Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-07-18
A NEW SwCHOOLHOUSE
Every Person at Public Meeting
Spoke In Favor Of a Central
School Building.
URGENT NEED FOR SANTA FE
Central School Building Necessary Step to
Keep Santa Fe from Going Backward
Bond Issue for That Purpose
Would Be Economy.

Numerically, the pubic meeting IN
the court house last evening, to con-
slider the ACCESSIBILITY of issuing bonds
for a new school house, was not a sue
cess. A. p. Hogle was elected chair
man. Every one present spoke in favor
of a new school building. Major Fred
Muller spoke in substance as follows:
II am in favor of a new central school
house. The building of such a school
house will not necessarily increase tax
alton. Enough economies could be prac-
ticed to pay off interest and debt with
out increasing the tax levy. Instead of
five janitors as now employed only one
~janitor would be needed; with the con-
c%entration of the schools one or two
teachers might be spared, room rent for
board meetings could be saved, and it
would not be necessary to spend money
continually for repairs. Four years ago
the board had a debt Of 1000, which has
all beer paid. The old school buildings
could be sold, for they do not look like
| school buildings. The little town Of Ger
IliloS HAS q DCllCI ohi SSiiool puild-
ing than n school house in Santa Fe.
We must be ashamed to point out our
school facilities to visitors. A new CEN
trail school building certainly would be
a great advantage without costing an
additional cen to taxpayers, and the
| sooner it is built the better for the city,"
President Jacob Weltmer, of the
school board, spoke in somewhat the
same strain. But he thought that a
central school house would not be suf-
ticient, and thai the ward school houses
should be kept in repair on account of
the smaller children not being able to
walk a great distance in bad weather.
He said the question should be thor
oughly agitated, as visitors who intend
ed to stay in the city generally back out
when they hear of the poor school facil-
tiles; in other words, it don't look
healthy to them.
Professor Wood said that he was glad
that every one he had spoken to was of
the opinion that Santa Fe ought to have
a new school building. "Of the $500
teachers who visited Santa Fe recently,
many asked to be shown the city's
schools. An adobe school house might
be interesting to a visitor, but it is no
credit to the city. Most of the teachers
went away with a very poor opinion Of
Santa FEES educational facilities, and
will undoubtedly report their impress
sions all over the country. In all the
years that I have been in New Mexico
the stigma Upon Santa Fe has been it's
have I heard people in Las Vegas say
that I would prefer to live at Santa Fe
if it only had good schools Colorado
Springs was built up from a mere viii
lage to a large city by health seekers.
Health seekers are generally well-to-do
people, and they will go to a city that
is enterprising enough to have good
public schools. The schools of Colorado
Springs are the city's pride, and it's
greatest advertisement. Santa Fe has
many advantages over Las Vegas. 1t
has the better climate, it raises better
fruit, it has better water, it is on the
two large lines Of railroad, it is the ter
ritorial and the county capital, it is the
center Of a rich mining region. The
mining investor generally does lot live
at the mining camp, but in a city neal
to it that offers good school advantages
for his children. I know of many people
who would come to live here if there
We're good public schools here. I cannot
recall a single town or city that
amounts to anything without good pub
lie schools. Santa Fe cannot possibly
have good schools that are admired by
people unless there exists a good school
building. Children, especially American
school children, are proud of a nice
school house, and ashamed of the poor
looking school building"
Professor Wood does not believe that
at present more than a central school
building is needed, as a good corps of
teachers in a city the size of Santa Fe
is at a disadvantage if the schools are
scattered. Distances in this city are
not near as large as they are in many
other places of only one school house.
The brick school on the south side
might, however, he thinks, be kept for
primary schools for south side children.
AS the city grows other school buildings
can be built, but a central school house
should be the starting point for the
ward schools. With a central school
building Santa Fe will rise in the esti-
nation of the outside world 100 per cent.
People in surrounding mining camps
and nearby ranches will send their
children to Santa Fe then tt be edu-
Gated. The mere fact of the intention of
Santa Fe to build a school house will be
advertised by every school journal in
the United States, and will be an adver-
tisement worth thousands Of dollars to
Santa Fe. Every year people would
to Santa Fe that would otherwise
go elsewhere. Santa Fe must make a
move forward or go downward. Unless
she makes a step forward property will
.depreciate so per cent, and some day an
sister city will succeed in