Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-11-05

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desirable kinds of people,
PUBLIC EDUCATION,
"What Is the condition OF the nubli,
schools in Texas
AS for public schools there has been
n marked Improvement in the last few
years, and Texas now leads all the
southern states In The amount Il am
nually sets aside for education. The
constitution of 1876, In addition 10 the
90 leagues OF land granted the state
university during the existence ofthe
Republic of Texas, gaveit Loon, 900 acres
additional, and the last legislature
| granted another 100000 The total
amount TO the credit of the university.
therefore, Is over2 600, 600 acres of land
still unsold for which minimum price
OF 81 for dry or ordinary land, and 81
per acre for wet land, that is land with
wateron II or fronting on q river, was
fixed 10y the last legislature. After ~
/ ing dormant for some years that legis-
lature took some action TO bring the
university into life. The academical
or literary department was located Mt
Austin and tho medical department at
Galveston. The necessary buildings
are nearly completed for the former de.
partment in the immediate vicinity Of
the capitol, and the university was
opened In September, part OF the state
house being used for that purpose UNI
| vi the college building should be COM
| pleted. An efficient faculty has been
secured, including Prof. Mallet of Nir-
ginia, Humphreys of Alabama and
other distinguished educators, The
university has now To Its credit IN In,
treasury the sum of SS6S, Sla, which
will Ice largely increased M som rs IL
can sell some ofits lands, aud II enjoys
an available revenue of SSO,ONO No
action has yet been taken in the mat
terot the medical department at Gal
weston.
"ln the matter OF the public gram
mar schools the present constitution
provides that one-fourlh of the public
revenues OF the state shall be appro.
priatcd fol common school purposcs.
The revenue now raised for these par
poses amounts to 81 100000, derived
rom the following sources; First, tho
general revenue; second, the poll-taX;
and, third, the Interest ON the school
bonds, thu money arising from the
sale of school lands being invested in
bonds.
"From these various sources u large
sum Is pouring into the treasury, that
furnishes IL with one of the finest pub
lie school systems In the world. Tho
permanent school fund owns 81, 500. 900
invested in state and federal bonds,
and yielding an interest which ~ OK
pended on the public schools. This
permanent fund Is growing larger
every day, and ! feel sure that in The
course of time, and In n very short
time, too, the interest arising nom II
will he sufficient alone to carry on the
- Il
people of that state will not have 10
tax themselves dollar In order 10 cd
ucatc all the youths ia the state.
"As ii now Is, the schools of Texas
are in admirable condition. Thry are
kept open on the average -four and
half months year. In some 60 nties
they are kept open SIX months, in
others seven, and In others, again,
eight. lncurporat Il towns are, under
the law, permitted to assume control
of their schools, and arc independent
of the counties In which they pre sit
uated. \ great many OF them vote an
extra taN FOR educational purposes, and
! by this means keep their schools open
| longer seven months-and render
them more efficient. The scholastic
population OF the state IL 81 ,0SS, about
80 per cent of whom attend the public
1000 but ARE increasing IN number by
the hundred, 300 having been built by
the state last year,
zone of the greatest troubles In Tex
ms has been 10 find enough teachers for
Tho large number of schools. AT first
u was found necessary 10 import most
~ these, and tile North and other
Southern states wctc largely drawn
on, but II was deemed best Ia obtain
teachers from Texas Itself, and Tor this
purpose the state resolved to establish
enough normal schools To supply the
demand. There ar. two OF these
schools sam Houston Normal
school, for white pupils. situated ut
Huntsville. established in lS7D with
l52 state pupils, who are maintained
entirely nj the expense of the state,
their board, tuition and stationery be-
ing provided 10y II, and 30 pay students,
the majority OF the students being fe-
miles, and the Prairie Normal school,
for colored students, ut Hampstead,
with l3 state and . pay students Be
sides these the state maintains the
Agricultural and Mechanical College,
located at College Point, near Bryan,
with 200 students, so of whom are sup
ported by the state, while the rest
have their tuition free. Other colleges
in Texas, but not supported bv the
state, ARE Marion College at Waxa-
hacbie; Waco University, at Waco
Baylor University, at Independence
and Austin College, ut Sherman. For
the year beginning September l. 1883,
and ending August. 1884, HE state
boaId of education of which nm
cf-ODiciO member, has set aside
81 Tor every educable youth In the
state, making the total appropriation
for the state ~ 800 s73 for school pur-
poses. There il u strong disposition
TO increase the school appropriations,
and IL is probable that this viii DO
done by the legislature. One of the
constitutional amendments inst adop-
ted by the popular vote aIlowsthe sep
aration of the general tax and school
tax; that Is, the general tax can be re-
duced to two mills, oreven less, where
rs the school tax ran remain NJ II Is at
present, three.quaners Of u mill, OF
even he increased to one mill, giylDga