San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-08-06

KNOW, thht was THIS lhu1 went unto n
estimate Of tho amount OF money which the!
had on hand. and an estimate OF the proba
bic number Of pupils- IL was agreed by tn
board that they could probably keep up tn
public schools or 8 months IN the year,
can't tell exactly. with the money they hat
from tho state and some money receives
from tho county fund. They then mad
this propositions Every child that httend
the school shall pay 80 cents month, which
shall 60 In as sinking fund for the main
tonanee Of tho schools for ten months in the
year those who do not pay shall not be ex
cluded from the public free schools, but
shall be dismissed from them when the pub
lie funds are exhausted and on that policy
they were able 10 conduct the public schools
a year. aud have small surplus in the treas.
ury. understand there was small falling
OF, but 30 small that Il did not affect the
school materially ] therefore suggest that
as policy for you.
In the organization OF schools, as matter
Of course, you want to get good, tried men
~ the public school trustees--men Interested
in public education, not only in education
at large, but In public education, and who
will take a great deal OF interest In provid-
ing for tho education OF tho OF the children
Of the place, and In doing 30 ~ the author
tiles of the public schools. They will need
to look well TO securing a good man, who Ia
possessed OF energy, and has some executive
and organizing ability, TO start your schools.
You may not beable to pay him such sal
airy RS he deserves, but AZ matter Of course
as the school increases, IL no is doing good
work, you will feel like doing better for him.
In securing teachers you want to select
with reference 10 their ability as teachers.
You don't want any playcd.out lawyers nor
seedy preachers who can't make living at
anything else, but men and women who
have their hearts in their work, and who are
acquainted with all the best methods OF
teaching You need not pay them large sal
aries, | mean such as all the young men
and young women want who go into the
country TO teach; they want good salaries
because tho terms are not to exceed four or
i've months. II you give teacher FIVE
months pay, and suppose you pay him $50
month, this, in term Of five months,
would he only $500, while q ten months
term at $40 would be S40o. Not long since
Twas talking to lady from Austin, one of
the best teachers, who proved herself such
in our institute and asked her what they
were paying in Austin She candidly said,
"Sixty dollars per month. What are you
paying for teachers Mt San Antonio?" /
told her we were paying S55, and she tho't
that was extremely little. said. "How
many months are you employed in Austin?"
ave got $50 for eight months" This would
be $3.50. We are paying $55 for twelve
months, which makes $500 instead of 1880.
1t makes q great difference whether you
have service for year. or only part of the
year. The great curse of our profession
generally Is the short time we have to labor;
for the rest, we may be turned out in the
word to Craze like the lows. We could af
ford to work for less per month if we were
employed the whole year, men would have
a regular income, could arrange their whole
Affairs in regard to this matter. In this
town you have good many intelligent Ia
dies, young ladies and those who are older,
and who can do good service under proper
supervision, who would not be worth any
thing in the country. The teacher of pri-
vate school in the country must be both
supervisor and teacher. You can take
person who under the control of n compe-
tent teacher can do good work at much less
price. Ladies much prefer residing in town,
where they onn have the benefits of home
life, and will teach for q less amount than
they would in the country.
You can arrange, in the start an econom.
ical system and have it effective. The main
thing is to have q good head; your head is
worth ull the rest. Everyone knows. who
knows anything about school matters, that
SUCCESS is mainly dependent upon having
good heads. You need principal or super
intendent. or whatever you may call it. !
will say this in regard to principal or Sill
pcrvisor: What you want here is to EN-
ploy principal with supervisory power,
and that he teach four hours day. and the
rest of the time be given to supervising.
Appoint your best paid and most skilled
teacher for the lowest class, the first read
ers give them II right start AMI they will
go on. If you have weak te scher put her
little higher, along with the second or
third readers. children who can help them
selves. Small children should not be kept
in more than four honrs a day; then the
teacher can report to the principal, who can
send her up to another grade and she can
take charge of that while he goes around
and attends to the business arrangements of
the rest of the school.
If you have Ave or six teachers You can
not only find time for this, but also make
occasional visits TO the colored schools
which come under the same supervision.
Such an arrangement can be made and you
will save money by it
Now AS to some points in regard to the
matter of buildings The only way il to
levy tax sufficient to build them. The
city of BRENNAN did that, and they have
fine brick school house that would be
credit to any town, and now since it is built
they do not regret it. And here let me say
in regard to school house, such as you need
in this place, You ought to build school at
some eligible, central point ct first. Build
it Just for your present population, and
then let all the children come to that school;
then i'll the course of time, rs you find that
one part of town grows more rapidly than
the other, organize a primary school in that
far-off point so that the smaller children
may go there and be near home. Do the
same way in the other portions of the town,
and let the highest classes attend only the
central school, and let other school houses
be built as the population may show itself
to be increasing.
About the financial question, Ihave found
that your school income will be Sl,95O.40,
your scholastic population being 266 whites,
80 colored, total. 376. A principal, such a
one as would take your schools for the pres
ent, with some hopes for the future, you
ought to employ for 5000. There are am
bilious young men who have had proper
training. who. in a nice place like this,
would be willing 20 take the position. if
there was a prospect for the future. You
will need four other teachers for the white
schools. at salaries about Us follows: sos,
$50. S4Oand SIS per month in all, 81, 500.
Ths teachers of the colored schools will cost
you about 500. Now, suppose that out of
the 266 whites. 225 would attend school all
the year. and that out of the 90 colcred, so
would attend and that each one paid half