The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-06-10
PUBLIC FREE SCHOOLS.
Communication Fro mthe Confer
ence of Education in Texas.


ence of Education in Texas.
To The Press OF Texas: The friends
of education in Texas, including
large number of farmers, merchants,
newspaper editors,l lawyers, doctors,
teachers, and others, are deeply in
terested, from the patriotic move
ment alone, in the establishment and
maintance of efficient public
schools in both urban and rural dis
tricts of this state.
To this end, we are appealing to
the press of Texas for assistance in
properly placing before the people
of the state the merits of the pending
constitutional amendment, relating
to public free schools. This amen
ment will be voted on by the people
in the next general election, Novem-
Der, 1908, and will, if adopted give
doctrine of majority rule in provid-
ing for the erection and equipment
of country schoolhouses, and in Sc
curing longer school terms where
practicable.
i The Texas Press Association, which
met at Mineral Wells, Texas, May 81,
% and 90, 1908, unanimously adopt
ed the following resolution:
Whereas, The country public
schools of Texas are in great need of
improvement, the latest report from
the State Department of Education
showing thai there were 1882
country children of scholastic age
not enrolled in the schools; that the
average daily absence from the coun-
try schools was 262,946 children;
that forty-seven of every 100 child
rem were out of the schools all of the
time the schools were in session. and
that the average school term in Tex
as was only 116 days; and
Whereas, The Thirtieth Legisla-
ture has submitted an amendment to
Section 8, Article Z. Of the State
Constitution, relating 10 public tree
schools, to be voted on in the next
general election, which amendment,
If adopted, will authorize local self
government to be exercised by the
people of the respective school dis
tricts of the state in providing bet
ter schoolhouses, in securing better
teachers, and in the lengthening of
the school term; and will abolish
the two-thirds rule and substitute
therefore the majority rule by the
people, and make possible equal edu
cational opportunities for the white
children of Texas; therefore, be it
Resolved, that The Texas Press
Association hereby endorses said pro-
posed constitutional amendment, re-
lating to public free schools and com
mends it to the favorable consider
alton of the citizenship of Texas, be-
| lieving that its adoption will mark
an educational epoch in the history
of our state
If you will carefully read and re-
fleet on the following educational
rank of Texas, as taken from the
latest printed reports of the state
department of education in Texas,
and of the United States commits
sioner of education, | am sure
that you will conclude that
Texas should not be permitted to
] longer lag behind her sister states
in providing good schools four our
children, the most valuable resour-
ces of the commonwealth, towit
In per cent of school funds raised
by local taxation, Texas ranks AZ;
in average length of school term in
population enrolled in school, 80;
in average daily attendance for each
zoe children enrolled in school, Az;
in number of years children attend
school free of charge, As; in litter
acy of native born white people, 80;
in illiteracy of foreign born white
people, as.
No higher, more patriotic, service
could be rendered in Texas during
this year by candidates for precinct,
county, district and state offices than
for chem to advocate before the peo-
pie the adoption of this amendment
to the constitution. In the adoption