Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-16
THE COUNTY ACADEMIES.
From an Adore by Ex-Governor Roberts
at the University.

| Waco Day.
! Academies are necessary in a complete
| system of education. Strange to say the
| convention of 1873, in mapping out and
making provision for a system, made no
| provision for any intermediate schools be-
| tween the university and its branches
| and the public free schools. 1t is
| stranger 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 the lands, or the proceeds
OF the sale OF them securely invested. As
new counties were formed laws were
passed from time to time Civ
ing them their lands as had been
given to the original counties. The
omission is unaccountable except
upon the superstition that it was thought to
be practicable then to provide for the public
free schools and for none other of a higher
grade. Still it is submitted that could have
been done without diverting the donations
from the object originally designed The
constitution recognizes the right OF the
counties to hold and dispose of their lands,
and provides that said lands and the pro-
ceeds thereof, when sold, shall be held by
said counties as u truSt for the benefit of
public free schools therein
BY the school law (act of 1854 the county
Judge, III appropriating money to the sew
eral school districts or communities, is re-
quired TO add the county fund, if any, to
that which is received by his county from
the state. This a is Legislative construction
that by the constitution the fund originally
given TO the counties to establish acade-
mics has been apportioned to
the support of the public free
schools. That construction 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
constitution. There should be an amend
ment OF the constitution which would per
NIT the counties TO use the fund derived
from said lands i'll the establishment of
academies. Such an intermediate school
is necessary to prepare STU
dents for the university and its
branches. Such schools would enable
many persons to get higher education than
1t IS practicable to have them furnished
with in the public free schools, and who
c;.nnot attend the university. Without
such an intermediate school there may be
an effort in the public free schools to raise
their standard to supply the defect, and in
the university to lower its standard to re-
cetve students, and thereby both ends OF
the system would be prejudiced.
y county being authorized TO establish
an academy OF its own, its citizens in all
parts would be induced TO take u lively in
lcIcSI III II Us lllSlF OW IL institution OF learn
ing to which they could send their children
after they had attended the public free
schools, and there prepare them for enter
ing the university or some of its branches.
or at least give them higher education if
not able to send them to the university
To supply the place of such a school. to
some extent, insthe cities and towns that
have assumed control of their schools as
separate districts, city high schools have
been established in connection with their
public free schools. These have largely in
creased, just before and since the
establishment of the main uniyer-
sity 1T Austin. The faculty of
the university, when requested, have
sent one of their number to inspect those
and when their teaching has been
reported and approved. their graduates are
received into the university without an eX-
animation. Up TO the present time there
are reported in the catalogue only twenty
one auxiliary schools in the whole state. |
There may be more that are competent that |
have not applied to be examined,
These city schools were established under |
a audable effort to supply public neces- |
sity; still, they are not full substitutes for |
the county academies. They are confined |
to the cities or towns mainly in their bene
pupils of the cities or towns attend |
them, yet the taxes levied to sup
port them are collected equally from the
large body of citizens who receive no direct
benefit from them. They might be dis
oensed with If the county academy was es-
in which the people of the county,
IS well As those in the city, would be
equally Interested and benefited.