Page 45 - Industries_of_San_Antonio

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COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURES.
There are four ward schools, three of which are stone and wood. Their
value, including furniture and lots, is $54,000. There are two buildings
for colored schools, one stone and one frame. The high school is probably
the finest school building in the State, erected at a cost upward of $60, 000.
The total value of school property in the city is $129,000.
The attendance over last year has increased 400, the entire enrollment
being 2,990, with a daily attendance of over 2,300. The following is a re-
port of the scholastic population of San Antonio for the year preceding
August 1st, 1885.
White males, between 8 and 16 years, 2,679
Colored " . . • • 496
. . . .
White female, " 2,868
"
606
Colored " • • • •
Total, 6,649
Besides the superintendent of public schools, there are employed:
Assistants—White, 42; colored, 7.

SUNDAY SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.
Not only must we attend strictly to the development of the under-
standing, in our children, but the moral and religious influences that
can be brought to bear, are paramount. To a great degree this may
be accomplished under the immediate supervision of the parents, but the
mind beginning to reason needs association with others to allay all discon-
tent, and create the ambition to excel, which may be found in the disposi-
tion of all healthy children. In a moral point of view, the Sunday school,
with its numbers of little heads and hands, toiling to master the obscure
meaning of parts of the scriptures, with a kind and Christian teacher to
expound, form the loveliest sight a mother's eye can look upon. The
father may contemplate the effect of these teachings in his child, but it is
often with the shallow thought that it brings happiness and content into
the family, and gives it no deeper consideration. But, with the little one's
return to home, with catechism in hand and beaming face, the ready
words to tell the mother how well the lesson was repeated, should, and
will in the near future, exact that attention due from both heads of the
family.
Every creed of religion is represented in our midst, and, indeed, it
may be said in San Antonio's favor that her population has a greater per
tentage of church goers than any one in twenty communities. The min-
isters of the gospel are many, and able, .fully, to lead their congregations.
It sounds a little strange to say there are thirty different churches in the
city, though such is the fact, representing nine beliefs, namely: Baptist,
Catholic, Christian, Episcopal, Evangelical, Hebrew, Lutheran, Methodist,
and Presbyterian.
There are two of the Baptist denomination, which hold the usual ser-
vices and Sunday school.