The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-03-15
Compulsory Education.

Under the act Of 1870, schools are to b
established throughout England and Wales
The question which agitates the Londor
school board, whose decision will probably
be acted upon throughout the provinces, is
whether, under the new system, education
shall be made compulsory, as 1t is in Ger
many. The last statistical returns show
that out Of every five grown-up persons
in England one is without education, so
far as measured by the test OF writing
their names
The act of 1870 (3S Victoria, chap. 75)
was passed to "provide for every school
district sufficient amount of accommoda-
ton in public elementary schools available
for all the children resident in such dis
trict, for whose elementary education
efficient and suitable provision is not 9TH
erwise made"
It Is further enacted that all children at
tending these public elementary schools,
"whose parents are unable, from poverty,
to pay anything towards their education,
shall be admitted free, the expenses so in
Cured to be discharged from local rates."
The school board in each district is in
vested with great powers, among others
that of making 1t compulsory upon parents
to give all children between the ages of
five and thirteen the advantage of educa-
ton. 1t is absurd on the face of it to send
child only five years old to public
school; up to eight, home instruction
ought to be sufficient. 1t is still undecided
L. Al T ,lotI1 4
shall exercise its power of enforcing the
education of all children.
This is objected to, by few members
of the board, on the plea that compulsion |
is "un-English; )" plea of the feeblest |
character, seeing that it has generally been !
used, across the water, to assail some good |
principle or defend some bad one Thus,
for many years, Peel and Palmerston,
Russell and Gladstone, Wing and Tory,
opposed vote by ballot at parliamentary
elections, on the pretence that it was fun
English, and, only the other day, when
the House of Commons was asked to vote
$150,000 marriage dowry and $4,000 a
year to the Princess Louisa, it was en-
phatically declared that to expect Queen
Victoria, the richest woman in England,
to provide for her children out of her own
ample means, was thoroughly "un-Eng-
lsh," so the (so-called) representatives of
the people voted the required sum out of
the public treasury.
1t was conceded, during the London
school board discussion, that even though
un-Engish, circumstances might justify
the making of education compulsory, just
as, in some cases, it might become neces-
sary to use a straight waistcoat. 1t was
admitted that thousands of children were
going about the streets who could be re-
ceived into the ragged schools, but would
not go; and there were also the children
of men who, though earning good wages,
spent their earnings at the public house
and it was for these and such as these
that compulson must be brought into
operation" Finally, it was decided that
the compulsory principle ought to be
acknowledged. and if acknowledged,
ought to be enforced. This is to be
done gradually and judiciously, but
unfinchingly. AT the same time, GER
tain difficulties are to be got over. Many
girls of twelve, where there are large-small
families and low earnings, are very useful
at home, and can scarcely be spared many
uOuIS III VIC Ouy iiOhi hSuSohOi1 NN1iSD' |
The thing must be done, but with care and
tenderness, and above all, the working
classes of England must not think that
free education carries with it any pauper-
ish character. In this country it certainly |
does not, because every father knows that.
directly or indirectly, he contributes towards
the expenses of the schools. Mr.. Hepworth |
Dixon, the biographer of William Penn,
who is a member of the school board, has
given notice Of a motion to the effect that |
in every school means must be supplied |
for gymnastic and athletic exercises. An
other member who appears to have some |
common sense, has intimated that he will
vote for drawing and music (not singing, |
but will oppose the instruction of girls in
useless knowledge-such as mathematics
and algebra-whieh it takes much time
and trouble to put into the mind, and
which passes out Of it, in most instances,
very soon after leaving school.