The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-04-11
FREE SCHOOL LEGISLATION.

Little was done by the Twenty first leg
islature to benefit or injure the public
school system. The bills passed on this
most important subject were as follows;
Statutory declaration of the complete
independence of elected boards of trus-
tees in independent school districts of the
control of city councils.
Ten counties changed from the com
munity to the district system and three
counties changed from the district to the
community, with the provision that the
people of any locality in q community
county may organize themselves into
school districts by election and may vote
local tax.
Commissioners courts may abolish the
office of county superintendent when, in
their judgment, it may be necessary to
do so.
All school officers are required to make
their reports to the superintendent of pub
lie instruction, within twenty days after
the time when such reports shall have been
required to be filled, under penalty of for
feiting not less than twenty-five dollars
nor more than five hundred dollars.
When we compare the small results with
the great mass of proposed legislation,
we are compelled to ask the cause of the
failure of the legislature, which on the
whole, was friendly to the schools, to
adopt any of the amendments, the neces-
sity of which was clearly set forth in the
report of the state superintendent and
strongly endorsed by the governor. The
answer is not far to seek. II is the ignor-
ance of the conditions and needs of the
schools and of the principles
which should guide in the
development of an efficient system of
public schools. The development of the
public school system requires fair COM
parison of the usage of other states and q
careful study of the conditions prevalent
in our own state, and it requires above all
sympathy with the purposes and methods
of public schools. There is no better
field in public life for young men desiring
political promotion than careful study of
the public school system and the develop
ment of such plan as shall establish
these schools on permanent basis of eff
fioiency. No leader sufficiently well il
formed to instruct or explain the many
points arising in the enactment of com
prehensive school law was developed in
either the house or the senate, and until
such leadership shall be so developed it is
idle TO expect any important changes for
the better in our free school system. The
natural confusion in the minds of many
legislators on this subject was in
creased by the heGdlong efforts of several
rather indiscreet teachers to prevent any
important changes in the school system.
These efforts, which were doubtless well
meant, were singularly unfortunate, as
they caused reflections not only on the
judgment but even upon the integrity of
whole class OF public servants who are
or should be beyond suspicion. The work
of teacher is a peculiar one, similar in
many respects to that of clergyman.
Within the limits of this work he is
master, but when he steps beyond it he is
liable to public criticism just as other m en-,
so that the teachers who opposed the
weight of whatever influence they pos
sessed to prevent legislation which was
supposed to be detrimental to the inter
ests of book agents, should not be sur
prised that their motives were questioned
Members of the legislature were not ignor-
ant of the fact that the text book lobby
have in past years employed men to de.
feat legislation, whose purposes were
utterly unknown until long after, and
and they were naturally misled
into surprising that the teachers
who so clamorously opposed textbook
legislation we're enlisted in the same way
The experience of this legislature show:
clearly that it is necessary to go back o.
the politicians to the people to secure tn,
real needed school legislation. The neces
stiles in this direction seem to be a longer
school term, sounder financial basis