The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-11-23

ters OF Texas as well as to its sons. Then
Will there be offered to our young ladies
the opportunity OF acquiring the knowl-
edge and mental training hitherto denied
| them In great degree from the lingering
influence offeudal times, but which the
spirit OF the age, Justice and sound policy
now demand for them. The mother
fashions the son. Why should she not
De qualified In the c0mpletest manner for
| this noble duty? And who will say that
her intellect is inferior to that of man (?
And how few can be sent abroad for a
nrst class education. And why should
any daughter of Tex as be sent away from
her mother and family when it is IN the
power of the state to supply instruction
near her homer
have hitherto considered the Univer-
slty OF Texas in several of its relations
and under different points of view. 1
wish before closing to advert to some di-
rect advantages to flow from it. L have
ALREADY occupied SO much of your time
that must needs be more briet than 1
could otherwise wish to be.
The University every year Will send
forth corps of educated men who will
carry to every county and district of tie
state knowledge, intellectual training
and practical skill for diffusion aud for
use OF the people. The diffusion of
knowledge among people is the ditu-
sion and promotion of morality and vir-
tue among that people. Knowledge
and intellectual culture do not
necessarily make an individual virtuous
and good. But the diffusion of knowl-
edge among people is the standard of
morality and virtue among that people.
Wiser and better 90 together in the COM
munity in the state.
Texas holds imbedded in its earth
rocks and minerals which now lie idle be-
cause unknown, resources of incalculable
Industrial utility. of wealth and power.
Smite the earth, smite the rocks with the
rod of knowledge and fount sins of un-
stinted wealth will gush fortn. Texas
abounds in mineral springs, some imper-
tectly analy zed, others undiscOv, red, all
waiting for the analysis of the chemist, TO
ascertain their virtues or their worthless
ness. Then there are the waters
in your wells, and in your rivers,
are they healthful or are they noxiOus?
| see that the wells throughout extensive
districts OF North Carolina have been an.
aiyZed with unspeakable advantage TO
the health OF the people who use this wa.
ter. The immense expansion of railroad
building and other industrial works are
presenting daily in large and increasing
numbers practical problems to be solved
in engineering. Crops and trees are SUBJ
ject TO fatal diseases. Are these owing
TO animalcules like the phyIoxera or to
just made have named only specimens,
IN no degree an exhaustive list, OF the
scientific knowledge which the uuiversi-
" will practically solve. / beg here to
state, in one particular. wherein the in
structOn of the university viii differ from
that taught in existing colleges "a par.
ticular which entities the university to
The designation OF "the first CLASP For
example, in our colleges the students are
taught the general principles OF geology
and mineralOgy with specimens enough
for illustrating these, aud In like manner
the prlnci les of chemistry. In the UNI
versity the professor, after revising his
preliminary instruction, takes his STU
uents each with his hammer and leather
sack, his blOw-pipe and other instru-
ments OF assay. He traverses the cOun-
Try, much OF the way on foot, from the
Gulf of Mexico TO the Rocky Mountains. |
he examines every mineral, every geo. |
logical formation, every stratum, every |
volcanic rock. To everything OF interest |
he applies his hammer and means Of
essay. On their return these students OF |
tn, university are pl lactical geolOgIsts |
and mineralOgists. They Will possess ex- |
tensive and reliable information about |
the situation of Ion and coal mines, of |
deposits of silver and gold and other pre-. |
ciOus ores, In our colleges the under |
graduates are taught the leading doctrines |
OF chemistry. In the university they will |
be initiated practically into cumulative |
and qualitative analysis, in organic |
chemistry, in minute and accurate ana
lysis of the soils and waters of the state. |
And now the university Will send forth |
every year a corps of practical men who |
will soon be found located in every coun-
tY in Texas, making their homes In the |
state. Shall Texas furnish her own sup
ply of such practical men from her own
citizens, an annual corps adequate in
number as well as operative skill, or shall
we depend on individual stI angers, an Oc-
casional stranger from abroad whom |
chance, adventure or the hope of gain
full business shall bring hither? You see.
fellow citizens, that have said nothing
of classical literature of foreign Languages,
of our noble English language, the
noblest instrument of thought Hext after
the Greek the world has ever known,
nothing about law, Jurisprudence, medi-
cine, ethics, etc., etc. 1 have only pre-
sented scarcely single specimen brick
OF the treasures the university has in
store for Texas.
In my opinion which would gladly elab-
crate, but time compels me to be brief.
1t is the high tone. the power at home and
defense abroad, which the influence of
men of education, of high intellectual
and culture. such as high educa-
tion furnishes, develops, fosters, main-
tains IN people, state, nation. The
of a few govern the actions oil
the many The tone, the spirit of the
educated, the trained intellectually, per-
meate, IN the words OF MIR. Jefferson, the
masses all UNCONSCIOUS as the masses may
be of the fact. Is this doubted? Stillit is
q fact attested by all history of all nations,
from ancient Greece on one side to the
naked African in his native jungle. We
far frar.. ri Ii
Let us look at our nearest neighbor,
Mexico, physically magnificent country.
After the conquest Of Mexico, Cortez and
his successors established no schools,
no universities. Spain at the
time of the conquest of Mexico was the |
military power on the globe, and
among the foremost OF nations in culture
and Intelligence. In l776 Mexico was
more populOus than the thirteen colonies
in the time of the American revolu-
tion. But Mexico has had no
schools, no univeraities. The English
colonists signalized the foundation OF
their settlements 10y the simultaneous es-
In sblishment of schools and colleges-old
Harvard in Massachusetts, and William
and Mary of happy memory In Virginia.
Mexico is to-day such as she has been
for 300 ears and upwards. She has not
had an university. Mexico has had no
no generals worthy of the
name, no tnanciers; she has not made
useful invention, either ornamental or
science (; she has added not one iOta to
the progress OF science ; she has added
absolutely nothing to the knowledge OF
the world she has not prOfited by the
which civilized nations have
broadcast over the earth; she
has written no books, no music, no poetry.
ignorance, government of
n, 1
son and property are the escutcheon of
her history, She has had no university.
Let no one say that her people belong to
the inferior races. A portion of them
from the proud Spanish blood
and her ablest man, of these latter times.
was Juares, of pure Astec blood. Spain
denied that people any institution of
higher education.
1 turn to a widely different ex-
ample, to that of Greece. We
are apt to suppose in our own
Inaccurate information that the poets,
and philosophers of Greece
were Isolated examples of sole literary
labor, like the poets, literary and
speculative philosophers of our day: men
who wrote books each In his own library.
instruction in Athens wasthe
universal usage. The academy of Plato
The lyceum OF Aristotle, the stoa of
reno, the garden of Epicurus, were col
eges, universltles and rival Institutions,
Ike institutions Of learning OF the present
lay. They were private property, or a
Kind OF corporate property belonging to
he school. They continued in some
Iense IS universities, always for instruc-
lon, for some eight centuries. 1t was
general usage at Athens to bring their
IONS to these universities at the age of
nineteen years. They were there onier-
ID, and on being entered the young man,
ermed from his wears Ephebos, was
urnished with shield and spear and took