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

The figures relating to school stat
istics which we published on Saturday
i have caused stupefaction. Uninten-
Itionally our article has been sensat-
ional. 1t has produced painful sur
prise and deep feeling of disgust.
We have produced on the public
mind, continually wrought up by dec
options and affections. the most abSo
lutte CONSERVATION and the most COM
plete disillusioment.
1t was necessary. Reality, no mat
ter how brusque it may be, is prefer
able to deception,
Saturdays article has had tremen-
dous effect on opinion.
The reason for this state of affairs
lis perfectly evident.
The public, which was not in tn
|secret and had no knowledge of
the inside facts and had not
troubled itself TO analyze statistics,
reports and make comparisons, had
formed it's idea of the school atten
dance from seeing the frequent ap-
pearance of the school children in
public events, in civic professions, in
useless and ridiculous parades, and
believed it to be striking proof OF
indisputable progress.
The multitudes, like the children,
were carried away with surprise and
fascinated by appearances.
Seeing the children in the streets
constantly, hearing the hustle and ami
nation Of the arriving and going forth
of the daily school classes, the claims
made by the defenders and cronies OF
the department which now are SO
plainly seen to have been mendacious
frauds and illusions practised on the
general public, appeared less exagger-
ated and false.
But we have seen the reality, we al
ready know the true condition of af-
fairs. Nothing could be clearer than
that the sensational and noisy claims
OF the department of Education are
utterly false.
The figures given to the public on
Saturday have revealed everything.
The entire history of failure, all
the evidences of fraud against public
interests, all the seriousness OF a dl
saster, all are embraced in three fgu
res: three hundred and forty.
Those three numbers speak more
clearly and carry greater conviction
than all the reports MAJ with treach
cry by the contuG ac1stts tge 9 Cf
that for which there is neltAer de1en
Sc cor excuse.
And the above we have obtained
from statistical report of the 60
vernment. We have not had to arr1-
We at it as the result of an investiga-
tion made on our own account.
The government has furnished it,
wrapped in mantle of supreme and
absolute unconsciousness, it has lost
sight Of the certainty of the truth
eventually coming to light, it has at
tempted to carry on false foundation
ridiculous and deceiving legend.
The figures officially furnished ha
We been nothing more than continen-
tai Inventions, the figures Oh which we
have based our painful conclusions ha-
We been compiled by members OF the
reverend congregation. and to those
defenders of the present school system
to the lpertinacious, absurd maintai-
ners of the silly legend, to those who
speak of progress and the advancement
of Public Education under the new ad-
ministration of affairs, we have anno
unced the bursting of the bubble, the
termination of the legend.
On Saturday. we spoke of the ex-
penditure of upwards of million do
liars in year for school purposes,
sum nearly three timess greater than
that spent under the former severe
ignty. With a gain in school attendan-
ce of but three hundred and forty po-
pills as shown by the school statistics,
this seems ridiculous.
We do not wish to appear cruel in
the condemnatory figures,