The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-05-04
on,pr VIEWS or rrxAs.

II would 10 10 the citizens ~ tlli state
m NJ amusing and Interesting reading u
the various ideas NJ our state md manner
ol litr prevalent In eastern and European
cirrgs could be gathered together In u vol
umc. Aside from those residents Of tl'
Old or northern and eastern states "ho
have If late year, visited Texas, tho entire
mass Of their people, ignorant 1r intcll-
gent, cling to the theory that here Is the
seat Of whatever is left Of ssmi'clVlll|atioh
in America. that the oriy objects visible
are countless thousaads Of long-horncd
steers and Mexicas ponies and the big
h tilted and spurred cowboy and his nat
nal enemies the redskins and
Mexican cpttle thieves. As for health ana
climate they suppose that we have nothing
but rralaria and tropical sunshine. Every
reddent of Texas who has Travelled, ut all
Extensively, outside our state will bear US
out in the statement that such are really
the views of four-iifths of the people of the
older sections. We can excuse such ig-
norance on the part Of Europeans, most Of
whom regard all America as wild, but the
question, in view of such absurdJdeas, so
tar as our own citizens are concerned
as to what good are newspapers and
free schools, becomes very peril
nent one. Every fifteen year old
school girl ought to know that Texas is now
on, of the grandest most populous and
PROSPEROUS. most orderly and progressive
states in the American Union; supplied
with the various comforts and appliances Of
modern life, blessed with an unusually in
| telliGent and industrious population, free
| from savages or cut-throats, and as inirc-
uupntly treated to the sight of the revolver
as in Ohio or Illinois. Not to know these
things throughout America now, is very
dscredtable commentary on public schools
and the intelligence OF the people
outside of Texas We are in receipt
of letter from Old England, only one
Of scores of such constantly received
from everywhere, in which some rather
amusing queries are put. For instance,
the writer, apparently an intelligent man
and excusable because a foreigner, wants 10
"know in behalf of the fair sex, particu-
larly, whether the Indians are dangerous
and troublesome" also what is the con-
ditiou of the state as to law and order, or
what protection is afforded to agriculturists
or others isolated from towns" and last,
but not least, sin what portions of the state
does Professionalism most prevail|' and
generally, what a man could do in
Texas. The residents of Texas are
of late so much in the habit of contemplc-
ting with pride and infinite satisfaction our
magnificent showing from progressive
and civilized standpoint our big census
returns, our railroads, our telegraph our
newspapers. beautiful and metropolitan
and pushing cities with religion ard
labor, hearty welcome and an open and
unmolested field of vass possibilities for
every one, that it is a fearful blow to our
side world constantly poking these
remarkable questions at us. We can
not but repeat the pathetic re-
frain of disappointment, "What is fame,
after ALL Underneath this ignorance of
other sections, as to the west, or of the
west as to the east and south, or, in short,
of one section of another, lies the secret of
much that has heretofore not only embit-
tered the politics of the country, but re-
tarded to an alarming extent the material
development of the south and southwest
We do not sufficiently know each other,
and it strikes us that it would be wise in
the common schools Of the land to use
more extensively textbooks and instruc-
tions which would teach Amer ca to Ameri'
cans, and pay less attention to the victories
and butcheries of the ancents
and the history of the Greek letter di-
gamma. The Yale graduate comes out
with his diploma believing Texas wild,
and the Texan, or Lousianian, has about
as accurate views of Vermont as the Peru
Wan has af Canada. Inaccuracies of inior-
nation and errors of thought ought to sug-
gest the true points for the peiagCgue's at
| tention. but these latter seem to be as much
in the dark as the pupils lfTexas and the
south we're properly understood their popu-
/ lation in the next decade would be astound'
ing, and they would dominate the Union,
but as it is. in the absence Of any organized
eff ,rt to inform the world correctly, it is
likely that we will continue for some time
connecte in the worlds thought with pis-
tolls and Apachcs,