The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-22
THE UNIVERSITY DONATION.

THE UNIVERSITY DONATION.
The rank of the Texas university
in the sisterhood of educational
institutions depends upon the legisla-
lures action in giving or Withholding
the million acres of land asked for by
the friends of the university. The
STATESMAN would be less persistent
in urging the claims of the university,
if the donation inflicted any special
hardship upon the taxpayers but it
does not. The land has not cost the
people a cent. The donation of it is
closely linked with the highest intel
lectual interests of the people-the
masses. Since lands have been
given with so liberal a
hand to private corpora
tions, is it not well that pittance of
the public domain be dedicated to the
highest interests of the people; that
1t be given to a cause destined by its
very nature to play a conspicuous
part in promoting the happiness and
prosperity of the people. If the land,
or its equivalent in money, be not
given, the university cannot take
higher rank than third-rate
school, and our young men and
women must look in the
future, as in the past, to institutions
of other states for commodity which
the home market fails to supply.
Higher education, in this view Of the
matter, will be practically limited to
the few who can bear the expense of
seeking it elsewhere. 1t will be a
virtual declaration by the legislature
that the poor of Texas, for whose
benefit, it has ever been maintained,
the university was intended, do not
deserve any better facilities than can
be obtained III the common school and
in university that should rather
be called a high school. As to the
rich, they look with Indifference upon
the course of the legislature in this
matter. The universities of the
world are open to them. Not so with
the poor. They must find this char
acter of instruction in Texas, or they
will not find it at all. They cannot
go to Germany, England, France, nor
to the more celebrated seats OF learn
ing Of our own country. They are
thirsting Tor higher education, and
they look to the legislature to satisfy
that thirst. Let us hope
they shall not be disappointed.
1t is worthy of remark that there eX-
lists among the poor greater desire
of higher education than among the
rich. The latter do not feel the same
incentive to eXertion that the poor
do. In our American colleges and
universities the poorest students are
uniformly the best. To say that the
poor do not appreciate university
education is to contradict the history
of universities in this particular, and
to cast gratuitous slur upon the
sons and daughters of the hard work.
ing yeomanry of our country. In re-
gard to the land asked for, the
state does not need it, nor does it need
the money when sold. 1t is suscepti-
ble of demonstration that the land or
money will be far more productive of
good if given to the university, than
if diverted to other channels. The
common schools have been most lib
orally provided for. 1t only remains
for the legislature to properly endow
the university; and we may hopefully
trust that under the guardianship
ola Yatchful and intelligent re-
gency, it will respond in the
fullest sense to the demands of the
people as expressed in the constitu-
ton and in the law. No tuition fees
can be charged i'll our university;
hence liberal endowment is an i'm
perative necessity. In establishing a
free university, Texas has taken
step in advance of any country in the
world. Let her be equally distinguish
ed for the high character of the peo-
pies greatest institution of learning.