BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1904-09-21
COMMENTS

we are living III a tlt1C VI llluolOnS,
beautiful illusions, that are in very
light touch with the reality.
Here we have all; government OF
the people and by the people; unlver-
sal suffrage and the right of trial by
jury; we have been on the point OF
abolishing capital punishment, and
have alsothe University of Porto Rico.
Who knows where the University
is situated? No one has seen it, no
one knows, eh?
It does not matter that we have to
pay eighteen hundred dollars in or
der to gain it, for the mention of the
ponpous title university" as though
a forceful fact in order to speak of
the progress in education in Porto
Rico.
There exists in the minds of those
who created it and in the wishes of
the Porto Rican people, the belief
that it is necessary in order that the
aspirants for professional title will
not have to 60 to the States in order
to obtain it.
1t is true that in exchange for that
no one comes to our university. Who
will come to it7 No one unless there
exists more of it than is in the roseate
Imagination in which the hopes of the
country live.
We have university Without
doubt one frequently speaks of it; we
nominate boards of trustees, mention
ingeane from each section;-the Normal
School at Rio PiedraS, which is none
other than school where persons may
prepare themselves to become teachers
in the public schools. And in this
illusion we are living. Thus have
passed 4 few years without which we
might have advanced but one step in
the project of the University of Porto
Rico.
The heads of this department (educa.
tion) come and 60, more or less
broken, but the hour for establishing
our university has not yet sounded,
yet there is one 10 finish it.
The Comissioners of Education
come, remain q short while, then go,
repeating the beautiful fable of the
university, conceived for the amuse-
ment of the optimists and to hatter
the credulous, which we have gather
ed from the soft soap" dished out,
like fantastical dream
The new Commissioner of Educa-
will soon come to Porto Rico. Those
who know him say he is a cultured
gentleman; claim that he is fine
character and erudite, and will not
conform to the irregularities and other
wrong deeds.
If all that is true; if there are no
partialities; no eulogies of the con-
scienceless and applause ofthe satellites
the new Commissioner will have plen-
ty to occupy his time in the work of
the Department of Public Instruction.
The question of the University is
not so despicable as some think. 1
will not discuss the title much or lit
tie. 1t should not deceive the public
with lies, with pretty and cheerful say
ings. If we have no university and
are not going to have one, then we
quit if they are not able to tell us
clearly and definitely about it.
Instead of establishing industrial
schools of doubtful utility; instead of
having to distribute, incomplete. the
4uatCllNl 4Ol ICdCuluS a1O uCAClCAt
body of professors from the better
schools; if we had made similar ar
rangement to the old institutions it
would have been a manifest conven-
ience.
The superior class of teachings esta-
blished in the Athenaeum also gave
satisfactory results; and here, without
other reason than to finish it with what
we might have, and with no other
motive than to condemn the dispro-
portionate innovations in all orders,
without causes or motives, the cuts
out all former material for teaching
without bringing us anything better to
replace it. /
We have also a law for corporal
punishment which if it is true that it
is not put into practice, should not be
in the theory of school discipline as
an inferred affront to the senslbllltles
of the cultured people.
Whcn from the guardhouses and
the penitentiaries such violent meas
ures have been retired, there should |
not be in the schools any encourage
ment for such Infamous and cruel
treatment.