Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-03-09
PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NEW MEXICO.

PUBLlU SUHUULS In NEW mhAloV'
A much more friendly tone toward New
Mexico is noticeable in the eastern press;
henceforth, We think, New Mexico will
receive fairer treatment. 1t is very graft
flying to read editorials like the one copied
herewith, taken from the editorial page
from 80 influential and widely circulated
a journal as Harper's Weekly:
"It is good news that on the 18th of
February Governor L. Bradford Prince,
Of New Mexico, approved the bill estab'
fishing common schools in that territory.
His message announcing the approval
contained few recommendations for the
improvement of the bill, but the event it.
self is one of great interest, and Governor
Prince can not contemplate any Of his
important official acts with sincerer salts
faction. He says in his message:
"While sending this notification, 1 can
not refrain from congratulating you and
all the people Of New Mexico on this most
important and suspicious event, which
constitutes an era in the history of the
territory, will attract thousands of intelli-
gent immigrants to our soil, and above all
insure to every one of our children the
blessings Of an education, which is the
key to prosperous and happy life."
Governor Prince is too sagacious a
public man not to see that the key of an
efficient school system is the teacher, and
that the vital point of the law is its pro-
visions for the selection of teachers. He
reminds the legislature that there are q
multitude OF teachers in the territory who
have never learned anything of the art Of
imparting knowledge, and he especially
commends the provision for teachers in
stitutes, which, when properly conducted
he regards as short normal schools, and
be recommends adequate pecuniary pro-
vision to make the institutes.
The governors remarks show that the
difficulty which is familiar in the Older
states presents itself in the young territory
He says:
The employment Of unfit persons,
through partially, or sometimes ever
from pity, has been one of the worst fault
in the past. There should be an abso
lutte prohibition of the employment o
any one who has not certificate, ant
the granting Of these certificates SHOULD
be in the hands of those free from loca
or personal influence. Even if the grant
ing of certificates of the lowest grade b.
allowed to be made as now provided il
the act, those Of higher grade should b
issued only by territorial board, in orde
that the system may be uniform, and tn
certificates may entitle the holders to &C
In any part Of the territory
The remedy for this difficulty lies il
the appointment of teachers by ascer
tanned merit, the application Of the prin
cple of civil service reform to the schoc
system. This has been largely intro
!, duced in the rural districts of New York
, under the suggestion Of the superinter
dent of public instruction, by the volur
} tary action of the county school commits
sioners. But it should be make mands
tory by law throughout the state. It
, very fortunate for New Mexico that il
, school system is to be established unde
the supervision Of so intelligent an Q,
8 ecutiye and one so familiar with the n
, quirements Of an effective system 9
Q Governor Prince"