BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1905-10-16
EIDITORIA AL

but necessity, which often imposes
unpleasant obligations, renders it ne
cesary and we cannot do otherwise
than comply.
An affirmation such as the one we
have felt it our solemn duty to make,
an exhibit which reflects complete
discredit on the present school system,
demands and immediate verifeation
and the clearest kind Of demonstra-
| tion.
Both of those we furnished on Sa.
turday, but we again repeat them,
| fortified with new data and stronger
arguments.
According to the statistics of Gene
raj Davis for 1897 and 1893, before the
war, forty four thousand eight hun
dred and sixty one (44,8sD pupils at
tended the public schools.
During the war-and this has been
used as treacherous and misleading
argument-approximate}y twenty eight
thousand one hundred and eighty two
(2s,1S2) pupils attended.
We lay particular stress on the last
mentioned exhibit, because if during
period of unrest, uncertainty and
great disturbance, twenty eight thous-
and one hundred and eighty two
pupils attended school, it is evident
that in a normal epoch the school at
tendance should be doubled, and the
number of pupils be Increased to
fifty six thousand, three hundred and
sixty four, which is considably more
| than the attendance at the present
time.
Nothing would be easier than to
maintain by irrefutable figures this 10
gical deduction, but we do not wish to
darken with new affections our wors-
| ted and mal-treated contrites. .
We confine ourselves to the official
statistical report of General Davis.
That is quite sufficient with which to
confound the directors Of Education
and dash to the ground the dl,seml-
nators of misstatements about pro-
gress, Which as we have seen, has no
existence in fact.
Our computations are very clear and
exact:
Report of General Davis .s1@.ez
1897 and I89S.. ..,...... 44,S6f
Last official Departmental
Report .............. 40, 2ui
The difference in fa-or If the pres
ent ,ta@ a.tendance As We stated
on Saturday, three INJURED aTt'4 81
ty pupils; but if we use the figure
which it has been attempted 10 utll-
ize perfdiously, taken from the stat
istics during the period of the war,
it brings an even more severe arraign-
ment upon the department of Educ
alton and results in showing in favor
of the old regime an attendance OF
eleven thousand one hundred and
sixty three pupils more than now,
from which can only be deduced the
logical conclusion the in a normal
period there ought to be double the
school attendance that there is dur
ing a time Of war.
And Notwithstanding this incontro-
vertible argument and array of facts.
the redemptionists dare to keep up
the farce with the immoral comedy
whose arguments are as false as the
persons who make them are hostile
and perfidlous. They even dare to
send cableg aphic dispatches to pa
per like the New York Sun" garbling
the truth and mantaining with outra-
qeous insolence condition of things
drawn from a comparison of present
conditions with those Obtaining dur
ing time of war
But all these efforts to deceive and
blind the public to the real facts are
bound to prove abortive. The mask
has been removed.
In face of the proof which we have
furnished to the contrary, the lnhar-
monious and discordant chant record
ing progress which does not exist,
will have to come to an end.