The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1899-05-18
wh., cur,i. mink. Of osI.bom..

w. T.. Curtis writes as follows IN the
chicago Record:
Oklahoma 10 ten years old, and II is
: unique example % the 18th century
civilization. It did no, appear in the
last eeusus, but ia the next IL will
probably show something like go, 900
population, for the last count made by
the local enumerator, in is97, was 5ll,-
go.
There is no more intelligent, law
abiding, prosperous or eontented peo-
pie on earth" said Governor Barnes,
'and o5 per cent. are Amsrican born
do not believe there is a community
in the country Of similar population,
unless IL be in Maine or Vermont, with
a smallel percentage Of foreigners, and
while we have never made an official
inquiry, l believe Oklshoma will show
a smaller percentage of illiteracy than
any other state or territory in the
Union. We have about Is, 900 partially
civilized Indians and perhaps $4,000
cOlored people who arc practically un-
educated, but 1 doubt If there is
white man, woman or child In the ter
ritory above the age Of FIVE years who
cannot read and write"
There Is no penitentiary in oklaho-
ma, and there are no poorhouses or
poorfarms in the territory. The need
Of such things has never been felt
Although there is an impression in the
East that this Is a lawlcss country, the
reports of the criminal courts show
that the penitentiary population is
only 1855, aud that there was only one
convict last year for every 2, $50 OF the
Inhabitants, while in the good state of
Ohio the ratio was one for every 1900.
In Kansas, one TO every l,eO0 and in
Indiana one to every 1880. There are
jails, or coolers" as the people kindly
call them, in all the larger towns, but
in the smaller places when mao has
committed an offense against society
the sheriff locks him up in vacant
room until he gets time TO take him 10
court.
By the census last year there were
more than zoo churches and more than
!, 900 Sunday Schools, with an average
attendance Of 10000. This is one
church for every 400 of the population,
and one Sunday School for every 3li.
Ten per cent. of the inhabitants OF Ok
lahoma are communicates with some
church, which is probably larger
percentage than any of the older
states can show, but it must be re-
mcmbered that the territory wrs set
tied by a remarkable class Of people;
and that on the first day, when 10000
determined men rushed in to seize the
best locations they could find, there
was only one homicide and the victim
was Chicago tough" who was shot
for refusing to behave himself. He
simply could not be tolerated, and
righteous man, selected by his associ-
ates to keep order removed" him
from the scene.
81 don't want to be Dragging" said
Governor Barnes, but l wish you
would look into our public school sys-
TEN. We are particularly proud OF it,
There isn't q community on Gods
footstool that has better facilities for
education or appreciates them more.
The greater part of our taxes is devot-
ed to the support OF the public schools,
a university and several academies
and normal schools, and the public
lands which were reserved for school
purposes are going to be the source OF
rich permanent endowment We
have $40, ,623, SIC in taxable property;
we hays public debt OF sis, 900, which
represents a school house; we have
s45s ,574 invested in that sort of real
estate; we have 1879 schools, with
90, 5s5 boys and girls attending them;
we spent last year s207, 900 for teach
ers' salaries, s4s, 900 for new buildings
and furniture, s32, 200 for rents, re-
pairs and other incidental expenses,
81, 600 for books and apparatus for
our school libraries, and a total OF
s332, 600 in round numbers for educa-
tional purposes do not know of an
eastern state that did as much in pro-
portion to its population.
'We have daily newspaper Cor ev-
cry $4,000 people, a weekly for every
5000 ana a regular publication for ev-
cry 2,aOo, while Colorado shows one
for every $500, New York one for
every 2,7Oo, Ohio one for every 1890,
Massachusetts one for every 5000 and
Mississippi one for every $500"