The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903 Page: 31

Educational Efforts in San Fernandb. 31
the auditing committee and pronounced correct.1 Everything, to
judge from the document, seemed to be in due form, and it looked
as if one might expect for the future a fairly well appointed school-
house, filled with happy children, whose progress would be fondly
watched by admiring parents.
Unfortunately for the reputation of Don Bicente Travieso and
those connected with him in this little "job," there exists an
inventory of the belongings of the school, taken just about a
month before Travieso passed in his accounts. In this inventory
mention is made of only a small portion of the articles that he
claimed to have furnished. It evidently refers to the same build-
ing, for the description tallies perfectly, and Don Bicente is even
mentioned by name, in the inventory, as having furnished three
benches. The condition of the building was also deplorable. Doors
and windows were without locks, and locks without keys; while
even the water-barrel had a loosened hoop, which article was duly
reported as one of the important items of the inventory.2 Evi-
dently the temptation to plunder the public was too strong for
these worthy officials of old San Fernando.
In the above inventory mention is made of a bench obtained
from the previous school, so there had evidently been some sort of
an educational organization, with its building, since the days of
Governor Elguezabal." Of course this building could have been
the residence of the school-master. An undated manuscript of the
Bexar Archives, evidently of this period, bids parents send their
children, under twelve years of age, to the public school, as soon as
it is completed. Meanwhile they are to give them the best possible
instruction at home. One wonders what this might have meant,
in those days and in San Fernando.
As the new school-building approached completion, Jose Erasmo
Seguin and Jose Antonio Saucedo reported a code of rules for its
government. There should be places for seventy pupils, of which
1Account submitted by Don Bicente Travieso, August 10, 1812. Bexar
Archives.
'Inventory and conveyance of school-house and furniture made by Ygna-
cio de los Santos Coy to Josh Ygnacio Sanchez Castellano, July 3, 1812.
Bexar Archives. See Appendix A, Part I.
"See Appendix A, Part II.