The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-23

excellent census for the year of 1887,
well compiled and to all appearances
accurate. According to that the city
jurisdiction covers a population of 49,
900. The percentage who could read
and write was 29 37-1O0. Capt. Gardner
believes this percentage is very much
too high. Capt. Gardner says it is safe
to average the number of schools in the
island at 600 at the outside, of which
less than forty are private or religious
schools. The common schools are df-
vided into superior, elementary, aux
Hilary and rural, with )ne teacher to
each school, whose salary ranges from
1,2oO pesos, or say $500 Der year, in a
superior school of the first class to 800
pesos in a rural school. The superior
schools exist only in the seven depart
mental cities, in each of which thare
are supposed to be two superior schools,
one for each sex.
FEW SCHOOLS.
In the large townships there is one
school to about every 1000 inhabitants.
But education is laid on a great deal
thinner in many parts of the island,
large country districts being without
schools entirely, Notwithstanding a
compulsory school attendance law. As
each township pays for its own schools
it is impossible to estimate the amount
spent on education annually on the
island. But the states contribution
amounts to about 60, 600 pesos per year,
out of which are supported certain in
situations.
Summarizing the situation as a
whole, there exists on the island fair
1y good skeleton on which to construct
a school system. The difficulty arises
from the scarcity of competent and re-
liable teachers. In the nature Of things
in the present, but little progress can
be made by American teachers Their
sphere of usefulness will not include
Porto Rico until such time as a knowl-
edge of the English language has be-
gun to permeate all classes.
With regard to the religious aues-
ton, Capt. Gardner says it does not
appear that the inhabitants of the ISL
and have ever taken their religion with
any degree of seriousness, probably be-
cause the church Is regarded as one of
the methods by which Spain undertook
to maintain her sovereignty IN the
island and to provide for the mainte-
nance of such of her clergy as could
not be supported at home. Altogether
the clerical establishment maintains
about 240 priests and assistants, the
sum total Of whose salaries amounts
to about 10000 pesos annually.
Since the invasion of the American
troops the SdldlleS OF all these priests
which have heretofore been paid by
the state, have been cut off, state OF
affairs which seems to be viewed with
perfect equanimfty by all except the
priesthood itself. Roman Catholicism
| has better chance In the islands, Ii
view Of the condition Of the native
mind, than any other form of religion
That the population of Porto Rico, as
whole. has serious grounds of COM
plant on account of excessive taxation
| is not proved. But that this taxation
was distributed and administered sc
as to seriously interfere with the small
| and especially with the native mer-
chants and planters cannot be doubted
TOTAL OF TAXES.
| The total amount raised by national
/ taxation has been, of late years, more
| than four and one-half millions of pesos
a sum equal to a little over four and
| one-half pesos per inhabitant. To the
| Americans, who are accustomed to q
national taxation of some 81 per cap
| tia, the Porto Rican figures seem eS-
ceedingly small Contrary to the be-
1 lief which has been strenuousIy en-.
| gendered. the fact Is that out of this