The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-06-19

lected equally off the large body o.
citizens who receive no direct benefit
from them. They might be dispensed
with if the county academy was estab
lished, in which the people of the
county as we'll as those in the city
would be equally interested and bene-
fitted.
The last in the ascending grade OF
the system of public schools is the
University of Texas. The constitution
of 1876 provides that "the legislature
shall, as soon as practicable, establish
organize and provide for the main
tenance, support and direction OF a
university of the first class, to be 10,
Gated by a vote of the people of the
State, and styled the University OF
Texas for the promotion of literature
and the arts and sciences, including
an agricultural and mechanical de-
partment."
1t provided further that the Agri-
cultural college, previously established
in Brazos county. should "be made and
constituted branch of the University
of Texas for instruction in agriculture,
the mechanic arts and the natural
sciences connected Herewith" and
also that the Legislature shall, when
deemed practicable, establish and
provide for college or branch uni
versity for the instruction of the COL
ored youth of the State, to be located
by vote of the people"
By acts of the legislature elections
were held, and the main university
was located at Austin, and the medical
department at Galveston, and the
college or branch university for the
colored youth was located at Austin.
In the establishment of the main uni
versity in September, 1888, the law
department was established in connec-
ton with it, by the action of the board
of trustees, and has been carried on
contemporaneously with it. There
has been some provision TOR the estab-
lishment of the medical department,
but none whatever for the branch for
the colored youths. The agricultural
and mechanical branch has been in
operation since 1876 under board of
directors. Preparatory to the estab-
lishment of university, a board of
regents was created in 1881. AS all
of these branches constitute "the
University of Texas" that is, one uni
versity, they should be under one
board, for their direction and govern
ment. The two boards united would
make ID board of thirteen members,
which would not be too numerous,
and still it could be composed OF per-
sons, we'll qualified to give the proper
direction and encouragement to each
of the branches, according to their
relative positions in university educa-
ton. 1t would tend also to prevent
any contention and rivalry, by the
effort to advance one branch to the
detriment OF the others, and to con-
fine each branch to its appropriate
sphere in the system. There is as
much propriety in having separate
boards of directors for the law depart
ment, and the medical department, as
for the agricultural and mechanical
department. Such state of things
would result in struggle in the leg
islature, each branch enlisting its adj
vocates for peculiar advantages, re-
sulting in general confusion. The
country has witnessed enough of this
already with only two boards. There
is no need of conflict or rivalry be-
tween the branches, but all being
under the same board, each branch
should be promoted in its peculiar
province, according to its relative i'm
portance, consistently with the means
by the State to support all
of them.
The constitution requires the legis-
lature to provide for the direction of
a university. AS the legislature is
thus held responsible for what is
taught, and for the manner OF teach
ing and ntrolling it. in all OF Its
branches, measures should be adopted
that wonld be adequate to that re-
quirement. The one board could be
of lawyers, doctors, mech
anics, farmers, and of highly learned
and scientific gentlemen, who would
be able to inspect the operations OF
each branch personally during the
session of the schools, as well as at
the close of them.
For the services thus rendered by
them they should be amply compen-
stated. Their reports to the legislature
would then represent information ac-
quired by themselves. Good teachers
would gladly welcome such a visit to
their school rooms for the inspection
of their work. The meeting of the
board at the commencement is valu-
able mainly in giving countenance,
and their personal influence to the
occasion, and to the institution gener-
ally. The two boards as now organ
lied, composed of gentlemen who are
in their private business,
and serving without compensation,
can be expected to do but little more
than sanction the reports, presented
to them by the respective faculties.
The law requiring the legislature to
appoint d board of visitors to attend
the annual examinations has never
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