The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-01-03
THE UNIVERSITY.
The Absolute Necessity of In
creaslng the Available Fund.
A Pressing and Immediate Need
for a Substantial and Per-
manent Increase.

need for funds with which to complete tn
present building. 1t is estimated that i
will take 100000 over and above thu
Amount appropriated by the Twentieth
legislature to com plete the center anC
north wing, now in course of erection
The entire amount appropriated was
! S125,000. 1t was stipulated by the legis
lature that $4,000 of this should go tC
Galveston. The balance, $4,000, wst
placed at the disposal of the regents to b.
used a. their discretion. As it was deemed
absolutely essential that an Increase be
made in the teaching force of the Unlver.
sity, and as the available income did not
allow this increase to be made, it was
thought beat and wissst to set aside $685.
900 in round numbers to be used in secur-
ing for term OF years additional in-
structors. This disposition of $4,000 of
the original appropriation left $50, 900 to
be used by the regents in erecting build
ings. Plans we're secured as near as pos
sibie in harmony with the original de-
signs, and schedule bids for the work were
advertised for in the leading papers of
tho state. On the I'd day of August, 1888,
the bids were opened in the presence of a
committee of the board of regents and in
presence of the bidders, and tAe contract
was awarded to John Mcdonald, of Aus.
tin, his bid 1850, 244.2O) being the lowest
for the work proposed to be done.
The contract provides for the compile
ton of the walls, temporary floors, the
roof and the tower of the center and north
wing, and the work is now going on under
the uperintendenoy of General Hardeman,
the superintendent of public buildings
and grounds. 1t is estimated that it will
take 100000 to complete the plastering,
painting and wood work, and to provide
seats for the assembly room.
1t is also estimated that it will take
$4,000 to complete the east wing in the
style of the present west wing, and $4,000
in addition to provide seats and furniture
for this wing and the center, and pipes,
radiators, boilers aud building for steam
heating. The necessity of heating the en-
tire building by steam is imperative as
the present mode of heating by means of
stoves is not only expensive and trouble
some, but it is exceedingly dangerous.
ADDITIONAL CHAIRS.
The chairs already established are
barely sufficient, IS now equipped, to offer
of under graduates. As the number of
students increases, and demands are made
for greater diversity of subjeo of in
struction, the necessity of expanding and
of more completely equipping these
chairs will become imperative. The school
of chemistry shonld have an instructor to
divide with the professor in charge the
work of hearing of rotations, and of su-
perintending during the time the classes
are engaged in the laboratory. There are
also needed for this school additional
rooms. But the school in most pressing
need iust at this time is the school of
geology. The regents have not been able
to establish it until this year, and have
been able ouly to employ professor.
They have not found it possible to equip
the school in any sense. There is no
museum, and no provision by which one
oan be collected. The professor, with an
unexpectedly large class, is crowded into
one email room, which is used for lecture |
room, laboratory and workshop. In no
way would an appropriation be sooner re-
turned to the state in direct money value
than by applying it to the equipment and
expansion of this school.
LAW DEPARTMENT.
This department has been an integral
part of the University from the first, hav-
ing been organized at the same time as
the academic department. Its classes,
always large, have steadily grown, until
now December, 1881 they number
"a students, an increase of IL over the
entire number of law students catalogued
last year. The law department has been
great help to the University. 1t has at
tracted, as general thing, more mature
class of students, and its graduates have
been uniformly instrumental in turning
towards the University the steps of stu
dents who desired collegiate learning.
This department has not only been ad-
vautageous to the University, but it has,
it is believed, been of signal service to the
state. 1t has kept in Texas large num-
Der of young men who would, in all prob
ability, have gone to other states for their
professional training. They have been
educated by professors familiar with
Texas Jurisprudence, aud, when graduated,
they have naturally carried away with
them res pect for the laws of the state,
and a pride in it's history aud in the
achievements of its people that would be
desirable to instill into the hearts of all
its citizens.
1t ia desirable, therefore, to expand this
department and to extend its usefulness.
With this end in view, the regents would
be glad 10 increase its faculty by the cleo
ton of an additional professor, and to ex
tend the course by requiring an additional
year for graduation.
THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT.
The medical department was located Mt
Galveston by vote of the people at al
election held September 6, 1851; aud at
the called session of the Twentieth legiSla
ture, May, 1883, $4,000 of the 1925 600,
abuve referred to ~ having been leut The
Uuiversity, was directed to be applied 20
the erection of buildings for the medical
department at Galveston.
Plans for a suitable building we're adver-
tised for, and at a called meeting OF the
regents, held at the Bail High school
building, in the city of Galveston, ON the