Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1871-08-17
Compulsory Educauen.

The idea of compulsory education, sc
leng and successfully practiced in Prussia
and one or two other sections of Europe.
is gaining in popular favor in the United
States. The State Of Michigan has re.
Gently enacted the following school law,
and proposes to enforce its observances:
SECTION /. The people of the State OF
Michigan enact, That every parent, guar
dian, or other person, in the State OF
Michigan, having control and charge oil
any child or children between the ages OF
eight and fourteen years. shall be requir-
ed to send any such child or children to a
public school for a period of at least
twelve weeks in each school year, com
mencing on the first Monday of Septem-
Der, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and s~eventy-one, at least
six weeks of which shall be consecutive,
unless such child or children are excused
from such attendance by the board of the
school district. in which such parents or
guardians reside, upon its being shown to
their satisfaction that his bodily or mental
condition has been such as to prevent his
attendance at school or application to
study for the period required, or that
such chill or children are taught in a
private school, or at home, in such branch
es as are usually taught in primary
schools, or nave already acquired the or
binary branches of learning taught in tn e
public school: Provided. In case a pub
lie school shall not be taught for three
months during the year, within, two miles
by the nearest travelled road of the resi-
dence of any person within the school dis
trict, he shall not be, liable to the provis-
ions of this act. 90
Sec. 2 1t shall be the duty of the d.
rector of every school district, and presi-
dent of every scnool board within the
State, to cause to be posted three notices
of this law in the most public places in
such district, or published in one news
paper in the township, for three weeks,
during the month of August in each gear,
the expense of such publication to be paid
out of tine funds of said district.
SEC. 8. In case any parent, guardian,
or other person shall fail to comply with
the provisions of this act, said parent,
guardian, or other person shall be liable
to a fine of not less than Eve dollars or
more than ten dollars for the first ~offense,
ror less than ten or more than twenty
dollars for the second ond every subse-
qunent offense. Said fine shall be collect
ed by the director ofsaid district, in the
name of the district, IN an action of debt
or on the case, and when collected shall be
paid to the assessor of the district in
which the defendant. resided when the
ofense was committed, and by him ac-
counted for the same as money raised for
school purposes.
SEC. 4. 1t shall be the duty Of the d.
rector or president to prosecute any OF.
Tense occurring under this act, and any
director or PRECEDENT neglecting to prose-
cute for such fine within ten days. after a
written notice has been served on him by
any taxpayer in said district, unless the
person so complained of shall be excused
by the district board, shall be liable to q
fine of not less than twenty or more than
fifty dollars, which fine shall be, prose-
cuted for and in the hume of the assessor
of said district. and the fine when collect
ed shallbe paid to the assessor, to be ac-
counted for a. in section three Of this act.