El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-13

Our Porto Rcan Brown Cousins

ings banks This means much for the
future Of Porto Rico"
A Good Place for spare Books.
The conversation here turned TO the
subject Of school Libraries and Dr. DeN-
ter told me that the government is anN-
ious to Increase this educational fea-
ture, and that arrangements have been
made with the steamship companies to
carry free from New York TO san Juan
any BOOKS that may be donated said he-
II brought up the subject at the peace
conference at MOhOnk last year and
asked for donations Since then we
have received 10000 valumes and have
established 24e libraries We have also
travelling Libraries, consisting OF boxes
holding about so books each. These
boxes are made Of lot OF soldiers kits
that were sold at auction at san Juan q
couple Of years go bought them. put
shelves in each kit and painted the
words Porto Rican school Library on
its outside When finished each held
about so or so books. and was Of such
shape and size, that il could be car
ried on horseback over the rough trails
OF the island We sent them from
school to school in out Of the way dis
tricts, and we find them greediiy read.
The stationary Libraries are widely
patronlzed Many OF them are in the
schoolhouses. These are kept open
after dark, and che people come in and
read"
The University and the Normal schools.
The University of Porto Rico. Dr.
Dexter tells me. is at the top of the ed
ucaIOnal system OF the island although
II IS not directly under the department
or education The commissioner Of ed
ucation, however, is ex officio its chan
cellOr, and also president OF the board OF
trustees The university is about the
same as one Of our state universities.
II mas college OF liberal arts and one
or agriculture, as well as a normal de-
partment
The attendance at this university last
year numbered more than 1000 and had
tAe regular terms and also a summer
school which lasted eight weeks There
were more than 400 school teachers at
Inat summer school, and there are over
800 students in the normal department
me university has a campus OF 80
acres al Rio Piedras near San Tuan
and IL has q large farm az RTavar1Isz
next TO the agricultural experiment sta
uon lnere- Upon the Mayaguez farm
here are Fields of coffee. sugar and
sOuaCco' ana orchards Of all sorts OF
Iults- Inc boys run dairy. connected
" -th WlAcn are number of registered
Jerseys and Holsteins. and they have
d-S0 a pee farm and a poultry farm.
rms university should be good
INNS scnoot Tor such of our youns
men as wish an equipment for business
IN the south American countries II has
uetter courses I'm the spanish language
ana literature than any Institution in
80 4-tVu states, and more eNten0eQ
Llses IN English than can be found
in spanish America. For this reason Il
= oeleVed that 1T viii draw students
rom both north and south, and viii
mus become pan-American university.
Porto Rican Students in United states.
II viii be surprising 20 many 10 know
that the Porto Rican government has
1else corps Of students at our best coli
leges and that 10 paws their expenses out
OF the island treasury. This has been
oohe Tor several years, and II viii be
continued The students chosen for
sending to the United States are those
who have stood highest in the high
schools and normal schools OF the ISL
and There are SO scholarships which
are apporuOned out among such boys