Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1914-12-24

school lands cover territory several
times larger than the States OF New
York and Pennsylvania combined. The
interest and rents obtained by the
State from those school lands amount
to a sum OF money sufficiently large
to furnish seven dollars yearly to
every child Of scholastic age in this
great State. Think what an enormous
difference there Is In the amount OF
taxes we would be forced to pay II the
public free school fund OF Texas was
raised by direct taxation, as is the
case In several OF the States and near.
ly all the European countries. A
family Of five children receive thirty.
five dollars yearly from the State, and
you know, as a general rule, the farm.
ers exceed that amount. Think how
bitterly our forefathers would de.
nounce US as ingrates II they could
look from their resting place In the
Great Beyond and see Us defeating the
very purpose OF their wise donation
by voting against good roads for the
school children. Statistics show that
Texas pays less taxes TO educate her
children than any other State in the
Union. Is II possible that any citizen
In Brazos County, after having his
children's tuition paid by the State,
would vote against good roads to the
school house? ! really cannot think
there is a man in the county with
children to educate that could con.
scientlously vote that way. / have
tried to show you the necessity Of
good roads for the general welfare OF
the county, and II there is an uncon.
yerted man present. | kindly ask you
to take a trip to some Of the counties
OF Texas whore efforts have been
made to build good roads. There you
VIII find not only one but numerous
ideal homes in the country. Cottages
OF beautiful designs. large barns filled
with hay and corn. Each farmer has
system OF waterworks with his bath
and sewer, with hydrants convenient
TO sprinkle lawns and gardens, fine
hogs, plenty milk COWS, good teams
and farming implements, a six.pas.
senger automobile. healthy. intelligent
sons and beautiful, accomplished
daughters.
After seeing and appreelatlng condi
tions where people get up" and build
/, good roads, go over In some OF the
counties where no effort has been
made to improve the roads. You will
find, usually, deep sandy roads, the
farmer living In a tworoom pole
shack, with boxing planks swinging
on leather hinges for windows: little
pole pen with ungabled ends and a
leaky roof for a barn; about forty
bundles OF corn tops. black with mil.
dew, represents his hay, and about a
half dozen cotton baskets full of nub.
bins represents his corn; an old razor
back SOW, an old grey oneeyed horse
with a sore back, and a longhorn
brindle COW that nature intended as a
star football player represent his
stock. You will see his boy with long
tangled hair that has never made the
acquaintance OF a comb, a cotton cord
over his left shoulder, fastened with
wooden peg to. pair OF pants two
sizes too large, that have been gabled
and regabled. In general appearance
he would be fit subject for a comic
opera. The other members OF the
family appear in similar costumes
You approach the old man and con
verse with him on the subject OF gooC
roads. etc, and you will find he is op
posed to progress in every form. HI
and his neighbors with the same en-
vironments are about on a par intel
lectually, and there is small hope o
educating them up to where the!
would appreciate more wholesome sur
roundings. They have existed In tina
lazy. shiftless and negligent manner
until they have lost every spark o
pride and patriotism. | have not over
drawn the pictures. You will find con
ditions just as have stated them
One picture represents. good roads; in
telligent citizens, good schools, gooC
churches and good society. The othel
represents bad roads, ignorant, unedu
Gated citizens, no society, no schools
Sunday is unobserved. There is the
original home Of the pessimist. Ant
while there are some exceptions, but
generally speaking, the pessimist Is
opposed to progress in all forms. He
denounces capital, insults labor, mis-
trusts the officials, breeds discomfort
promotes anarchy, and is a nuisance
and stumbling block to higher civil