San Diego State University - Del Sudoeste Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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Hy Edith Strong HR day was intensely hot. with scarcely 21 hreztth uf wind. The sun but down mercilessly upon the tiled mots oi the cluster of adobe building's. and filtered through the dry. dusty fnliztge in the inner Court. llehintl the CUlUllIlZHlC surrounding this court were spots 0f shadow, yet scarcely less hut than the open yard itself. Outside the gmnp of mlnhe buildings stretched a vast country; acres on acres of dusty sage brush. The levelness was hrnken here and there by undulating hills covered with the same tlull-enloretl growth. liar to the north lay a long low range 0f mountains. showingr gray against tlte horizon. le- yontl the vicinity of tht adobe houses. wherever nne ltmketl, there vets sage brush. dry and hot. A road of finely powdered tlnst wound from the groups of buildings toward the farther hills. From the top of the highest hill. the faintest line of blue. almost a mist. could be seen. It was the ocean. far away to the south. The imagination helped one tn feel its cnulness until the eye wandered hack to the tlry and dusty valley directly below. in which were clustered the zulnhe buildings. , A man appeared suddenly from behind a grunp of trees. which screened at seenntl luner line of adobe houses. He was a tall, gaunt person. dressed in the long black ruhes of a priest. He walked slowly. with the air of one who is in deep meditation. Uniting tn the larger 21ml main group of lllllltlA ings. he opened the gate and erussetl the yard within. Entering through the tlunr of the nearest building, he passed intu a long dark hall. the blackness anti coolness ml which emttrastetlpleasantly with the glare of the heat unt- sitle. He went slowly down the hall. antl opening a tltmr on his right entered 21 large. tlimly-lig'htetl rmnn. A younger man, clad in similar garments. ztrosw at his ent'anee. saying: l'ath'e Xiperu, what news? The newcnmer slowly shook his head. I am not satisfied, Padre Francis. l have just returned from the Indian dwellings. There is an ominous atmnsphere almut the place. The people seem restless. They are calm enough when I speak with them, but they are discontented, antl mutter to themselves in groups when they think I am not near. latlre Francis said: HCome. father, do not think too seriously ml the matter. It is probably the h tat which makes them so restless. This evening. when it grows Cool, all will be well again. ' lint llatlre Nipern slltmk his head tluhinnsly. and turning slowly went out of the room by the tlUOl' on the left. lt opened into the Court. and :1 wave of stilling heat struek him as he stepped tlHWH the stmte step leading tn the 20

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At this writing the appropriations for the biennial Fiscal period. beginningr ' July 1, 1913, are not available; but we have something more revealing than legislative appropriations talways the product of a certain amount of compro- misei in the carefully planned budget of the State's financial officers. The budget of 1913 recommends in both general and special appropriations the sum approximately of $1,500,000 for the maintenance and improvement of the service and equipment of the seven State normal schools. The same report recommends as general and sneeial appropriations for the University the sum approximately of $1,200,000. to which must be added the revenues allotted to the University out of the proceeds of taxation. amounting to about $1,800,000, which would make the total revenue of the University for the coming biennium $3 000,000. in round numbers. or twice that of the com- bined normal schools of the State. Enrollment of students in the normal schools in 1911 was 3,047: in the l'niversity. 3.779. The figures for 1012 are not at hand; but. doubtless. they would show no relative changeethat is they would show an enrollment in the University about 25 per cent greater than that of the normal schools. not taking into account in the latter institu- tions their enrollment in the training schools. which would. in cost. more than offset the larger adult enrollment of the University. XVith all these facts in view, it is. doubtless. fair to say that the l'niversity is to receive for two years 100 per cent more for support than are the normal schools of the State. Now. no one of us hegrudges the L'niversity a dollar of its revenueswe wish the University to receive not less but more. Comparisons need not always be odious. If the comparison made above suggests anything. it sug- gests thisethat the University in its function of hroducimgr the higher aml staff otheers of the educational aml social army must he tremendously handi- capped in the inadequate nourishment of the army itself. In fact. we have this anomalous situation- -on the higher education side the L'niversity and high school producing at a very considerable cost highly trained omeers of society, while on the elementary education side. we have the normal school and the elementary school representingr the junior theers aml the social army in a comparative state of neglect and inefficiency. I know that society must, as one of its final aims. produce its belle tlenr. 