The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1921-09-09
sCHOOLHOUsE vs.. COURTHOUSE.

building in the whole county We have
a big fine courthouse. Now. why is
that? No use to waste paper and
time answering that. Everybody
knows it is political pride. Our men
especially think everybody who goes
through town will Judge the whole
county by the courthouse. It's our
capitol building. II reflects our
ideals. 1t is the civic copy set up in
/ the middle OF the county for every
body 10 look at and. and and. talk
about. Every time anybody comes
along looking for new location, a
place to buy and make a home, some
one Immediately points to the court
! house as much as to say THAT is our
ideal That is our standard. That
IS the badge of OUR progress and
prosperity" The newcomer gazes
around calmly and asks What kind
OF schoolhOuse do YOU have? We
had q fine courthouse down where |
came from. but the school wasn't any
account. That's why | am leayisg.
have a large family; | want to give
them good high school education
and that is why am looking for a
county with first-class school | am
not so much interested in the court
hOusa ms the schoolhouse"
Then the land agent besn't know
what to do. He is afraid IL he shows
, him the schoolhouse he will lose a
sale. so he begins TO make excuses
and apologies and promises. Just
! cannot do everything all at once in
new country. So the people p?
thought the first thing to do is TO
build a good courthouse You see
Il Is very important that We have a
good safe place in which to keep our
deeds to our homes and the records
of the county. Then, too. il a coun-
y has a good courthouse, clean and
comfortable. modern in every way
the county officers take more pride
I'm their work"
say. by the way we have a fine
/ iail. too Let me show you that
/ Hoping to get the prospective buyers
mind off Of the schoolhouse. Nah,
I'm not interested in the Jail, either.
Don't expect to send my boys there II
can find a good school to send them
10 for a few years"
Poor man. He'll have a time find
inz as modern a schoolhouse as the
courthouse in most of our counties.
BUT. you see how IL Is. The whole
county builds the courthouse. and the
schoolhouse belongs to just one dis
trict. Too true. But il boy from
the poorest little school in the county
commits any kind of a crime he Is
given free transportation then TO
the county seat He Is hauled up In
those tinted rooms which are furn-
ished with the best OF everything !
while the Judge and the jury lean !
hack in oak chairs and listen to the |
boy's downfall with great concern |
for Justice. Perhape II the boy had |
ever seen inside OF a school room as !
beautiful and comfortable as the |
courthouse and il he had had as capa- |
bic a teacher as the state is now pro- /
yiding a lawyer to prosecute him, he |
might be In some good school now |
instead of in so much trouble. Who |
built that courthouse? Very likely |
his father helped to build it. No
matter IL his farm is the least one in
the county he had to hep build the
courthouse. and every boy or girl or
man or woman in the whole county
will be brought there to answer for
all their wrong doing. Why were
they not brought there to be educa-
ted7 Why can we not have a county
high school as we'll as county court
house? Why is II not the duty or
the county to give every child an
equal chance to get an education the
same as to be punished for its
crimes? why is it not as much the
county's business to work together to
build it's young life up as to tear 1t
down? why should not the parents
money go to build good high school
for all the boys and girls in the coun-
L. =. - -. n hnild q court hnuSn