The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-01-15

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and enterprise of the teachers, and tnest
Institutes, furnishing normal education
TO the great body of our pnblic educator
and promoting and fostering spirit o
pride in their profession, are of impor-
tent and general benefit. For so large
body of officers. the teachers of Kansas
rank well But there is room for improve
ment and it is worthy of inquiry whether
an increase of the Wolk OF the county
Institutes would not be wise.
HIGHER SCHOOLS.
Our institutions of advanced education
seem to be IN in 1Ourishing condition
Undoubtedly the common scnOol system
IS infinitely more valuable to Us as state
than the higher INSTITUTE ons, but both
are necessary to secure the best results
in the formation of wise and Intelligent
community. Kansas Is now a great
populous and wealthy state, and can
| afford to be liberal, though not exlraVa.
CANT in providing for our institutions OF
higher education. The public schools
should be put IN harmonious relations
with the University, the Agricultural
College. and the Normal school, feeding
them with the best blood and BRAIN OF
the state. The graduates o. these InstItu-
ton, as q rule remain permanent citizens
of Kansas and give US tue benefit of their
4
they have been subjected The higher
schools of learning Lave always been the
home and nursery OF progress and free
dom, even IN desPotic governments and
their iberaliZiDg, conservative and up
building reSults among free people can
not be over-estimatd.
The three great educational institu-
lions of the state should each, however,
contne its work 10 the purposes for
which IL was established. No one OF
them should attempt, nor be permitted
To trench on the field assigned the others.
There is room aud need for them al,
each IN its legitimate province. The
| stale does not need, and should not be
asked 10 support, two or three universe
ties. or agricultural colleges. or Normal
schools, but it ought TO, and no doubt
will, generously support one institution
in each of the fields of work and duty in
| dieated by the names of these homes of
learning
The Sts'e University The condition
of the university, its prospects and needs,
are fully stated in the reports of its re-
| gents, Its chancellor. and its heads of de-
| partments. The regents slate that a
substantial and gratifying prosperity has
| marked Its history during the past two
years. The new chenic4l building has
has wisely ordered the discontinuance of
tue lowest preparatory course, and taken
| action looking to the early discOntinu-
ance OF the entire preparatory depart
| ment, so that the strength of the faculty
may be devoted wholly to the work of
higher education.
The university had 52I students en-
rolled during the last fiscal year, and is
| steadily growing 10 usefulness and pop
| nlarity. The state should cherish and
encourage 1t IN every possible way. The
| regents urge the erection OF u natural his
! tory building. The collection of that de-
| partment, undoubtedly one of the largest
and most valuable in the country, long
ago overlooked the boundaries of the
rooms assigned it.
The Agricultural College-The re-
ports of the board OF regents and officers
of the State Agricultural College
detail the growth and general
condition of that institution. It's
buildings are substantial and commO-
dIous, the grouods attractive and It's an
nual attendance has increased 90 per
cent, 395 students being now enrolled.
| The new wing of the main college build
ing is completed and occupied. The
endowment fund now aggregates $475,-
| 3o5.1S, all of which except SSH is in
vested at rates of interest varying from
six to seven per cent. The college is
steadily and rapidly growing in popular
esteem. and its course of study is well
| adapted to the objects for which the in
stitutioa was founded. Its needs are
fully set forth IN the reports of Its re-
gents and officers.
State Normal SchOol-The school
teachers constitute tue largest body of
public functionaries in Kansas, and this
institution, the states training school for
teachers, is Il most important factor in
our educational system. The reports of
, its bosTd OF regents and officers affirm
that its usefulness is constantly increas-
| ing, and that its attendance, numbering
534 during the last fiscal year. would
have been even larger if room for the
accommodation of those applying for
admission could have been provided
Detailed estimates of the requirements
of the school for the ensuing two wears
are given in the reports, aud commented
to your attention
THE SALE OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL
LANDS.
The board OF regents reports the sale
IN bulk, of large tract OF lands IN
Mitchell county, ut the rate OF $3 80 per
| acre. The report of the state auditor
shows that the average assessed value of
| lands in Mitchell county is S2.92 per
acre, and this is probably not to exceed
| thirty or forty per cent. OF their true
value. This sale of Normal School lands
has provoked considerable criticism in
! the public press, and il may be we'll for
the Legislature to make inquiries con-
corning il. Nothing appears 10 have
been known by the public of the co.,
| templated sale, until after il was con-
I'd a. H.
| picions which NAV be unjust. But 1t
! should be the settled policy of the state
that no sale of similar character be al
lowed until after due public notice, by
| advertisement Publicity is a sovereign
| preventive of wroDg-dolng in public at
fairs, and an ounce of 1t is worth more
! than ton of discussion and investIga-
ton after the wrong has been commit
| ted. Not an acre OF land in which the
| state has an interest should be permitted
To be sold without the public notice by
advertisement
| THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND.
For many years past certain fraudu.
Lent bonds purporting To have been IS
SUED by the counties of Rice, Norton
and CcmaDChe, aad aggregatIng $l4 500
have been counted as part OF the perma-
nent school fund. The constitution pro-
vides that tGis fund shall not be dimin-
| isheG," ami that The interest derived
theretrom shall be invariably appIo
pIiatcd t. The support OF the common
schools. as the fraudulent bonds above
referred to- produce no interest, theiI
purchase through the agency of the
state virtually diminished the permanent
school fund, and the state should make
good To the fund the amount of thes,
bonds. The state treasurer should alsC
be instructed to cancel these bonds, anC
the auditor directed To make the propel
records and credits upon the books of nj!
office.
THE STATE SCHOOL LANDS.
No interest of Kansas has been 81
recklessly and improvidently MANAGE
as the state school lands On her ad
mission into the Union, Kansas received
for the support of schools, fully three
million acres of public lands. Properly
held and guarded, the proceeds arising
from the sale q. these lands would hav,
created permanent school fund suffi
cient in amount TO meet almoo
the entire expense OF our CON
mon schools But more sh
surd system than that provided b,
our laws for the control aud final dis
possl Of school lands it would be difficu!
TO devise. Under It's malige Influence
the permanent scnool Iunu mas been dc
prived of probably one-half the tots
amount that should have been, and, un
der proper system, would have bee
} reslIzed from the lands alresdy sold.
! Every governor of the state during tn
past eight years has directed the atten
! ton of the legislature 10 this rockies
and lmprovident system. and their sug
gestions and recommendations touchin
this subject have been supplemented b
the elaborate reports of several stat
auditors, treasurers aud superintendent
of public instruction. But nothing hs
been done to correct the defects an
abuses of the system, nor 20 protect th
magnificent school domain OF the stat
5 from despoliatIon
The faults Of the present system ma
be briefly summed no: First. il puts tn
control of The sale Of srhnnI Ianda INF