The Lafayette gazette., 1902-05-03
\ GOOD MEETING
Held in the First Ward by the
Friends of Public Education.

| A very enthusiastic school
meeting was held in the j. G..
BrOuSSard school house in the
first ward last Saturday after
noon. There were a large mum
Der of people present and the re-
suits of the meeting We're very
encouraging to the friends of
public education in that section.
Mr.. Alonzo Lacey, police juror
| from the first ward, was presi-
dent Ofthe meeting. Judge Julian
! MOutOn, who had been invited to
speak, addressed the people on
the school question, and argued
that if the people wanted better
schools they alone We're able to
procure them. Judge MOutOn
showed how the progressive peO-
pie Of the Western States had
esta bliShed the finest public
school system in the world by
taxation. Self-help, he said, of
fered the only solution of this
question which had to be settled
by the people themselves, as it
was for the welfare of their own
children and nobody else could
be expected to attend to it for
them. The speaker pictured the
local conditions as he saw them
and urged the mothers and
fathers of children to join the
nI11,.afiora1
which is sweeping over the
South. He said that he knew
that it was unpopular to advo
cate the levying Of additional
taxes, but he considered that
! good public schools We're so eS-
sential to the happiness and
| prosperity of the people and to
the preservation of Democratic
institutions that to support every
educational movement was a
duty which no citizen should
Shirk. 1t was to be regretted
that the people of this section
! attention to the education of
! their children, but he was glad
to see so many men and women
manifeSting such Il live interest
in the present movement for
| more and better schools. The
greatest need of the hour is edu
cation and nowhere is that need
more greatly felt than in South
! r 4 L.,
section is in natural advantages.
it has not progressed as much as
other portions of the country be-
cause Of Il lanlentab BILE inditfer-
ence to tn" education of the
MASSES. The speaker said that
the school tax is the most eQuit-
able of all taxes and the one
which produced the greatest
benefits. The time was ripe to
wage crusade against illiteracy
and he felt confident that no one
who would be made to UNDER
stand the question would be on
| the wrong side. Judge MOutOn
said that he was not a tax N-payer in
the first ward, and to show that
! he was willing to do what he ad
viSed others to do. he would give
to the school fund Il sum equal
to the amount that the largest
taxpayer in the ward would be
called upon to pay during the
whole time that the tax will be
collected. He then subscribed
$500 which exceeded the
amount to be paid by the largest
tax payer in the ward. To this
contribution were immediately
added the following donations:
Alcide Judice, SIS: Joseph G.
BrOussard, $40: Joseph DugaS,
s.. 50: Louis AnSelet. SIS: AlOnzO
Lacey. $3.50: Sheriff BrouSSard.
S13. A citizen of Lafayettc. who
requests that his name be not
published. offers to paint tho
new building. With tho amount
subscribed the BrouSSard school
will be greatly improved.
At the conclusion of Judge
MOutOn' = speech Mr.. Alcid"
,DuQicr was called uDOn to speak