Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-05-13
TERRITORIAL EDUCATION.
The Board Held an Important Meet
ing in Santa Fe.
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT.

y III ounlo e. ~ was a oDtCfdl Ilttl-
ing called by the governor at the earn
est solicitation of the superintendent
of public instruction, Col. j. Francisco
Chaves, t consider the matter of pub
fishing and distributing the recently
completed eleventh annual report,
showing the educational progress of
the territory, and also for the purpose
of ratifying and approving the action
of county examining bards, and the
superintendent of public instruction
in fixing the rating of applicants for
first, second and third grade teachers
certificates under the Springer law for
the current school year.
There were in attendance: Col. j.
Francisco Chaves; secretary, Miss
Maggie J.. Butcher, of East Las Vegas;
Prof. c. NJ. Light, principal of the
New Mexico Normal school at Silver
City; Prof. w. G. Tight, principal New
Mexico University at Albuquerque;
Prof. M. E. Hickey, superintendent city
schools of Albuquerque,
Colonel Chayes submitted a detailed
report of the work of the county nor
NAL institutes of last year, and also a
long list of teachers, whose examina-
tons took placein August and Novem-
Der, 1901, as provided in the new school
law, together with the general average
earned at these examinations by the
various applicants seeking to be legal
ly qualified for teaching in this terri
tory. With a few minor exceptions the
rating or general average per cent
awarded by the county examining
boards was approved by the sup
e%rintendent of public instruction, and
at this meeting the territorial board
ratified this act by the superintendent.
Considering that this work covers the
first years work detailing the method
of examination = of teachers it was
agreed by the board-that the showing
made by Colonel Chaves of the interest
taken in the summer institutes and ex-
aminations throughout the territory
was, upon the whole, most flattering.
Following disposal of this subject,
the matter of providing for the print
ing and distribution of the superintend-
ent's annual report was taken up, and
Colonel Chaves, as secretary of the
board, was called upon to read a letter
which he had previously addressed to
the governor. calling attention to the
failure of the legislature to provide for
the publication of the educational sta
~tistics, and suggesting the wisdom of
calling a special meeting of the board
of education to consider what had best
be done in the premises. Following is
an extract from Colonel Chaves' let
ter:
Il sincerely feel there is a moral OBJ
legation resting upon the territory. un
der the present peculiar conditions
within our midst as well as the nation
al capital and throughout the central
western and eastern states, which JUS
titles me in making this suggestion and
prompts me to urge the wisdom OF i'm
mediate action to the end that New
Mexico's good name may no longer be
continuously and universally smirched
and her citizens misrepresented for
their reputed lack of interest and work
accompanied in the lofty field of popu'
lar education and the proper training
of youth for perfect citizenship.
"As an instance, only today | find on
my desk a copy of the New York Edu'
cational Journal for March, 1902, which
editorially commends Oklahoma's fit
ness for statehood and says: But
Arizona and New Mexico are not only
small and not rapidly growing, but peo
pied largely with a foreign element;
whereas the facts per the United
| oldltS tthSuo LOW 4 90 oiio"o
New York, native born IS per cent
foreign born, IL per cent; New Mexico
native horn 97.4 per cent; foreign born
2.6 per cent.
"As you are aware New Mexico has
been for years the subject for bitter
attack on this line and victim of the
greatest and most persistent misrepre
sentation. Our adversaries at Washing
ton and throughout the east are jus
now peculiarly active and promise t.
become more so, al the agitation fol
statehood wakes warmer for statehood
lin congress. But we are not in a large
measure responsible fuI the wide
spread and popular misapprehensioI
of the facts touching our educationa
work. the present enlightenment of on,
people, and the splendid results o
their individual efforts to attain a high
er plane of American citizenship? Thii
territory has been neglected and un
cared for by the national government
In respect to educational matters 70
more than fifty years, while today w
witness the sending of school teacher
in shiploads TO Porto Rico. Cuba ant
the Philippines at government expense
If, half a century ago, as by every mon
al and m right they should havt
done. the United States had thus sen
t%rainlOads of teachers into New Mexico
this population would rank today witt
the most enlightened communities o
our common country. Instead, the fed
eral government has persistently ie
nored the true citizenship of the terri
tory, but has. taxed them to contribute
to its substance a part of which is eN
pended here, at the rate of $3.50 600 an
nually, for the education God saw
the mark, OF several thousand lonI
haired blanketed Indians.
Therefore, for what they hav'
learned this people is entitled to tn
more credit owing 10 the fact that tn
parent government has never givel
J l cent toward the uplifting of the mass
es, which came peacefully to its pre-
tecting care under the treaty of Quad
alupe Hidalgo.
THE eleventh annual report by thi
Office. aside from presenting vital stat
istics in an attractive form treats ex
haustively oil this and kindred sub
saaNa