San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-07-31

1
rangement for teaching the IRE.
school pupils was at first prompted
by good intentions on both sides
nor that they have been laugh,
perhaps as well as such a combina
ton OF discordant elements would
permit
Nevertheless these schools cannot
properly DO STYLED free schools. They
were all in operation before they took
the contract of teaching the free
school scholars. The beginning and
ending OF their terms have both been
different from that OF the free
schools proper, so that as We stated
last week. tho free school pupils
could not come into tho regular
Glasses of these schools, nor become
homogeneous with them in many
other important respects. Werepeat
that the management Of said schools
have, in the main, did the best they
could under the circumstances, but
that in the very nature of the case it
was impossible that the free school
pupils should have been as well
taught as il they had been in a school
of their own, established on an
Independent basis, and in charge r
equally competent teachers. 1t is
much to the credit Of the teachers
that they have done 80 well, but If we
admit all that the Judge says on that
subject, the fact remains that the
operation OF the schools as at pres
ent constituted has not been satisfac-
tory, and is likely to become less so
with the progress of the town, until
il shall be abandoned. The system is
essentially bad, and it still remains
true than an evil tree cannot produce
good fruit.
The evil and absurdity of the
present system may be shown, by
comparison, ina few words. Suppose
Austin and San Antonio had acted
upon our plan, and instead of
establishing independent free schools,
had quartered their free school
pupils on the various private schools
of the city-where would have been
the fine public school buildings and
excellent system of graded public
schools which are their pride to-day?
In the event supposed, could these
cities fairly be said to have had any
public schools proper, or any intelli-
gent system of public schools? We
think not. How, then, can we be
Justly said to have such schools or
such system in San Marcos?
The truth is the community system
was never intended to apply to
towns of the size of San Marcos, any
more than to cities such as Austin or
San Antonio. Our free school here
started out on the correct idea, that
it was to be q unit. A house was
built for it exclusively, and three
trustees were elected to look after it's
interests. Under our present system
each school has three trustees, no less
than nine gentlemen are required to
engineer our present patchwork
system, comprising less than
two hundred white free school
pupils altogether! Suppose we had
had twice as many private schools,
each of course would have been
equally entitled to share of the
public funds, and so would have
formed seprate communities, having
We suppose of course twice that mum
Der of trustees. Austin or San
under a similar system
would have required regiment of
nen for trustees. How can any
,ane mind conclude that any such |
'ystem was intended for such town
Is San Marcosi
At any rate-leaving the considera-
ion Of the past as Improbable, save
IS warning for the future-surely |
IL thinking people will now admit
hat the time has fully come for a
public school system in our
own. A railroad town, with water
md ice works, and growing out of its
I'D conditions in all other respects,
needs, as speedily as posi-
lie, to be got out of the old ruts
which have hindered our free school
progress, and made to fall into line
With other live growing towns in this
aspect. The thing clearly to be
lone, as soon as practicable, is to sell
he present school property and build
mother house in some central place,
Iufficient to accommodate all the white
rec school pupils oil our corporation,
o as to constitute athorough graded
chool, such as is had in other similar
owns. Let it have three trustees Of
Is own 10 attend 10 this. Let them.if |