San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-05-11

ecutive of the state, all of us know, has
his head and hands full of other bust
ness, without attending to the minute
of so vast and intricate department
as that of education. The secretary of
state is but the clerk of the governor.
The comptroller of public accounts, fill
ing position analogous to that of the
secretary of the national treasury, has
the most onerous and responsible du-
ties OF all state officers to perform after
the governor, and has even less leisure
than his excellency. What weak and
poor management at best. then, is this
provision for the government and ad-
ministration of our public schools that
embrace thousands of teachers, hun
dreds of thousands of scholars and the
expenditure of something like 81 ,OOO,-
900 annually! But it may be urged
that the law permits the employment of
a secretary of the board, whose whole
duty may be required to be given to
school matters. Well, and what is the
secretary of the board? is he not only
clerk at small pay, under the com.
plete control of the board, or, we had
better say at once, of the governor? Is
he permitted to go one inch beyond the
perfnnctory discharge of his technical
duties? Is he in any way an intelli-
gent, responsible head of the depart
ment of education? Such inquiries
sound like mockery Of great want that
remains uusatisfed. The demands of
this department of the state govern
ment require responsible and able
head-an expert, supported by such a
staff of assistants as is afforded the CO.
relative departments of the state. Is
education ranked so low that its direc-
ton and control are lodged precariously
in the ex-officio functions OF other de-
partment officers who are burdened
with their own proper duties?
But leaving headquarters at the seat
of government, let us come TO the gem
eral field-to the various localities
where the educational work is done.
We find that there is no real or proper
county, district or local superintend-
ency of schools in Texas. The law pro-
vides that the duties of county super
intendent shall be discharged by the
county Judges. We find it difficult to
express our sense of the wrong done
the state, the people, the children, and
we may add the county judges, by this
extraordinary piece OF Legislation. 1t
is well known fact that no proper sue
cess can be realized by any system I'M
less it be under the personal direction
of a competent head. Human affairs
present no exception to the rule, and
we would ask, in all sincerity, IS 1t pos
sible that county iudge-if he be a
faithful officer-in the discharge OF his
current duties, can possibly undertake
to perform the trying and exacting
work of county superintendent? 1t
is impossible. Even if the judge be an
expert in grammar, rhetoric, mathemat-
les and normal training, he has not the
time; and since he is not paid except
nominally, he will not have the incllna-
ton to visit schools, catechise teachers,
overhaul accounts, locally encourage
the weak, put down oppression, and 90
generally the work of man who should
have nothing else to do. Here we
would interpolate by way of anticipa-
ton that the objection to county SUI
perintendent on the score OF expense is
a superficial one. In those sections
where the population is rich enough to
stand the expense, there should be a
county superintendent, as in nearly
every other state in the Union. In
those sections where the population is
sparse and the people unable to stand
the expense, district superintendent
might be appointed, who could compass
in his rounds several counties; but the
fact remains impregnable, Texas has no
sunerintendent of schools, no school
system, for that which is called one is
ONLY q farce and cheating Of the peo-
nile. When it is remembered that the
county Judge is not required to DO any
but office work, and his maximum pay
is 500 per annum, we may draw sate
conclusion as to the efficiency OF the
present school system of superlntend'
ency and local organization.
Your committee would next direct
the attention of your honorable BODY 70
tho elaring deficiencies OF the local or
oahization of our public schools. Such
Organization should be III CONSISTENCY
with the spirit of our public lnstlfq,
tions, and should be permanent. In all
the other states, as far as our knowledge
extends, these two principles have been
carried out, and equal rights to all and
permanency have been made the foun'
dation of local organization, but fol
some unexplained reason the trainers
of orr school law pitched upon the
community system-a system thrice
load and buried in older states, having
been tried and discarded forty years
AGO in Ohio and Kentucky, and have
fastened it with all its shifting, unjust
and utterly mad, quate provisions upon
Abe necks of our people. Only those
who are informed OF the call and come
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