The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-06-25

knowledge? There is no remedy for
darkness but light the twilight will not
be gone until the sunrise. We are in a
period of transition. New and better
systems of agriculture are demanded
and are coming Competition is intense
and universal. The half-clad Mexican,
scraping the soil with his rude plow, is
competing with the steam ploWS and
threshers of Washington and Idaho.
His task is to obtain more produce with
less labor. Its solution will come
through machinery and education.
The south is entering upon an era of
mining, mandatory and commerce. She
is rapidly using her raw material and
successfully offering her wares to the
markets of the world. All that she
needs is time and training. When we
consider how manfully she has strug-
glcd and how nobly she advanced, though
freighted down with the burden of
slavery and popular ignorance. can we
doubt that another century will see her
strengthened by universal education,
rich in her own resources, strong in di-
versified and intellectual agriculture, still
expanding i'll commerce and manuafac-
lures, crowded with school houses and
colleges and universities, can we doubt
that she will again lead the nation i'll
peace and in war, can we doubt that
Washington and Jefferson and Mad
iSOn and Monroe and jackson will
live again in unborn statesmen and heroes
who will wisely shape the larger dcstinics
of II larger nation.
What field is here for Texas. With
territory as large as England and Ger
many combined. her population will some
day be as dense. Her size, her position,
her variety of soil. climate and natural re-
sources, the heterogeneous character OF
her population and the past history of her
people. all declare that she will be the en-
pirc of the western continent. She lacks
no element of power; she is restricted to
no single activity; her energies have limit
less scope in agriculture, i'll mining, i'll
manufactures and commerce. She is the
great depot between North and South
America. and thus destined to become the
heart of the Western hemisphere. The
building of the Ncaraguan canal will
make her the connecting link between Eu-
rope and Asia. What an empire is this.
How firmly should its foundations be land
in universal education! Right nobly has
the state already done her part i'll tins
work, but much remains to be done. Her
elementary schools need to he multiplied
and their curricula extended; her high
schools to be elevated and strengthened;
and. prerequisite and essential to all, her
needs to be richly endowed and
expanded into Il true university. Untl
this is done the public school system will
remain inharmonious and incomplete. The
state of Texas. mindful of her glorious
past and watchful of her still more glorl-
Gus future, owes to every child within her
borders complete education; such an
education as John Milton defined when
he was pleading for human liberty ana
nrogress Il call" said he. "a complete
ti,,,t ll1t
man to perform justly. skilfully and mag
all the offices, both public and
private, of peace and war; such an cdu'
cation as will make the pupils dCspsc
and scorn all childish and ill-taught cN'
rrcises, as will infuse into their young
hearts such ingenious and noble ardor
MS will not fail to make many of them
renowned and matchleSs men,
Scotland with twice the population oil
Texas and one-tenth its territory, has
1000 students in her five great UNIVERSE
ties. In Massachusetts there is one stu
dent in college for every 10 families.
Evnrvwbero the great central forces in
life are the great universities. There are
today in the United States 135 institu'
tionS stvlinp themselves universities. with
40 colleges. In Germany there are
tw.cntv-onp universities supported by the
government The kingdom of Prussia,
ono of the Doorcst. and certainly the most
o onoromirol state in Europe. pays annually
fou r''t thn Snnnort of its universities an
q, y,o,,mt oninl to & ia cents per capita of
thn' ,tiro nou,Iotion 4 like provision
1 ~. ,,m n' stota If Tcyos would give her uni
,'aar'.it,. nm annual nnnropriation of $780,
NGrSi'S Nh an ".l,'t trappn,v in France. pcr-
poo' l. he SUI ',n" oSt economical king
T I"npn IF tbn Emronrnn powcrs of the first
oUJar onnronrintps nearly I cents per
c,,itn If Is nonulntion to the annual sup
nnrt If is universities. Every real uni
p0r ~ in Amnrico has an annual income
or "t ionst 5000 600 Is there reason to
l,nIiovn that thc great state of Texas will
pri , ''' mrivnrsitv more easily or more
sI IJ,. ." +l,nn bo,. sister states?
H S o,,nm a To viii NOT make great
b ;,.l money I tLo' id"ais and its pur-
nlllNt'S'' Snn Tvs rot Inc accomplished
poses r'n ~ university is
ny hloheS, ,,,. human talent finds
place where "t',S ,ho m "very susccpti-
! us ucNG at,dort Is aroused and salts
oiii'y Oh s'u 'orr 10 oJvonce of science
ned' Wngle c'[ n,,+r,mco whore men of
mas Melcpile I'LL, H,l'' "r nuickly rccog-
eXceptlohal genius "ic H. L;%bor cojl