San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-10-16
From Oh Virginia.
souru Bosros Va. Sept, a6 1884.

SourH Bosros Va. Sept, &c 1884
Enron Fars Pnrss After an absence
OF twelve years, I am once moro enjoying
the Inequalities Of friends and relations In
dear old Va. But alasl how changed.
The places that once kuewms, now know me
no more. The timber has been cut fences
removed or gone TO decay, aud the magnih.
cent old groves under whose pleasant qniet
shades was wont 10 roam in the days gone
by, have given place, MOTTO the magnificent
and hospitable homes Of the old verginia
gentleman Of anti bellum times, but the
miserable log huts Of our dusky brethren
appear on every hand on the magnificent
sites so common in verginia scenery, and 60
where you will you meet them, often Ave or
six together in their little carts, drawn by a
little bob tailed OF or bull In shafts. They
remind me of our Mexican population, only
their carts are not 80 good and they are not
30 well dressed. -,
But my object in writing this letter Is not
to discuss the merits or dement's Of the
versinia negro or his patient and inseprable
companion the said bobtailed OF, but more
particularly the changes which have taken
place In the educational facilities Of the
country and TO show you what this Glorious
Free School System" has done for our peo-
pie, This, (Halifax), was the wealthiest
county in the State before the war, and her
people noted for reinment and intelligence,
priding themselves on their fine schools and
churches. Now, there is not school Of any
note in the county, and in this place of 70
or 1000 inhabitants and the business centre
Of the county, there is not a single male
school; all waiting for the free SCHOOL to
open the LIST of Oct., which will win proba-
bly, be taught for four or Ave months in the
year and the balance of the time the children
are idle. "Well," you will ask. why don't
the people get up good private school"
For the same reason that we could not get
up good male school in San Marcos, so
long as free school was taught; there are
too many people who do not value the
education of their children sufficient to pay
for sending them to school, whom they can
send them o few months in the year for
nothing. can but be struck with the
difference in the distribution of the free
school funds in San Marcos and here and
the result. There you can send to the
school of your choice and get the benefit Of
the school fund also, here you must send
to the school Of somebody else's choice,
whether you like it or not, open to all alike,
decent peoples children forced into the
common herd with the riff-raff of creation.
But to illustrate little. When arrived
here in August I found the good people of
this place very much interested in the open
ing of their female college. They had just
completed comfortable, commodious build
ing to accommodate from eighty to one
hundred students, the building was bought
by most estimable lady, with a full corps
of the best teachers in the country, and her
school opened under very fattering circum-
stances, the F. F. VS. of the country send
ing their daughters to board in the college
I started my daughter, who is not yet six
teen, and who think is a fair representa-
tive of San Marcos schools, hoping she
could at least go into the second classes To
my surprise, I might as well say it, gratif-
cation, she was the most advanced scholar
in the school, and had to be classed entirely
to herself all the way through her studies.
As to her music, my four sisters Gall of whom
were educated in the best schools of Vir-
einia), admit that she has been better 'aught
than any of their children. Now, what
makes this difference The answer is
plain, and any intelligent citizen here will
give it to you: ''This miserable system of
common free schools" Then three cheers
for the schools of San Marcos, and three
times three for Judge K. for the manly pc.
sition he has taken in this matter, and to
show am sincere in the appreciation of the
efforts of our people to sustain their schools,
I will bring my boy back about lat of Octo-
Der to school again. Hoping the FREE
PRESS will continue to prosper, and its ed
itor never grow old, am
Yours very truly,
"SoJoURNER."