The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903 Page: 45
401 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Educational Efforts in San Fernando.
accounting, two-thirds of the catechism, and the same portion of
Spanish grammar and of the constitution of the country. The
captains must present half of these qualifications; the corporals, a
third part. The two parties were each divided into three classes:
the first comprising the captains and corporals; the second, those
who were already writing and who were under the immediate orders
of the captains; the third, those who were simply reading, who were
in charge of the corporals. An equal number of pupils was assigned
to each officer. Sky blue was to be the color of the Roman party,
and crimson that of their opponents. Each officer was to have his
rank appropriately designated, and the presidents, on public occa-
sions, should carry a cane. Doubtless where only one teacher could
be provided for 150 pupils, some such system of student espionage
and display was necessary, but to us it seems ridiculous.
The duties of the teacher by no means ended with the regular
school hours. He must look after and admonish his pupils regard-
ing their language, public conduct, and deportment toward their
elders. On the Fridays and Sundays of Lent he must conduct the
children in a body to the church. On all Sundays and festal days
the children must assemble at school an hour before the principal
mass, in order to attend that function in a body. These occasions
doubtless would afford a fine opportunity for display on the part
of the student officers.
The chapter on punishments includes such penalties as shutting
up the culprits in the school-house or keeping them in it under
arrest during holy days, employing them in sweeping, for a week
at a time only, giving them the dunce's seat (el asiento del aprovio),
shutting them up in a room called the ware-house (almacen) dur-
ing the day time, flogging for robbery of any sort, and the impo-
sition of a like penalty upon those who, from failure in lessons or
in writing, have to return to the dunce's seat within a week. The
teacher was to attend to the application of these punishments with
all the harmony and equity that the occasion demanded. Some of
these rules make interesting reading, and are doubly so, owing to
the fact that they are still in force in Mexican schools. The above
system of rules was submitted to the teacher, who agreed to enforce
it, and afterwards it was accepted by the ayuntamiento.
It may be well to mention the names of the teachers who were
to put into force this elaborate system. The pedagogue whose
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903, periodical, 1903; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101028/m1/49/?rotate=90: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.