The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-07-13

such endowmeutp What other people
under the sun can claim such legacy?
Each county holds in fee simple for tree
school purposes lands equal in area to
| one-fiftleth part of the state of Rhode
Island.
Our university lands equal the terri
| tory Of Delaware. The lands held in
trust by the state, as permanent en-
dowment for common free schools, COM
prise an area larger by 100000 acres
than the whole territory of all the states
of New England. And the aggregation
of all our school and asylum lands consti-
/ tutes an area greater than one-third of
| the German empire.
THE VITAL QUESTION OF THE DAY.
| The question before the people of
| Texas to-day, which shadows all others,
is "How shall this princely inheritance
be managed for the best interest of the
| children and the commonwealth? '' Here
is question worthy your consideration ;
| worthy the deepest thought and earnest
efforts of statesmen. 1t may, if private
interests of land spectators and local
| politicians are considered, be, like many
| private estates, squandered, and the chill
| dren of the state robbed of their posses
sions ;or, on the other band, if wise coun-
sci prevails, be so managed as to yield to
| IhC SnliOAOht pun pOSCs AhbOhNCNt AOo
4 full value.
ONLY A NUCLEUS.
Let it be ever so wisely and economical
| ly managed, it will never constitute more
| than nucleus upon which to build COM
| plete system of education.
As with individuals, so with the state I;
an inheritance often proves curse. In
stead of cultivating self-reliance and bodi-
| ly meeting Issues and responsibilities
| - fhpv nrQaont fhamaelVna. and maxi
ing wise and timely provision for the
| future, reliance is placed in estates, OF,
Micawber-like, something is expected to
| turn up.
In this instance the people have based
their fond hopes on realization, in the
near future, from their landed educa-
tional estate, of fund sufficient for the
| education of all the children in the state,
| generation after generation, without tax
| alton.
No people ever cherished and fondly
Rugged to their bosoms more deceptive
phantom Of hope. The time has not
| been, nor ever will be in the history of
any government, when an efficient sys-
| tenn of education has been or will be
maintained without taxation. The sooner
| our people realize this fact and cease to
rely upon futures from their free school
lands, the better it will be for the cause
| of education.
| Iue VI Iuc bbdIc uatc Uccu uc-
barred long enough from the advantages of
of an efficient education, under the infiu-
| ence of the delusive hope that the time was
| near at hand when education would be as
the air. without taxation. Already many
| of the children of the brave men, who,
| by their heroism in battle and their
wisdom in council, secured this mag
niicent educational endowment, have
| passed beyond the school age. tbs due to
the past, it is due to the present, 1t is due
| to the future. that progressive work in the
matter of education should, without fur
Their delay, be inaugurated.
| OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
| Our system ofpublic instruction is sadly
| defective. 1t is true progress has been
| made, improvements have been engrafted,
| and there has been a slow but steady ad-
vance. But the time has come when the
state, in order to keep pace with the on
| ward march of civilization, must throw
| off the erroneous and defective elements
of the old system and grid herself with ha-
biliments and appliances OF the near.
We must keep pace with the progress of
the times ave must get out of the beaten
| ruts aud enter upon the new road to civil
ization, prosperity and political grandeur.
We do not ask that the government aban-
don the courts aud its measures of coer-
| cion, and proclaim unrestrained liberty,
but we do ask, we do plead, in the name
of the children of the state. in the name
of humanity, in the name of good govern
ment, that as much attention be given to
| the schools as the courts that as much
interest be manifested in the subject OF
legislation looking to the prevention of
| crime by means of the education of the
heart, hand and mind of the children, as
by means OF terrorism aud coercion.
We have the nucleus, the ground work
of splendid system of education, deeply
| and uUiaalu laid nv flanders nf the
republic, and it only needs patient,
pains, taking and wise legislation to de-
Velop it to a standard of perfection unsur-
passed by any other government in the
world. But to do this we must have more
money. There are to-day three hundred
thousand children of lawful scholastic
age in the state.
The state assumed the obligation of
their education, and public sentiment
should demand that she should do it
faithfully and efficiently. Under the con-
stitutlOn and the law the state cannot
efficiently discharge the sacred oblIga-
ton she has assumed.
CHANGE IN THE CONSTITUTION AND
THE LAW.
The constitution and the law must be
changed. There should be state super
intehdent of instruction there should be
county superintendent of public in
| eLluCJlOu III all Luc pOpulOus COuuIleS
there should be specific state school
taX-the revenue provided for support OF
schools should not be dependent upon
the amount raised for general revenue
there should be authority granted to
counties to supplement state aid by local
! taxation there should be a uni.
form system for the examination OF
teachers without charge, which would
give them authority to teach for a series
of years in any county of the state there
should be authority for organizing per-
manent school districts in all populous
counties; there should be q revenue pro-
vided for a longer school term; there
should be better teaching and better com.
pensatiOn to teachers; summer normal in
stitutes should be established by law
and their powers and duties clearly De.
fined; state educational council, to be
composed .ot delegates chosen from the
respective summer institutes, should be
established by law, and its duties and
powers clearly defined; there should be
established in each populous county q
, free academy, to be composed of pupils
selected, upon competitive examination
from the elementary schools of the coun-
ty; there should be u state university
complete and thorough in all its appoint
ments, to be composed, In part, of stu
dents selected from the county academies
upon competitive examinations. Such,
in the main, was the system of education
which Jefferson valnly endeavored to
persuade Virginia to adopt.
81 proposed" said Mr.. Jefferson,
"three bills for the revisal (meanlng the
Virginia code), proposing three grades OF
education, reaching all classes. Q) Ele-
mentary schools for all children geneI-
ally, rich and poor; (2) colleges Tor a
middle degree OF instruction. calculated
for the common purposes of life, and rs
such would be desirable for all who were
in easy circumstances; and, e, an ulti-
mate grade for teaching the sciences
generally and in their highest degree"
Without such changes and without such
features as we have briefly referred to,
Texas can never have, in the language OF
the constitution, an efficient system OF
education.
CROAKINGl
Teachers may complain until they grow
old about the hardships and injustice OF
the law; parents may lrotest against the
=, ineff1ciency of the system. by reason OF
its failure to provide a longer term and
better teachers; the press may croak and
> denounce the system as a fraud and q
farce; but so it is, and so 1t will continue
to be, until the people sufficiently realize
: the necessity and importance of amend
ing the constitution and the law with q
view to furnishing more extended facili-
ties of education
When they realize this fact and learn to
appreciate the value of education suffi-
ciently to be willing to submit to a tax for
the support of schools, then, and not till
: then, will they have system of education
which will make their sons great and pow.
erful in all the elements of culture and re-
. finement and the state grand in material