Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1903-06-24

churches, fortysix schools, ninety teach .
ers, 2,4Ol students, all at an expense
Of S55, ,62O. Why keep up all these
schools at such an expense, if the H.
literacy of the territory is not being re-
duced? The Roman Catholics have
eighteen schools, sixty-seven teachers
and /, l,754 students,
Is It not strange that out of that
vast Presbyterian host Of 700 ministers
commissioners hat ll5th assembly, re-
presenting a church Of 1852 minister's
and a membership Of / ,O23, 1888 and 500,
000 young men and women Of the Christ
ian endeavor society that some one
does not inquire of Mr. Skinner,
"what becomes Of all the money we
are spending down there, if it be true
that, after all this, mot 10 per cent
of all Mexicans have any educationY'
We are sure that the missionary anthor-
tiles of our own church would call us
down and out and home Cf we had any
homes to go to) if for the third of a
century no progress had been made on
the line Of education.
Also here are our public schools. If
Mr.. Skinner imagined himself back
third Of a century, or 1870 or 1872, he
was about. right. We had no public
schools until about 1882. AT that date,
this writer had been advocating the
public school system in the face of a
strong opposition for three years. At
that time, 1870, the census showed the
per cent of illiteracy to be So over ten
years of age.
or course the first public school law
was a poor one and the first public
schools were poor ones, but they were
the best that could be had at that time.
They were better than none, and they
have been improving ever since, The
mission schools were just what the
territory needed at the beginning.
These with good teachers soon showed
the people what schools would do for
their children and open the way for
the public school. and these with the
incoming of the American people have
reduced the illiteracy very rapidly.
From S5 per cent of illiteracy in 1870
to 65 in 1880, and hen to "A and half
in 1890, and last to 32 in 1900, and, as
is believed by the superintendent OF
public instruction, to much less fig
ure than the above, and yet We
are told by Mr.. Skinner that we have
no common schools chat are worth tn,
I name. Surely schools that will re
= duce the per cent Of illiteracy as abov,
shown are not as he says "the varies
t farce.
What other states and territorie
e have done better?
z Between 1890 and 1900 New Mexic,
e filled a cap of illiteracy of almost g
per cent No other state or territor.
, has done so well,
J, The governors report for last yea
y shows that New, Mexico, October |
e 1909, had 7lO schools LOT teacher
Il employed, and had expended $747, sos
C. n. OF the above number Of pupils
e enrolled, 1883 were enrolled in cities
J. Bernalillo county has forty schoC
/, districts; albuquerque has five schoC
d buildings, and why should not we hav
J. as good schools as almost anywher
:, else? A great many of our teacher
are from the states Why should the
Is not teach as we'll here as there. Ca
70 Mr.. Skinner see any reason why?
not how can he say there is mot
" common school worthy the name, an
r. they are the variest farce2"
p Out of the LOT teachers employe
0, in our 7l0 public schools in New Me'
re leo there surely must be quite a nun
le Der who were educated in the school
- of Mr.. Skinner's own church. VIII
,e should they not teach good school
e. The Methodist Episcopal church
)r spending but very little money fC
II schools in New Mexico compared wit
Of the amount his church is expendinl
,n and yet we had at least seven teachin
TX in public schools last year, three coul
~ ty superintendent of public instru'
as tion and have had four in the legisll
ks ture; and If Mr.. Skinner's church hi
rs done as well in proportion to Il
lis amount of money expended and nun
/. ber of teachers employed then thel
ed has been quite per cent from Il
he mission schools in the egislatur
or school superintendents and teacher
4? and IL we haven't any 'commC
e. schools worthy the name" we are vel
e. largely to blame: but we have goo
n. schools or we could not have surpas
"a - ara1 Oh Mt