Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-30
SCHOOLS OF MEXICO
Educational System Patterned
on That of France.
GOVERNMENT Is GENEROUS
Importance Of Popular Instruction
Freely Admitted.
INTEREST OF PRESIDENT DIAz
Proposed National University-Cu1ti
walton of the Industrial and
the Fine Arts.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
CITY OF MEXICO, April 24-Mexico has
fixed system of education in imitation of
that of France. 1t begins with kinder
gartens and ends with schools of science
and commerce with a national university In
prospect The theory and purpose Of the
system is to elevate the poems, to create
middle class of tradesmen and artisans
from the peasantry who have always titled
the soil and carried picks and shovels To
a considerable extent the experiment has
been successful. It has produced
entirely new element in Mexican society,
the children of poems who have been taught
how to use their hands in the useful trades
and how to use their minds in directing
their muscles. Beyond them, beyond the
manual training and technical schools are
scientific and professional institutions.
which annually turn out batallions of doc
tors and lawyers. engineers and chemists.
like corresponding schools in the United
States.
Each of the twenty-seven states has It's
own individual educational system, ell
under the supervising authority of a mem
Der OF the presidents cabinet. The federal
government through this minister, con-
trolls the school system of the federal dis
trtct and a number of national schools To-
J.
The schools in the different states vary in
excellence as with us. The state of Sonora.
lying in the extreme northwest, just south
of the boundary of Arizona, is credited with
having brought her free schools nearest to
the standard set by the government In the
federal district. This is said to be due to
the intelligent efforts and zeal of Ramon
Corral recently governor of Sonora and
now vice president of the republic and sec
rotary of the interior.
The educational system was placed under
a new department of the cabinet about
year ago. Before then 1t was united with the
department of justice. The head of the de-
partment the minister of public instruction
and fine arts, as he is called, is Senior Don
Justo Sierra, a man of fine presence, broad
views and deeply interested in his work. he
spent his life as teacher ana superin-
tendent of schools, and is therefore a prac-
tical man.
Senior Don E. A. Chaves, sub-secretary. Is
one of the foremost scientists of Mexico.
being professor of metaphysics in one OF
the colleges. He has written several text
books and has translated Herbert Spencer
and John Stuart Mill into Spanish.
Compulsory Education Laws.
All of the twenty-seven states have COM
pulsory education laws requiring the at
tendance at school for at least five months
in the year of all children between the ages
of six and twelve. 1t is enforced with
more or less strictness in the larger cities
In the rural districts to a great extent, 1t
Is a dead letter. In many sections tnere
are no schools, but doubtless there Will De
sometime when the government reaches
that point. There has been an encouraging
growth in the number of schools and IN
attendance and congress and the leglsia-
lures of the several states are liberal in the
appropriation of money. Every person III
authority appears to realize the Importance
of education, and President Diaz sets
worthy example to his subordinates by
word and by act.
ITO spread education is one of the func-
lions of government he recently SAD IN
a n,,hIc address THE eagerness of the
gorernments of all countries to spread edu-
cation is one of the characteristics or our
age. If the diffusion OF knowledge Is a
blessing TO all social organizations, IL is
necessity, a forcible necessity, a question
- ijfe and death for all nations that are
pledged TO democratic principles
president Diaz means what ne says ana
roaro than one-third of the text OF his
recent message to congress was ueHoSou ~
Eve discussion of various educatlonal Iea-
. .i,e ~ r,oI, on trial or recommended by his
Dnring the Spanish domination the schools
were entirely in charge OF the rehglous OF
ders-the Dominicans, Franciscans anu the
IasTita nlp to the time of their expuision)-
hut the scope Of instruction was extremely
limited except in private scnools anu COZ
Ieges where young men were prepared Ioi
the professions. For nlty years aitei NJ a1
nandence the political disturbances were al
most continuous, and very little was zone
toward the improvement of the educational
facilities It was not until Jaurez Decane
President that Mexico had anything ike an
educational system.
The Educational System.
In 1867 a law was passed creating three
grades of free public schools:
/. Primary schools supported by the mu-