San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-04-20
TUESDAY. APRIL 20. 1886.
PUBLIC EDUCATION.

Texas boasts, and not without reason,
of the provision in future for the main
tenance of her public schools, and there
seems to be but little doubt that in the
years to come the State schools will be
quite literally provided for through the
income arising from the school lands
The additional revenue her schools would
have received under the provisions of the
Blair educational bill would have placed
her, for the present. in much better con-
dition to pursue her educational work
than she is now likely to be for some
time to come. That bill has died the
death under the decree of anti-national-
ism and color-phObia, and may be laid
on the table as dead duck Our own
city is making progress Internationally so
far as the needs Of children Of school
age is concerned, but no farther. 1t is a
very mistaken policy for the State, or
the municipality, to assume that its ed
ucational responsibilities are met and
discharged when the pupils it has taught
in its primary, intermediate and high
schools have gone out from their doors
to enter the ranks Of business and Join
the number OfthOse who battle for bread.
The duty of the State to its citizens
never ends. The responsibility of a
municipality to those who dwell within
its limits is perpetual. That RESPONSE
bility extends beyond the mere police
and sanitary regulations adopted for the
physical safety and health of the inhabi-
tants. 1t demands wise provision for
the after education OF those whose school
days are done, and who are busy earn
ing their bread in the sweat of their
face. Free access TO the news of the
day and the thought of the day should
be provided for the people. The public
library and the public reading-room and
the public lecture-roOm are as much a
necessity to the public intelligence as
the public school. The strength of any
representative government is justly
measured by the intelligence of the
masses Of its citizens. 1t is clearly, then,
the paramount duty of the government
to make all practical, possible provision
for the increased intelligence of the peo-
pie; not merely the children OF the peo-
pie, but the people. The State, lhe
municipality, has no right to lay upon
private citizens the work that to herself
so clearly, naturally and necessarily be-
longs. 1t is true that in many
places, heretofore, the public spirit
and liberality Of certain indivi-
dusls have led them to do to
some extent the educational work
neglected by the State, and we have
grown to look for the establishment of
reading-rooms and libraries as private
matters rather than public, but the en-
tire principle is wrong. San Antonio
people, the people en- masse, have no
libraries, no reading-rooms, no oppor.
tunities provided by the city for carry.
ing on the educational work necessary
to fit them for being citizens, to say
nothing OF their being the fathers ant
mothers, the teachers Of citizens. during
the most formative period ofchildhood'i
existence. San Antonio City Council il
respectfully but earnestly reminded thai
they owe to the people they represent
opportunities for knowledge, access t.
the news and thought of the day, which
they have heretofore neglected to pro
vide them with. We shall recur to thi
subject again. We must have a publ,
library and reading-room.
The Indiana Democrats are blue oyel
the political outlook. They can't gel
up any enthusiasm over the administra,