The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1867-08-08
u. a. M'PIKE, publisher.
NUMBER 27.

l showed that the Legislature was not only
specially prohibited by the Constitution from
passing such law as they urge, bot was also
prohibited by the fact that the parents rignt
is Inherent and ir1defedSi6le, existing by Ilds-
ssrdi and define lal0, and necessarily before
every municipal government. But because
the Constitution provides for system oi ed
ucation they apply their logic and insist that
the Legislature has the power to pass laws
compelling every one to embrace its benehts-
In this connection let me quote one of their
strong arguments, which they no doubt con-
sidered unanswerable "Will 'R. show
Constitutional provision forbidding compui-
sOry attendance at school 2'' I have shown
two. But it appears they consider that the
Constitution must forbid 1t in those very
words. Profound logicians! l ask them II
they can find a Constitutional provision Tor
bidding the Legislature to pass law req1lr-
ing every one to learn some tradeR They
cannot in those words, yet such law, altho'
there could be as good reasons urged for lts
enactment as the one they propose, would
be clearly unconstitutional. The Prussians
have just such a law. l might cite numbers
Of cases, but I doubt if our friends would
comprehend the relevancy of any illustration
The memory of the editors Of the AdUOcGte,
I fear, is bad. Do they forget that they
have said children may be educated at homeE
If the Legislature has the power to make
law compelling them to attend the Common
Schools, because It has the right to provide
for system Of education and tax the people
for tbs support Of thesessohools, which is the
point in their argument, then 1t would only
be by the permission or liberation of the Le-
gislature that any child could be taught at
home, or any where but IN the Common
Schools. Where will we find you next, gen
tlemcn2 Out of the mud and into the niTe
again! They fret started out with an arti-
Gle complaining of irregular attendance in
Common Schools. When press them some
what severely on the remedy they propose
for that evil, then they are only In favor OF
education, no matter where. They lastly
admit the right of the parents to educate
their children. ant! all the legislation they
ask is 10 prevent parents from depriving
| their children Of an education
They conclude their argument by telling
me that / am bound to show that parents
have right to deprive their children of an
! education. | will refrain from ridiculing
| their argument as ii deserves, but begileave
| to'tell the gentlemen that hold no such doc
/ trine, nor am by any logical system of rea-
soning compelled to hold it. Parents. no
more than any one else, have no right to do
wrong. Yet the gentlemen should under
| stand sufficient law 10 know that it is not
every wrong, nor even every crime, that is
committed by parents or others that the Le-
| gislature or Courts can take cognizance of
and direct the party who is guilty to be pun
| ished. Drunkenness Is a crime; yet a man
may get drunk in private, and in such case
| the law cannot interfere. So it is with re-
! gard to hundreds Of crimes. If they are pri-
vste they must be accounted for to God
alone. Hence one Of my reasons in my 6fst
| article for kindly and sincerely recommend
~, .. 4
on elementary law and the principles of gov
| ernment. ] was sorry to find it hurt their
| feelings, but can assure them / did not SO
| intend it.
l would now most respectfully challenge
them to give me the names Of any parents
in Cambria county, not idiotic, Insane, or
their reason besotted by drunkenness or 9TH
CT crimes, that wilfully deprive their chill
dren of education. Give me one name. It
! devolvcs Oh them to show it. They seem to
have overlooked the teachers reports IN their
May number. Here are one hundred chill
drcn sent 10 school by their parents. Out
of this number say but sixty attend regular
ly. Now. is this any proof that parents
| whose children do not regularly attend are
| disposed 10 deprive them Of an education
If it were, why send them at ala The pre-
sumption is the reverse.
called the editors Of the Adcocate to task
in my last article for fragrant misrepresen.
tation-that was opposed to education. I
challenged them to find one word even that
would imply,such to be thefact. To this they
did not reply. had always supposed it to
be the duty Of gentlemen to make an apology
for anything Of this kind when their atten-
ton was called to it. They surely have too
much respect for their characters to permit
me or the readers of the Freeman to believe
it to have been wilful. If they are satisfied
however. that this imputation should rest on
them, so be it. Pride, it is true, is stub.
bid them adieu for the present. Il.
A AMARrrR BIRD.-Tke following beau
. | t;ful incident is recorded in the Pittahuroh