The New York herald., 1850-02-23

TYRANNY OVER STREET CHILDRRN-Pious frauds
and pious infIingements upon the liberty OF the
people, are daily attempted by well meaning, but
over jealous individuals who are in favor of moral
improvement, at whatever cost. recent exeni-
plifcation OF curious desire, on the part of GER
tain busy-bodles, to seize street children, and
coerce them to attend school, has been manifested
IN Boston. Another is to be witnessed in our own
city. The notion came from Boston, having been
transpanted to that transcendental region from
Austria, where, as all the world knows, the GO
vernment have a sincere regard for the manners,
as well as the merals, of the young incarcerating
children in schools, at the will Of spy po-
lice agent Of the ruling powers. In Boston, the
address Of the last Mayor seriously introduced the
subject, commencing the Austrian plan, in all Its
beautiful details, worthy Of adoption. Gov.
Briggs, in his ardent love of liberty, education,
and morality, followed up the Mayors address in
his annual message, and recommended that chd-
dren found In the streets should be seized, and
put into school houses.
In this city, the mltators Of the sagacity of Aus
tria and Bosten are busy with petllions to the
Legislature on this subject, wherein some strin-
gent law is demanded to remove children from the
streets, and to supply them with education gratis,
~
tlemen engaged in this BUSINESS that they can.
not coerce children in the proposed wayl AS rea.
sonable would it be to walk into Wall street, and
take in hand the children Of larger growth, who
are always ready to stick their fingers into other
peoples pockets, and grab, to their own satisfac-
tion, when anything Is to be gained As well
might the reformation Of any evil be attempted by
the seizure OF the body, as In the case of the
"street children" Society has no power over
them, and cannot have any. They belong to
their parents, and to their custody alone are
they subject, unless they break laws made
for the protection of society. Moral reform,
industry, the pursuit of knowledge, and the like
improve ements in the condition Of children, must
emanate from their guardIans-and their natural
guardians have jurisdiction over them by the fixed
laws OF the social compact, which are superior to
all other laws, Of whatever origin or nature. A
boy sent into the street to obtain, honestly, the
price Of loaf, by sweeping crossings or holding
horses, has an undeniabe right to his vocation,
ard il would be gross exercise Of tyranny, under
pious plea that he was to be benefited by it, to
remove him from the sphere Of his exertion, that
he might know the alphabet and the relation and
value Of figures. The principle Is not changed by
the conts mpation Of the favorable results which
might arse from enforcing such arbitrary regu-
lsiions. A boy might SIT in the Park, from day.
light TIL dark. and be engaged in solving some
great problem OF nature, without being amsnable
to any one for thus employing his tme-and
another might roll upon the grass, without an ap-
preach to a single thought, for the same space of
time, without being accountable TO society for his
conduct. The natural guardians Of the child are
the only persons who have any right 10 control his
actonsj aud where reform is necessary, to nd
society Of idle urchios, who are growing up in
ignorance, we must 90 to the source Of the evil
To the parents or guardians-and impant In their
mn De a thorough sense Of their accountability to
socie'y and TO Heaven for the training Of those
under Their care. Anything further than this
snlstks strongly Of absolutism; and were u not
60, there would be no possibility Of placing these
esirpys Of the in schools for sectarian pre-
JUDGES would erect barrier sgans, the design.
It's pity that the bright lights Of society-the
phIlahihiopsrs, and the dorrs Of good works gene
raly-sre not more practical in the plans adopted
,y them. Perhaps they find il cheaper TOR them to
get law recorded in the statute book, than to
eradicate evlls by the slow, prudsn, that is
always the precursor Of thorough reform. Some
people are oifposed TO make laws that misde-
metnois and crimes may be multiplied. Ours is
crest tge Il progress