The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1897-12-25
PUBLIC EDUCA TON IN THE NEW
CONSTITUTION.

| r
| CONSTITUTIONS.
| Communicated.
While the suffrage question will be. as il
ought to be, the predo'ninating one in
| the constitutional convention to assemble
, shortly, there Is another one which is so in,
T! timately connected with good citizenship,
that Its consideration should follow that Of
, the suffrage as = natural sequence. Every
! patriotic citizen in the State will admit that
, An educational qualification is requisite to
the casting of an honest and intelligent bal
lot, and that on the intelligence of this State
and Union rests the security of our Republi-
can government, and the welfare of our socie-
! ty. Other States have. already taken the ini-
tiative in bringing about this desired state OF
affairs, and the State of Louisiana would
be false to her traditions did she not do her
share in the premises.
But it were a waste of time and words to
argue on this question of the suffrage, a
question on which the good men of the State
are agreed. For we believe it to be qpn-
coded fact that the suffrage laws are TOT be
changed, and that intelligence is to be,sas i
should to be, the basis of future government
in the Pelican State.
The purpose of this article is to show the
necessity of improvement in educa-
tional laws, and the duty the State owes to
its people to place good common school
education within the reach of every one of
its children. 1t is known fact that the
right kind of law on the suffrage will debar
a large number of white voters in the
State, many of them sterlingly honest, but
this is an unfortunate condition that can not
be obvia,ed. And unless better laws for
the promotion of the public school interests
are placed in the new constitution, the law
makers of that assembly will not have done
the just thing by the people of the State.
The true statesman does not look at ;mme-
diate effects for policy's sake. This is the
play of the politician. The patriotic law
maker has an eye for the future. His
praises not the sycophantic appreciation
of the public, but a consciousness of
duty we'll performed; the approval of his
own heart. He looks at it in this way,
were it not better by an infinite degree to
bring about the permanent establishment of
this great Republic, and t., insure the s,abil-
ty of its society, than to make laws simply
to please, without regard to their ul,i mate
effect.
The two suggestions we wish to present
for consideration are Ist, an increased APP
preparation of money by the State for school
funds; End, an improvement in the man
agcment of the schools in the parishes. In
reference to the first case, there is not suf-
fc,ent funds to the credit of the schools
throughout the State to carry full and
equal term in every parish. Some parishes
have the full ten months, some eight, some
six, while others barely get three. This
should not be the case. There should be
adopted epch laws by the State, that every
parish would get full term of the public
schools. This may prove question diff
cult of solution, but it should be solved
along the lines we have suggested. 1t is
an axiom that in proportion to an increase of
public school funds, there is decrease in the
criminal fund.
AS regards the second proposition we
maintain and argue, and we believe with a
sound premise, that the superintendent of
parish schools should be practical edu-
Gator in every sense. He should be a man
of good sound judgment, active and en-
thusiastic. He should be required 10 give
his whole time and energy to public edu-
cation. His whole time should be spent
with the schools in his parish. He should
schools. This is not the case now in any
parish outside of Orleans, and on account
of the law regulating the matter, it cannot
be different. The law of the State fixes the
maximum salary of parish superintendent at
two hundred dollars year. And for that
Insignificant sum, no competent man can be
found, who will devote his whole time to the
work. 1t cannot be expected of him. The
parish superintendent ought to receive a
salary of at least $500 year. This will
insure the selection of capable men, VIII o
will devote theiz whole time to the work
of building up and improving the school
system. The question of salary applies with
equal force to the selection of good teachers.
The men who will make up the coming
convention have big work before them.
May they have wisdom to do it we'll.
c.