Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-07-22
ABSTRACTS
From Reports Of County School Super
intendents.
PUBLIC INTEREST IN SCHOOLS.

The active interest manifested through
out the county of Valencia in the import
ant cause of education is very comforting
and satisfactory; an interest which de-
mands educational facilities in excess of
our ability to supply with our limited re-
sources. REV. JOHN B. BRuN,
Supt. of Public Instruction for Valencia
County, N. NJ.
| can add nothing to that which is con-
tanned in my report for the year 1887
relative to their conduct or condition.
The increase in the number OF scholars in
attendance is to an extent gratifying, but
the increase is by no means as great as it
should be, and this is accounted for in
part at least by the knowledge of the di-
rectors that female as we'll as male child
rem could attend school and are school
children. Hence in many districts where
heretofore only male children attended
great many female scholars have been re-
ported and they constitute the greater part
Of the increase. w. II. BURKE,
Supt. of Schools for Bernalillo County,
N. M.
l will not venture upon q resume of the
situation, as my connection with the
school interests has been of too brief
duration to enable me to do SO in salts
factory manner, but in general way |
may say the progress has been fairly good.
J. P. CHASE,
Superintendent OF Schools for Socorro
County, N. M.
Public interest in educational matters
is gradually increasing, and the money
spent on our public schools is having a
beneficial effect. D. G. NowLIN,
Superintendent Of Schools for Lincoln
County, N. NJ.
Nearly all the school houses in this
county have been built largely by private
subscription, and in many districts the
teachers pay has come partly from the
same source. This circumstance alone
ought to show the interest taken in school
matters by residents of the county, and be
one item to our credit in the face of all
the ISLANDERS heaped upon us by those
who, living so far away, presume to know
more about our own affairs than we do
ourselves. H. W. LOOMS,
superintendent of Schools for Grant Coun-
ty, N. M.
| have visited all the districts in the
county having public school in opera
ton, and it seems that all increased in
terest in the schools is apparent on the
part of the people, and the scholars seem
to take more pride in their work
than ever before. A number of i'm
provements have been made in several of
the school houses in furniture and ap-
paratus. J. M. MADRID,
Superintendent OF Schools for Colfax
County, N. NJ.
COMPULSORY LAW.
The two essential elements OF q system
OF universal popular education are public
provision for the support of schools for
the education of all youth and the in
struction of all children in such schools.
To secure universal education it is not
enough to provide schools at public exc
pense, care must betaken that all children
are taught in these schools. The COM
pulsory law of New Mexico makes pro-
vision for coercive school attendance,
but has as yet been of little practical use,
owing to the fact that in some instances
it is impossible to enforce it, at least for
small children, who have sometimes to
travel during the winter and in deserted
places large distances to go to school,
and in some other instances because the
school directors have neglected to enforce
it when it ought to have been done
and would have been attended b,
great advantages. When non-attend-
ance is due to the dereliction
Of the parents then they must
be held responsible by the strong arm of
law. Every person or parent having con-
troll Of any child over s years of age, whose
physical condition is not such as to render
its instruction inexpedient or impractical
BILE, should be obliged to cause such child
to attend school regularly and constant
ly while the school OF the district in which
the child resides is in session. All argu-
ments against compulsion have been tri-
umphantly refuted by accomplished facts.
! Some say that the compulsory law ia I'M