The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-06-19
AUST
free schools in the

PAy, lehuluS III EnSllSnJ PEN
nansh p, arithmetic, English gram
mar mS odern geography, and compost.
lon' an d other branches as may be
greed upon by the trustees or direct
d by IL he superintendent no such dis
'retion should be left to the
'uperlr .endents, and trustees. A
'tu dent that is made really
'r( )fcient in the bran hes that are
"a med, has an education, that is fully
ut Efficient for usefulness in all OF the
Hvdinary occupations, in which the
mass of the people are engaged. 1t
is the very best foundation
for a higher education. Indeed
most persons, who have graduated in
colleges, when they engage III the
practical business of life, are apt to
find, that their learning in these ele-
mentary branchesis deficient, because
they had not been properly impressed
at school with their importance.
These branches will be neglected, just
in proportion as other higher branches
are attempted to be taught in the
common schools. 1t would be a posi-
tive evil, by misleading the minds of
the pupils as to what constitutes a
good practical education, and would
cause them to waste their time upon
branches of study, that they could not
acquire any proficiency in. Further
more the legislature has imposed on
it the duty of providing for an eff
ticient system of public free schools.
How can it be known, that the
schools are efficient in the branches
named, if the authority is deputed to
the trustees, and superintendent, to
introduce in the schools any other
branches that they may choose under
the promptings of the thousands of
different teachers in the State. The
fact, that it is to be system through
out the state, implies that it should
have uniform, orderly arrangement,
and have that arrangement strictly
enforced, as prescribed by the author
ity that is responsible fort If by adj
vice with good practical teachers,
other branches of education should be
added to the list, the legislature could
do it, and still preserve the equality
and uniformity in the whole system.
1t may be argued, that this discretion
to introduce other and higher branch
es in the common schools is to accom-
modate scholars over the scholastic
age, that have finished the prescribed
course. That is the very thing that
should be avoided; for it is we'll
known that teachers who are capable
of teaching higher branches, take
more pride, and often devote more at
tention to teaching them than the
prescribed branches, and to that ex-
tent the pupils of the scholastic age
are in danger of being neglected;
whereas, they are the intended benef-
Charles of the public free schools.
Common schools cannot be made col
leges, but should be restricted to their
proper province in the general system
of education, and when that is done,
and done strictly, they will be a gen.
eral blessing to the country, that will
meet with the approval of united
people in favor of public education by
the State.
The Normal schools are creatures
of the legislature, and are not men
toned in the constitution. They
were instituted to train the teachers
at d time, that there was no uniform
ity in the mode of teaching in the
common schools throughout the
state. They were not intended to be
schools for teaching pupils, further
than to perfect them in the best
modes of teaching, and in learning
the common school branches. For
that purpose provision was made to
collect them from all parts of the
state, and give them such training at
the public expense, and send them
back obligated to teach in the public
schools. They are emphatically an
adjunct, and part of the public free
schools system of the state, and
should be kept so. Would it not have
been strange and unheard of thing,
to establish a school in this state to
teach select body of young men and
young women with free tuition, free
board end lodging with books and
stationery furnished free at the pub
lie expense? If the object had been
merely to educate them, that is, to
make them better scholars, such par
TALLY to them would have been an
outrage upon common sense and COM
mon justice. There was no such de-
sign. They were established to train
teachers to teach in thepublic schools,
and inaugurate the best mode of teach
ing uniformly throughout the State.
That was and still is the true consid-
Grafton for the liberal outlay of money
by the State for their support.
In this view of their. object, the y
should be under the same control anu
as are the public free
schools, and the branches taught in
them should be prescribed by the leg
stature in the same way, with direct |
tc the fitting of teachers
Tor efficient work, in the public free
schools. If the legislature should fail
to keep them in their proper sphere,
the ambition of teachers, laudable in
the general cause of education as it
NAV he. will asnire to make them col |