'and that the University man or woman is oftenest. in our social and civic life. this very flower-hut would not a richer soil. the truly well-nonrished and scientifically-cultivated garden of a better elementary school. make possible the production of a finer. fairer flower? The time has come for a Change of nolicy. The new noliey should recog- nize the normal school as a most valuable part of the state school system. What is written above represents in the main a presentation of the needs 01' the normal school made to the State's financial oFlieers. in Decem- her. 1912. The response to this appeal by the loard of Control. the State Controller. and the State Legislature. was instant and most generous in recognition of the situation. The budget of this institution was materially increased. especially in the item of salaries .aml the other normal schools received generous increases in their annropriations. Yet. as is shown also in what is written, relatively the elementary school situation as renresentetl by the normal school was not much inmrovetl. The makers of the budget did their best. but they were handicaonetl hy the static condition of a society held in the iron grin of social waste and vice. Our otlicers of finance. able and a'mreciatix'e as they are. cannot put us firmly on our feet in the math of true nroqress until we have first shaken ofT the burden entailed by our social and economic wastes. XVhen society spends less for alcohol and in war. then only will the items of the budget serve as the indicia of a genuinelv civilized man's annreciation of the supreme importance of elementary education as the foundation of all civil- ization. and as the soil out of which all its finest flowers must spring. 19

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w- a tgua .g, Va1 open corridor around the court. Passing along in the shadow of the eolonnatle for a short distance, he turned abruptly into the burning heat of the garden and walked down a little path until he came to a small group of trees. He stopped in their shade. A small lntlian boy was lying on the Ground. Though his back was turned and he was apparently asleep, yet the slight sound of Padre Nipero's tread caught his ear. and instantly he was on his feet. He smiled as he saw that it was the priest. llis bright, black eyes, always eager and restless. glanced at the man, l1eyoml him to the adobe buildings, and back to the priest again. The boy seemed to understand that something was wrong; uCan I help you, father? he said. No, Nipo. I am only a little tired this afternoon. I will feel better in the evening, perhaps? jut the boy answered quickly: No, father, it is the Indians again. I know. because I saw you leave the court an hour ago, and now you are returningeantl I will help you if I can. Padre Nipero smiled a little. Does nothing ev er escape your eves, Xipo. 3 he said. llYes, the Indians are somewhat restless this afternoon but I trust it is only the heat of the day. If I have any errands later. I will call you. Nipo. With that the Padre went on through the court and passed again into the building. The room he entered was a long. rather narrow one. The walls were of white-washed adobe. as were those of all the rooms on the place. Heavy oaken beams supported the ceiling. The windows, of which there were only two, .one on the outside and the other on the interior court. were narrow and tleep-set. Iron l1ars protected the outer window. A long oak table stood in the center of the room; around it were placed several chairs. A few loose pieces of paper and a quill pen or two lay on the table. Outtlie wall was a small shelf containingr a few books. This room was evidently the meeting room and library. Padre Nipero seated himself at the 10110 table and gazed absentlv out of the window into the court. He was thinking now of Xipo and uncon- sciously speaking to himself. uHe is a good ehiltl. always willing and ready to help me. He has been of use to me many a time with the lntlians when they have been troublesome. I-Iis quick eyes see everything. and his ears are always listening. Somehow, I seem to have won the boy to me; he pays but little attention to the rest of the brothers, although they are all friendly with him. int he is as faithful as a shepherd dog to me. I believe he would actually lay down his life for me, so devoted he seemsfi The father sat long in his chair. gazing out of the window. His brow grew troubled In his pondering over the greater question of his restless Indian subjects he forgot Nipo. T-he little Indian village lav beyond the clump of trees that skirted the road several hundred yards from the last of the cluster of adobe buildings which formed the home of the padres. The Spanish brothers had built this mission, in ortler to eix'ilize aml ehristianize the natives of the wilderness. Sometimes the ueophytes grew restless under the strict. though kintl. rule of the fathers. Several times in the history of the mission there had been uprisings, and once bloodshed had resulted. tut that had been a long time before. For some years now the neophytes had done no more than to grum- ble and mutter among themselves, and sometimes become sullen in their attitude towards the fathers. It was on - those occasions when an insuhordinate Indian, refused to work that Nipo had been of help to Padre Nipero', the leader of the brothers at the mission. For Nipo' was a favorite of the Indians as well as of the white men. He could coax a rebellious neophyte to work again. when the efforts of the l u