The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-11-19

General. chairman of faculty ot the me-
versity of Virginia and presidents at VIII
liam and Mary. Polytechnic Institute.
state Female Normal school. and super
intendent of the Virginia Military lusu-
tute. This board shall elect the state
Superintendent and the county and city
superintendents: manage and invest
school funds: make rules for the schools
select single list of books and educational
apDliances. except i'm cities of I.Opo. ana
have control ofthe state library through
acommission oftve and shallappoint the
librarian
The legislature is authorized 10 cstab-
lish agricultural. normal. manual tram
inc. and technical schools. and also to
make laws 10 prevent parents and guar
dams from allowing children TO grow mp
in ignorance 1t is provided that white
and colored children shall not be taught
ir the same schools Each maglSterlal
district shall be a separate school dlS-
trict No appropria tiOn shall be made
10 any school not owned exclusively ana
controlled by the State but this shall
not affect the contract with William ana
Mary The University Is 10 be MAINTAIN
Cd with an appropriation not less than
that now provided The school age is
fixed at from seven To twenty years.
Assuming that the foregoing Is
correct analysis OF the educational
report it contains two very vicious
elements which. if the people of Nir-
ginia can be aroused in time. will
never become parts OF the proposed
new Constitution.
First. 1t will be simply absurd 10
undertake to mix oil and water to
blend the colleges and the University
of the State with the common school
system. Why change the present
mode OF selecting school superinten-
dents? Which one of the State
Superintendents OF Schools since
The war Ruffner. Farr, Buchanan,
Massey or Southall-has been an
improper appointment? In the last
canvass the Democratic party. from
Governor Montague down To the
smallest crossroads orator spoke
in unmeasured praise OF the public
school system OF Virginia, It's excel
lent management and gratifying out
come. Yet this educational report
fully ready to be Matched before the
recess. was withheld until the election
was over. 1t was presented in the
Convention the first day after the
recess had ended. II is safe 70 say
that if it had been presented and
printed before the recess there would
have gone up a mighty howl.
But "Jeshurun has waXed tat and
kicked" Do the Democratic leaders
suppose that they can take the COM
mon school svstem-thepeople : love
and the peoples pet and the State.
great hope-and put it ont TO un-
friendly nursing? For no man be-
lieves that the college presidents are
In love with the system Why revise
the precedent OF thirty years? There
j. no reason and there l. no parallel
for such a Constitutional provision
IN any other State Constitution. IT
j. simply an amazing suggestion oil
inexpressible folly. II will no more
become finally adopted. II thecountry
press and the country people awake
in time. than that the millennium Is
at hand. This yelled slayer, fOrlnn
other light can the proposed pro-
vision be viewed. will surely be ulti-
mately repudiated by the Convention
because it will merit and receive the
overwhelming condemnation OF the
Democrats OF the State; and the mem
bers who stand by this incipient effort
TO blot out the Virginia school sys-
TEN will soon learn from Democratic
primaries that they are no longer
regarded as safe repositories for rep
resentative trusts. If it is desired to
enlarge the State School Board, and
it would seem that there can be no
objection to this, why not add to the
board. as now constituted, the Audi
tor and State Treasurer? In the
whole history of the State these offices
have been filed by men of the highest
type-ce certainly this is true OF the
present incumbents of these offices.
Second. The University OF Nir-
ginia. Mr.. Jefferson's University
and the States University, is
the pride OF Virginia and her
SONS wherever they may be. The
FREE LANCE is the friend of the Uni
versity not its enemy; but why
undertake the dangerous and I'M
necessary precedent of fixing a mini
mum appropriation in the Constitu-
ton which, if ever adopted, will have
to be declared, for no direct vote of
the people will probably ratify it?
The pseudo friends of the University
are not wise in undertaking to graft
such provision upon the Constitu-
ton. Madison and Monroe were in
the Convention OF 1S29-30, when the
University was in its infancy, and
made no such effort to fix a minimum
appropriation on the part OF the
Statefor the University. Mr.. Madison
was then the Rector OF the University
and Mr.. Monroe was one OF the board
Of visitors. Nor was any such effort
made In the Convention of 1S50-51.