitted by all tc De q
! eeedlngly faulty, years Of experience az
careful study will he necessary to perfec
anu prevent waste of money In applyinI
for free education under iuefhcient laws
| Inc normal school is but little more ID
an experiment Of doubtful success. The
ncuitura and mechanical college has d
given general satisfaction and Is bv gre,
| many denounced as a miserable misnorl} :.
snuisliurc NOW Mr. .Speake the stats Al
hand three educational enterprises, ne
one Of which has fully met the purpose
which they were intended, and instead
viewing, TO use \ college term. and n
structing and revising tho interests alrsat
on hand We propose by this bill TO establisfl :,
ano'ner and a grander enterprise, that will
| only prove to be grander failure. am full |
| ~ sustained in this wicked prediction by the
history oil the Efforts Of many OF the states to |
establish great universities. Save in excep- |
tional cases surrounded by the most adran-
tageous circumstances all such attempts have
been abortive and unsuccessful regret |
most sincerely that such is the case but how Y
ever much to be regretted il Is nevertheless +
true, inst millions OF money and years with
faraah a-.h he.
ted by the states in thsir efforts to found and
successfully operste great universities. Ken
lucky in lSsS, established Pennsylvania Uni,
ssr,ity, when her sous were the peers Of q
posed Of men eminent for ripe schcinrsh, -
For IS years this university like the dull =
worm Of the earth dragged Its slow length |
along' and at last nfter the stAte had sdnan-
dered nearly $500 600, It was decided 10 turn
u over 10 the rsiormerB, under whose man
agement II has been eminsntly su-cessful
tennessee, when her peopls were very much |
In the same frame Of mind that ours are to-
day on the subject Of higher education estab-
ltshed NASHVILLE University, which existed
precautionary and hung tremblingly onthe arm. :
OF the state Tor years and finally II was tuI n
ed over TO the late DIR. Sears, and by IN +
converted into normal school Not sahs- u
ned with this bitter experience jackson coll
lese was established, which, after a few |
years Of munitions existence was turned over ~
70 the Baptist. and under whose management y
II has taken high rank am0nz American In
stituiions oflearning. The failure Of Louis-
lana 10 successfully operate her university
was almost a. complete as Kentucky and
acter have been rseentls changed. Alahn
with the lights Of experience burning bl
ly all around her, in attempting 10 soly
university problem has fallen into tho
great vortex OF ruin. Ohio with her ~ Is. . r.
ted greatness, with scores Of scho
educators, has her university on hai
simply eking out out = miserable q =
doing absolutely nothing for highe
ton In the state. In the Middle -
England States, their universities Z
In name, and in many their AhaH :
Is now very properly discussed. The
sitY OF Colorado has "a pupils at
sions, "a male and Is females faifghf ~
professors. Its sntirT destruction xoul
credit to the state. Nevada has IS studl
attending her STATE university. The load
regents submitted in their last report, -
they We're not ready to advise ils deinoslz
but that II had not been a success. In X
Carolina they abandoned the state unit| - -
In the most utter disgust, and it stands arst
at least in the annals of history a. 9 great ed
ucatlonsl fSiltfre. Many oih5r sxamplssI& .
the kind might be given, but these - II
bend Will be sufficient to warn you,
men Of the House Of Representatives
fate OF state universities. The staiss OF
aware. Florida, Maine. Maryland, NJ ii
chnsetts, New Hampshire, New u
Rhode Island and lsxa5 have very wise
attempted 10 establish universities =
The latter state stands to-day upon m T.
brink Of an awful preclpicsS The dangt
just ahead. Asmen deyotedA Texas and
her interests, let me exhort you = the "A r..
Of Texas, and for the sake of etpcatin -
humanity, to open Your eyes beforel
Is taken, and look down this precini
the mangled, mutilated mass OF state
stiles, and beware!
e. IN many states where uniysTsities hay.
up nom the people against them. Thsvha, :
not met public expedition and the mo ~
might be more prontsbiy Invested.
lIe ny oIuon States in whiEl state mil
verslues nave succeeded is quite small. Tir-
gtnia, Georgia, Michigan, RtYssissinni Mis-
souii anu NoHh Carolina are the f;,riilnate
lew ana evsd inthese states there are denom- ~
H,,xi and private universities that are
sta e Patronage. ! maintain then Mr.. S9eak-
81, NAT collegiate, classic, scholastic and !
~ IN scientific edneation, can be and Is more
soccessfnliy managed by denominations than |
ton Of the very greatest universities to-day
in America fully sustain me In this assurnp- | 4
ton. Harvard and Yale with their respect
i've curr1culnms, as high and as thorough as
any universities in the world. are tlenomina-
tional. Harvard is Unitarian and Yale IA
Besides these we have
Columbian by the Episcopalians, Princelon "
by the Presbyterians, Rochester, Madison d.
and Brown by the Baptists, Wesleyan, MIDI r
dleion and Northwestern by the Methodist.
and scores OF others by the same and various IN
other other religious denominations, and o. S.
taons1ed 100, right where state universities b
have failed most signally. Private and de- /,
universities have the irmest ~
discipline, the most thorough course Of stultT pa
Inc largest endownents, the largest libraries s.
anu me most extensive apparatus. The richest 81
and the most poverty stricken are those sup
ported by the states. Denominations ara do
ing a thousand fold more for the cause Of ad
higher education than the states the former r,
actually and In fact, the bulk =.
lf our modern civilization, 90
We find by summarizing then Mr.. Speaker,
hat nine states have not attempted to solve lal
his university problem. Eight have tried
Ind failed, making in all seventeen statest to-
iay without these great elephants in the shane
u schools on their hands In only six states
ave they given anything like general salts
action. In all the rest they are hanging he
Heen life and death, are Cumbersome 10 the
'eople, reproach upon our university sys,
EN-, and only serve to furnish places foF 30.
alied scholars, who ar too indolent to 60 out i,
md battle with the worldfor success. NowNr. N
peAker, Assufns again that tina true policy
Il our state Is to let this thing of higher edu-
alton severely alone and furnish the means
"a common education to the masses Of the the
eople. The pressing needs of our people to- r.,
ny Is not for great universities, that Is sup -.
lied, but il Is for more common schools. We pos
ave Waco University, Baylor University, be-
Ollege, Souls University, Marion College, a..
nd other literary Institutions Of high or Nv
er, and graded sehoos, and public free cas-
rhools three months In the year. ftdoes seem /
} me, Mr.. Speaker, that instead Of building two
rom the bottom up, we sre building from the ~.
'p down j wish to state more distinctly that W.
am not IN enemy to higher education. I pro
tmire II. yield to none In my efforts to con
dvance 1t, as my people will .estify. But
hen it comes up as matter of state policy, i -.
i'll raise my voice and record my vote ien
yainst it. But most solemn obligation
'sts upon the state to furnish the facilities .
'mmon education to the bone and sinnew,
lckbone and flesh OF her citizenship, and ~
is mvor being done to the very utmost eI-
Mt OF the states ability, Let Texas elevate
,rseif to Fundamental work, and leave the