The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-06-26
Free Schools and the University.

In his address during the COM
mencement exercises of the univer-
sissy, Governor Ireland said:
Your university can't fail unless
your endowment fails. You must
manage its affairs, however, so as to
do away with the jealousy of the
people rs to the free schools and this
institution. If you have in view only
the university, you will find that the
free schools can get along better with
out it than it can without the free
schools. What is wanted, perhaps, is
| more intermediate schools and col
leges to furnish students suitable for
you Without friendly cooperation
the university and the free school
system would be like shipwrecked
mariners, contending at sea for q
single plank. If the university gets
on top first, and says, keep off or you
will swamp us all, when the free
schools get on the plank they may say
the same thing to the university. and
shove it off; and in the struggle, if
one or the other must go down, in
stead of both holding on to the plank
together for safety, it is more likely
free schools are not dependant.
Where are your scholars to come
from to fill up. your university ?
destroy private institutions, espec
tally high schools and colleges,
and these are needed to teach what is
necessary for the university. l con-
tend then, you must manage your
university so as to enlist all the peo-
pie in its behalf. If may be allowed
a suggestion would say that it would
be we'll to have d >, .o~ln of prepare
tory schools for The university, and
under its supervision, one in each cen.
gressional district. making eleven in
the state, for the special purpose of
preparing pupils to be admitted
as university students. / say
the university has no enemy
in our common school system; and
with the friends of both the great
question should be how to make both
prosper together. You must have ma
terial suitablefor the employment of
the cultured and distinguished men
who compose your faculty; and if the
free schools and colleges are not en-
what shall we do? You may
employ fine mechanic at So day to
dig holes in the streets and fill them up !
again, but notwithstanding the price |
you pay him he will soon weary and |
become disguised with such
uniting drudgery. So your
faculty will be disgusted
with teaching pupils not suited for
lniversi y instruction, and the uni
Tersity will sink to the level of an Or
iinary institution of learning, despite
is fine endowment in lands and money
instead of being a monument to the
iberality of the state, and the patriot
SIN of the founders of the institution.
As to the control of the university
,eIng separated from the state, the
,eople, lam sure, will never consent to
{, IL Is state institution
by the state, and belongs to
II the people, who will not readily
ubmit to its absolute enforcement {
rom their control.
All this is is well enough said, did it
ct proceed upon the false and dema-
ogical assumption, that the people,
5 friends of the free school system, {
re Jealous of the university, and
ID it not tend to keep up
lat impression to the pref
dice of an institution which has
I'd to struggle against 1t, and in some
stances against downright robbery