The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-11-19
WORK OF WOMEN'S CLUBS IN TEXAS.
Influence Upon Education and BeautfyIng lowns-lnslru
mental in Establishing Girls Industrial College

section, hrst OF all tney einployeu wv -
a cost of $4,000 to tell them how to make
Harrisburg beautiful; they will make no mistake
their work will be harmonious and continuous
In Our campaign for public beauty, let us nor !1i
be discouraged the men of any community VIII
live ND 20 the ideals set for them by the women
thew love and respect. When we as women tully
determine, desire with all our hearts, that IeXas
shall be beautiful as well as prosperous m tnat
same hour the men, our generous helpers, will de-
termine the same thing,
While educational progress in Texas has been
most encouraging, yet there are two great neeus
that have as yet received only meagre attention
these are the betterment of the rural schools and
the general introduction of manual and industrial
training,
The great majority of Texas children, 80 per
cent are educated In the country these schools
have an average term of four and nine-tenths
months the teachers poorly paid the build
ings are generally bare and uncomfortable the
grounds look even worse than the buildings. That
our country schools have accomplished what they
have is due IN great measure TO the steriihs
worth of many of our country teachers. Otne1
States are alive to the situation and are de,
ternined that rural schools shall receive the aio
and encouragement that they SO richly deserve
In Georgia. aided by women's clubs, the sehool
authorities have established in one section
model rural school; hve small districts nave
been combined into one large distriet hve miser-
able frame novels have given place TO a neat
brick building of four rooms we'll equipped with
modern furniture, each room being presided over
by well-paid, well-trained teacher. me ample
school grounds are laid out with taste and care
there are flower gardens and vegetable gardens !
there Is commodious play ground, but there IS
also 4 space reserved for outdoor industrial tram
ing. Wagons bring the pupils to and from school
The ordinary branches are taught. and taught
we'll but scientific instruction is also given IN
the simpler forms OF manual labor. The e%-
penses of this one model school, including the
of characterization do exceed the
penses of the ive poorer schools.
In order, however, to place the rural schools
of Texas where they belong, we need more
money; this money can be raised only by direct
local tax such we levy in towns for school
purposes Here we are confronted by delusion
that is strenuously held by thousands of our
people, a delusion that has done us unmeasured
harm we are told-"Texas has a school fund SO
magnificent that from it all things are possible.
Evea such an authority as the Encyclopedias
britannica (ninth edition) states; Texas has
system in the United States" We deny both
statements and deny them enphatieally. Texas
once had magnificent school domain, but in
years gone by It was so nlismanaged that few
years since the income amounted to only Sa per
year for each child, The sooner we convince
people of this sad truth, the sooner may we hope
munities where personal interest on the part of
even few Of you from the towns would bear
rich results,
We Of the South need more and more to dig
nifty manual and industrial training. to honor the
man and the woman who show skill In handieraft.
The establishment of the Woman's Industrial col
lege marks an era Of progress IN this regard you
may do much TO serve the interests of this in
stitutoni the regents and all who have at heart
the best educational interests of Texas desire
that this school shall stand for the highest ideals
! it 10 to be training class for domestic
service, some seem to think it Is to be an
institution that shall do for our girls what the
! Agricultural and Mechanical college has done and
! is doing for our boys, an institution which the
! best bred girl in our State may be proud to
| claim as her alma mater. You can do more
than all others to set Hublic opinion Alright on
| but you will accord the college your hearty sup
port and encouragement
! While gratihed over the prospect, we must not
| feel our duty done till manual and industrial
training is taught in some form In all our public
schools; the trend of modern thought Is definitely
turned in this direction, and Our Texas must
special need for this training in the rural schools
where the ambitious boy has a great desire to
go to the city that he may use his brain and moi
his hands, If he is convinced that honor and
money will come TO the man who uses both
brain and hands, country life will be more at.
traetive and he may remain on the farm to be.
come one of the class our country so much
needs gh-ninded, literally educated, practical
In passing from this topic, recommend these
problems to your careful consideration, pausine
TO say II any community Is ready to undertake
either the bettermert of the rural school or tht
general introduction of manual training there arr
philanthropists representing millions of capita
who will esteem It privilege to be allowed &c
help in the great work
There is no more vital subject 20 come befor,
you than the question of child labor. There ar,
some who say; why should we disturb our
selves about this matter 1t will soon adjust It
self to the satisfaction of all concerned" Le
us not delude ourselves into believing such state
ments. History repeats iteslf what Is the his
tory of this question In the older New England
States? Did the matter there adjust itself
Never, never, till the law with firm hand steopec
into control. We were told at the biennial II
Los Angeles by Georgia woman, who had seer
with her own eyes the sad spectacle, that Il wa
no uncommon sight on visiting the homes of thu
mill people late in the morning to find children
lying prone with outstretchcd arms suniser IL =,
exhausted sleep. If the caller asked "Are the,
ms the answer came indiferently "Oh no the,
came in az from the nights work; thew ar,
Snly sleeping We have heard from woman 0
National reputation, a woman whose life Is GIVE,
to altrusm, that she herself saw tinv giIi n
years working all night long In a Souther,
hiiI the overseer proudly explained that tn
eaoy was remarkable as she frequently worket
II the half of them be true, It behooves us wors,
OF the South, TO be up and doing.
Inese things are not true in Texas and Go.
helping us they shall never be true The hou
IS come when danger threatens and we are read
to meet It, In Texas our children shall NOT r.
slaves 70 great machines; for them there shsl
sun DC GODS outdoor air, the bloom of flowers
me song OF birds and at least a few hours n
childish SPORT their nights shall be free Co. ~
sleep that makes bone and sinew for future cit;