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

lowed in the normal schools without
standing a reasonably fair examina
ton upon the branches taught in the
public free schools. No pupil, whether
free or paying scholar, should re-
main in the school longer than one
session, that being sufficient to give
them the necessary training, if that i;
made the leading object of the schools
as it should be. And all OF them
alike, who receive the benefit of the
schools, should be placed under obi
CATION to teach in the schools of the
State. By such means those schools
would be placed in their true distinc.
tive position and kept so. Any other
course will cause them to be filled by
persons Who are seeking a general
education, who will not be found
teaching in the common schools as a
business, but will make it the
means of qualifying themselves for
other professions, as some of them
have already done. What has been
said is prompted by the belief that
these normal schools, inspired with
the Importance of and singly devoted
to their true mission, would elevate
the standard of practical education of
the mass of the people more effective.
ly than it can be done in any other
way, and that no other schools in the
State would deserve a more anxious
consideration and fostering care by
the legislature. He who would lead
in the grand work OF plan ting firmly
in the public free schools throughout
the State the sentiment that their
first and highest duty is to perfect
their pupils in the common branches
of a primary education would deserve
as much honor as the highest pro-
fessor of any college or university in
the land.
Academies are necessary in COM
plete system of education. Strange to
say, the convention of 1875, in map
ping out and making provision for a
system, made no provision for any ia
termediate schools, between the
University with its branches, and the
public free schools. 1t is strange still,
in view of the fact that as early as
1889, four leagues of land had been
given to each county to establish an
academy in it. The counties had in
CURED the expense of locating and
taking care of the lands, and many, if
not most of them still have their lands
or the proceeds of the sale of them Sc
curely invested. AS new counties were
formed, laws were passed from time to
time giving them their lands, as had
been given to the original counties.
The omission is unaccountable, except
upon the supposition, that it. was
thought to be practicable then to pro-
vide for the public free schools, and
for none other of higher grade. Still
it is submitted, that could have been
done, without diverting the donation
from the object originally designed.
The constitution recognizes the (Sec.
6, Art. y right of the counties to hold
and dispose of their lands, and pro-
vides that, "Said lands and the pro-
ceeds thereof, when sold, shall be held
by said counties, as a trust for the
benefit of public free schools therein"
By the school law (Act of 1880 the
county judge, in apportioning money
to the several school districts or COM
is required to add the county
fund, if any, to that which is received
by his county from the State. This is
a legislative construction, that, by the
constitution, the fund, originally given
to the coun ties to establish academies
has been apportioned to the support
of the public free schools. That con-
struction is favored by the terms used,
''For the benefit of the public schools
therein" and by the entire omission
of the word academy" in the consti-
tuition. There should be an amendment
Of the constitution, which would per-
NIT the counties to use the fund, de-
rived from said lands, in the establish
ment of academies. Such an inter
mediate school is necessary to prepare
students for the University and its
branches. Such schools would enable
many persons to get higher educa-
ton, than Is practicable to have them
furnished with, in the public free
and who cannot attend the
Without such an inter
mediate school, there may be an effort
in the public free schools to raise their
standard to supply the defect, and the
University may lower its standard to
receive students, and thereby both
ends of the system would be preju-
liced.
A county being authorized to estab-
ish an academy of its own, its citi-
zens in all parts would be induced to
take lively interest in it, as their
)wn institution of learning, to which
they could send their children, after
they had attended the public free
and there prepare them for
entering the University, or some of its
branches, or at least give them a
higher education, if not able to send
them to the University.
To supply the place of such a school,
to some extent, in the cities and
towns, that have assumed control of
their schools as separate districts, city
high schools have been established in
u,;th fhoir ,,nblio frnp