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

| words OF the CONSTITUTION tney are clea
in meaning and explicit; they are man
datory they command the legislature
they express the will of the people o
Texas They give no countenance TO tn
| conceits of Individuals who presume u
be wiser than the people, and to set asid
| their sovereign will in favor OF their Owl
plans of public education. The peOplI
of Texas in the constitution ordain tn
establishment of n university of the frs
class as solemnly as they ordain the estab
lishment of courts of justice. of common
schools and other Institutions of society
| There is no open question OF policy thl
constitution has decided this matter.
There are several Institutions of learn
| ing in Texas, chiefly denOminational, o
much excellence in their sphere, which
1 is an important one. Some of these at,
| styled universities. But no one woulC
for a moment imagine that any one o.
these Institutions, or all of them in the
| aggregate, however meritorious, coulL
supply the place, fulfill the objects or come
| up to the intendment and conception o.
an university OF the first class as prOvid
ed in the constitution. The agricultural
and mechanical college near Bryan. even
under its present improved management
does not at all complete the full idea oi
the university; for the constitution
makes 1t q branch of the university oi
Texas.
what, then, is an university of the first
class? L first state what it is not. 1t IL
not An institution in which the instruc.
tion is mainly limited to learning
some Latin and Greek, elementary math-
ematics, notions of general science, some
literature, general scholastic training
with the discipline of the intellectual fac
ulties which should be acquired by these
studies. This discipline is inva liable,
Indispensable, and must be acquired In
one way or another. An university OF
the first class provides indeed for impart-
ing the prelimiL ary knowledge and ment-
al discipline, such as are acquired, OF
should be acquired, in our colleges OF
Texas and elsewhere. But it also goes
beyond these In its scope and purpose. 1t
takes up young men where these colleges
leave their students, their graduates. Ii
gives them that additional, advanced
practical knowledge, thorough, accurate,
| comprehensive, extended, complete, and
that practical training and Use
OF the mental powers, that equipm ent
OF man that will lit HIM for the highest
duties and business of real life, that he
may enter at once on the practical pur-
suits OF life with the greatest ability and
to the most advantage to himself and to
the pubic. 1t qualities men tor the en-
tering on the practice OF law, OF medi.
cine lit makes engineers, mechanicians,
geOlogists men qualified TO engage sue
cessfully in mining operations; IL makes
practical chemists, analysts, skillful, ac-
curaIe men competent by their training
TO grapple w,th the great questions OF pO-
litlcal economy, craftsmanship, the moral
aud social problems OF society, finance,
agriculture, manufactures, with the po-
litIcal and Industrial questions connected
with them. A university of the first class
shOnld send forth brOadminded progress
n al
ready to go to WORK for themselves
and for the state. 1t is not in
tended to intimate by any means
that all or even very large proportion
OF the graduate OF an university
of the tiIst class will fill the high measure
l have just glanced at. You can't give
the Ice brooks temper to Lead. But it
will do all have alluded to to those able
to receive IL, poor or rich. Adetaiied and
full account Ofthe organization, course OF
studies and general outline of instruction
of u university Of the first class, il desiT-
ed, can be found in the several annual
catalogues and reports of Harvard, Yale,
John Hopkins university, the university
OF Virginia in its late noble development
and few other institutions similar in
organization ami scope.
Is the establishment of university of
the first class in Texas OF praI Iical accom-
plisnment within short time? Or must
1t be of tardy growth, with hope deferred
for years, wearying with long waiting
public eXpectatiOnf 1 answer confidently, /,
from careful observation OF what
has been done elsewhere in
establishing new institutions of this
class, in view of our revenues already set
apart and of means at dispOsItion-in
view too of the numbers of young men OF
Texas ready and waiting to flock to Its
halls OF gratuitous instruction, that it is
in our power if we have the will to
launch at once an university nearly
abreast and soon to become fully abreast
with the foremost universities of the
united States. 1t is in the power of the
people of Texas to call into active life an
university which shall be like the God
dess Of W isdom, Minerva, who sprang full
armed from the cleft brain of JOve.
In the equipment of the University
there must be professors as well as ex-
pensiNe appliances. Can Texas command
Tor her University competent men? There
stand, If may SO speak, numbers of gen.
tlemen already, desirous to ill the chairs
of professors as competent in all the quail
iicatIOns of scholarship and administra-
tive talent as the professors in
the most distinguished universities of
the whole country. Their acceptance is
guaranteed to the board of regents by
their own application or by friends who
board of regents will select the best
wherever to be found. Libraries, mu-
seums, cabinets, scientific and philosoph-
ical apparatus, applisnces and equip
ments will also be needed to teach geOl-
ogy, mining, mineralogy, chemistry.
physics, mechanics, engineering, litera.
ture, medicine, law, moral and political
science, etc. Money will buy ali these,
and OF the very best. Texas possesses
the means readily convertible into money,
without adding one mill TO the taxes Of
the people. Is il not wiser, a better use
Of our means that some portion of the
remnant Of our magnificent public do
main should be consecrated to the educa-
tion of our youth free of charge, and for
all time to come, than sacrificed to the
voraciOus NAV of land speculators, insa-
table horse leeches who infest the lobby
of the legislature and. at times, too sue.
cessfully, for such action as enables them
to grow fat on the lands of the people?
1 now beg your attention to a gross er-
ror, somewhat prevalent, In regard 10 any
university that may be established in
Texas. 1t is that Il first class university,
indeed any university, as required to be
established by the constitution, will be
an institution exclusively for the rich and
not Tor the poor, The contrary rather
Will prove to be the fact. An unive sity
with tuition free, as provided for by the
constitution, will be in a special manner
for the poor. Practically 1t tenders to the
young man without property the best ed
ucatiOn. Practically 1t places within the
reach of parents, OF small means, the high
education which, but for such an unIver-
sity within the state and with tuition
free, he would be utterly unable to be-
stow on his son or his daughter. 1t can
not be under our law an university for
the rich nor for the children of the rich.
The rich man can send his son or
daughter abroad for education, to
John Hopkins university, t. Harvard,
to the university of Virginia, or to Paris
or Berlin in Europe. wherever he may
choose. The Institutions of the world
are before the rich man. But IL you lis
ten 20 the croakings Oiignorant prejudice
or of the demagogues, alas for the poor
boy ofTexas. Unless an university shall,
be established in our stale, not only is the
poor boy excluded from the education
which shall give him an equal start in the
great race of life with the son of the rich
man, but the father possessing a moder-
ate and comfortable competency Is de-
barred from bestowing on his son an uni
versity education. i need not dwell on
the cost of journeys to AID from a remote
Institution, the Inconvenience and objec-
tions of the greater expenses OF q resi-
dence for a young person remote
from home, the cost of board In the vaca.
tion between scholastic terms. You
will appreciate all these. Let us look
little further. The average expenses of
a student at Yale are upwards OF 500
per annum; at Harvard the average is
SI4O0 per annum. In the University of
Texas tuition is made absolutely free.
The experience of some OF the universi-
ties recently established on the basis of a
irst-class university in some OF the states
of the vest shows that under the system
of boarding clubs excellent board can be
provided at % per week. Two dollars q