San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-07-31
Judge Kons Defends the Present Mode
Of Teaching Our Free school Pupils.

Judge Koas Defends the Present Mode
Of Teaching Our Free School Pupils.
Ed. faEE Pass A have stated ON .
former occasion through your paper, that !
had an aversion 70 newspaper controversies.
believing ~ do that little or no good ever
comes Of them. yet ! cannot remain silent
aud permit an impression 30 false, In my
opinion. as the ono undertaken to becreated
In your editorial under tho head Of The
Free School Problem In San Marcos. Past
Present, and Future" in your issue Of date
July "a, to remain unanswered. For me TO
remain silent would be alike unjust to my
self, the trustees Of this town. and the town
itself.
You state that we have literally no Public
School at ALL" That Is not true Mr.. Editor,
but on the contrary We have three public
schools regularly organized under the law,
with such men as Z. p. Reynolds Ed.
Northcnft, Ed. J. L. Green, DR.. W. A,
Jackman, d. 8. Combs, b. Daley, and VIM.
Giesen to manage and control them rs CON-
pletely as the trustees had 10 control the
school before Il was in the hands Of DR..
Smith. These trustees this year, gave Us a
free school term Of four months. az o cost OF
%. 10 per pupil, and one school, the Insti.
tute months and Ave days absolutely free.
And sir, are you borne out by the facts when
you state that the interests Of the Free
School pupils were made subordinate to
the interest Of the private pupils. Did you
ever make O personal observation Of the
matter, 60 in person to the school and SEQ
II not who was your informant, and was he
or she a person who had opportunities to
to know Of what they spoke, or was It some
one who never honored the school with
their presence? The facts are that we have
207 pupils registered in the three schools,
and when the the free school term began
the Institute had an accession of Is pupils
and the popular and accomplished Miss
Nora Franklin was employed to assist in
the school in consequence Of the addition
to the school, when the free school term
was out there were four pupils that discon-
tinued. Mrs Duncan had an accession Of
six when the free term opened, and three
at the close of the term. Prof.
Richardson had three accessons at the be-
ginning of the term and none to discontin-
ne when the term closed. As TO the attend.
ance Richardson had his entire enrolment,
Mrs. Duncan, within three of her enroll
ment, and the Institute within II Of its en-
as good showing, dare say, as
any town in Texas.
Now as to the conduct of the trustees in
employing the parties that they did to
teach these public schools. The parents of
the children are not complaining, neither
San they, because these men have employed
The same teachers that they themselves
Employ, and at a much less amount per pu-
pill than the patron pays the same teachers.
Nor do I believe that those who have the
educational interest of this town at heart
VIII cOupiull, uaNo hCNoA hooiu "oAo
If complaint from but three persons in this
own about free schools, and you Mr.. Editor
ire one of them.
As stated before Che teachers employed
BY these trustees are the identical teachers
employed by the fathers of the children and
svery one of them, principal and assist
.nts hold first grade certificates, and itseems
10 me to be the height of folly to say that
professional teachers located here, who
have their regulations to sustain, who are
using every energy of their nature to estab- 1
ish themselves in their professions and
build up school for themselves that they
Ind the country may be proud of, should
neglect the children because the State was
paving the tuition instead of the parent. l
would like to give a detailed account of
of the free schools from the time DR.. Smith
had charge of them, as you seem to be sat-
isfied with the arrangement when he had
charge but it would take too much time
and space; but will say that we have never
had less than four months of Free School,
and some years more and that too at an
average cost of less than $l.25 per pupil
per month. Ed. r. KoNE.
San Marcos, July 2Sth, 1884.