Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-03-14

cuuCdtAoudi1ys tuou tue OIuSI cullOIeu
| of the territory.
About a quarter of q century ago,
the Protestant churches did . little
for the education Of the children IN
Albuquerque. Las Vegas and San
ia Fe. and an apology for q little in
Las Cruces and q few Mexican COM
munities: but, for all that the govern
ment did, New Mexico might have been
in Egyptian darkness educationally In
1880.
From time immemorial there have
been several Catholic church schools
and the entire Mexican population has
been at least nominally Christian. Ad-
init if you please any criticism Of the
Catholic church In New Mexico prior
to its passing into an American do
cese,and even then what was done
for the American Mexican infinitely
more creditable than what the United
States and other churches left undone.
Twenty years ago l came to know
the territory fairly well. notably In the
AAlCl iCdliiLCu GltlCS, anu l UCC0luC ~
quainted with the educational mission
work and appreciated the great joy
and proud boast over the slight ad-
vance made in years of heroic effort
Of American church societies to scat
ter a few educational seeds.
Aside from the Catholics, there are
| in all private and church schoo;s eigh-
ty-one teachers and 2,272 pupils en-
rolled. 1t is easy. therefore, for me to
appreciate what the public schools
have accomplished in eleven years. To
day there are more than 1000 pupils
enrolled. mostly in good schools; there
are 1,046 teachers. drawing $412.340 In
| salaries, and there is public schoo,
property valued at far more than a
million.
In remembrance of the ten years
that enrolled only a few children, the
astonishmnt n enexpressble to think
of an eleven years enrolment OF 261.-
$50 pupils and the employment of s.
$50 teachers to whom a total Of d.
155, 645 has been paid in salaries.
Greater yet, in remembrance Of the
names given to some of the schools
in those days, is the amazement at the
buildings, equipment and professional
standards of the university Of Albu-
querque, the agricultural college az Me-
silla Park, the school of mines at 50
corro, the normal school at Silver City
and the normal university at Las We
| gas, enrolling a total of nearly 1000
earnest stuccnts.
Here is a territory in which scarcely
any English was spoken I've nine
tenths of it's era eleven years ago; III
which their had not been an institution
school in $50 years of its history; in
which thr had not been an Institution
of learning of any prominence, and
suddenly, in a decade. 1t has been
transformed as by magic and the peo-
pie pay the bills, an average tax for
the schools of $500 ($4.94) for every
man, woman and child n the territory,
with the average salary of $54.3O for
the teachers. The spirit behind 1t all
is more remarkable than the accom-
plishment. Hon. J. Francisco Chavz,
superintendent of public instruction,
voices the spirit of the people in this
memorable utterance.
1.-The indispensableness of education
to worldly prosperity has been dem
o%nstrated. An ignorant people not
only is. but must be a poor people.
They must be destitute of sagacity
and, of course, of competence and com
fort. The proof Of this does not depend
upon the lessons of history, but on the
constitution of nature. No richness
of climate, no spontaneous productive
ness of soil, no facilities of commerce,
no store OF the precious and useful met
ais garnered in the treasure chambers
of the earth can confer even worldly
prosperity upon an uneducated peo-
pie. Such a people cannot in this day
and generation create wealth Of them
selves. and whatever riches may be
showered upon them will run to waste.
Let whatsoever will soy the seed
or gather the fruits, intelligence will
consume the banquet"
1 doubt if in the worlds history there
has been more done for educational
advancement than has been done by
the residents of New Mexico since
1890.
Who can prophesy, Or even make q
good Yankee guess. at what New Mex
clio will be when an educated, English
speaking people shall make the most
of the soil. climate, mines and resorts?