The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-11-04
AUSTIN, October 80, 1886.
JUDGE FULMORE'S SPEECH

JUDGE FULMORE'S SPEECH.
AN ABLE REVIEW OF HIS STEW
ARDSniP IN THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
Before meeting of the Teachers in
stitute of Travis county yesterday, in
Austin, Judge Fillmore delivered the fol-
lowing address, which is published at the
request of the Institute and because of its
able review of the school system of Travis
county:
Before severing my official connection
with this institute, | desire to review the
work of the schools in this county since
my first installation in office in Novem-
Der, 1880.
At that date 1 found on my predeces
sor's books the following memorandum:
"3,843 children, pro rata per child, SO;
total, $l1,9133O." The city schools at
that time were under charge of the county
Judge, with $4,615.90 to their credit, and
twenty-nine teachers in charge; and at
that time the schools now known as the
Texas German and English academy,
Hood seminary, Stuart Female seminary
ana two colOred schools under the auspices
of the M. e. church, north, and Baptist
church, received their pro rata from the
public fund. Only two of the white teach
ers connected with the city schools at that
time are now in our public schools-Prof
VIM and Miss Clifton-and the state that
year apportioned only $159.16 to the
teacher.
In that year there we're seventy teach
sobn or ba ant nf . ha
city, and the proportion to each teacher
from the public fund was $104.29. Out
of forty two white teachers connected
with the county schools of that year, five
yet remain; while out of eighteen colored
teachers, seven remain In 1881 the
city took charge of the schools
within the corporate limits, and now the
number of teachers is AZ, as against 30 in
$780, the scholastic population 3,464, as
against 1,499 in 1885, the state appropria
ton $46,453, as against $14,615 in 1885,
while there is apportioned to the teachers
$35O54, as against $159.16 in 1880.
In the county the scholastic population
is 1924, as against 1854 in 1880; and the
number of teachers SO, as against 20 in
$780, and the amount appropriated to
each teacher S255.72, as against $104.29 in
1880; and our total fund S25, AGA, as against
1924 in 1880. The length of the school
term has nearly doubled, while teachers
salaries, taking into consideration the
amount of salary paid and the increase of
the term, have more than doubled.
In scholarship, and general efficiency of
teachers, the progress has been marked;
the text books have improved, and the
general facilities for education, it seems
to me, are incomparably superior to those
of 1880. AS upon your profession largely
depends the future progress and perma-
nent prosperity of our educational affairs,
| have deemed it not inappropriate to
call your attention to some features of our
law, which / am sure concerns the per-
sonal interest of each one of you.
Section l, Art. VlI,of our state cOnstitu-
tioh, reads: "A general diffusion of knowl-
edge being essential to the preservation OF
the liberties and rights of the people, it
shall be the duty of the legislature of the
state to make suitable provision for the
support and maintenance of an efficient
system of public free schools"
From this it may be seen that the con.
stitution does not enjoin upon the legisla,
ture the duty of providing for system OF
efficient free schools, or for any particu-
lar character of institution, or for any in
reference with the real educational work
of the schools, it simply requires the leg
islature to provide for the support of such
an organization as will be best adapted to
educational resources, conditions and
needs of the people of the state.
Webster defines system to be "a number
of things connected together" regular
order" regular method" ETC., and an eff
cient system may be defined as a system
capable of affording thorough rudimen-
tary instruction to all the youth of the
state, at the smallest expense consistent
with the resources and conditions of the
people.
How far short of establishing an eff
ficient system of public free schools our
legislatures have fallen cannot be appre-
ciated without some knowledge of the
practical operation of our present law.
With the ostensible purpose of simpli
fying school matters and of economically
administering our school fund, the legis
lature made the county judge exofficio
superintendent of county schools, the
comfy treasurer ex-officio the custodian
of the funds of the various counties; the
assessor of taxes ex-officio the census
taker-and to these was added board OF
examiners, in each case the several Off
cials being independent of each other and
of any superior authority. Under this
loose. DISCOUNTED plan, according to the
hest information we have on the subject
all have grown in scholastic population
from about 238.OO0 in 1880, to $4,000 il
1856. and our school fund increased from
S75O.OOO to about $2,350O00 during thu
same perIod. becoming complicated ant
confused in proportion as it has grown
until to-day we have no accurate means Of