Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-07-20
BY N. S. DREAMER.

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gentlman, as showing why a Compul :
sorry School Law is needfuf~ in this
State, all of which, when condensed,
are involved i'll two propositions:
1. A law OF this kind is needed as
means of making the Public School
System more thorough and efficient
9 Such law would harmonic with
the nature of our Government.
In the first place, is such law re
quired to secure the efficiency of our
system of public instruction? After
referring.,to the reports of the Com
mon Schools of this State, and finding
that nearly fifty per centum of the chill
dren for whose benefit the Common
School was established, do not attend
school, he arrives. at the conclusion.
that by virtue of such non attendance
the Public School System is rendered
inefficient We readily grant the pre-
mise. but deny the legitimacy of the
conclusion The efficiency Of our
system of public instruction, consid-
cred as measure of Government,
docs not depend upon the number Of
those qcho araH themselves Of ats
benefits The true criterian by which
to judge of its efficiency, is, how fully
does it meet the demand of the people
for the education of their children at
the hands of the Government. Every
child within the pales of this Govern
ment has an inalienable right to a free
education, and it is the imperative du
ty of State Legislatures to recognize
this right and provide the means
whereby the blessings of free educa-
ton may be enjoyed. Now, HAS this
right been recognized, and has Gov
ernment made the necessary provis
ions? No greater eulogy IS needed,
upon the wisdom and virtue of the
trainers of our Government, than the
simple announcement of our Common
School System. Who can acquaint
himself with this system, and not feel
that ours is a Government that is ever
regardful of the rights of the people !;
and especially, one that has made am
pie provision for the universal instruc
ton of its subjects? The State is di-
viled into counties the counties, into
townships; and each township, into
school districts, numbering eight or
more. Well and truly may we say that
the land is dotted ali over with school
houses, free to the admission of every
child of the land, without dIscrimina
ton. How admirably, then, has Gov
ernment complied with the peoples
demand for the free education of their
children? So far as their right to
this demand, and the duty of the Gov
ernment to yield compliance, are con-
cerned, the will of the people has been
executed in the establishment of our
Common Schools. And the efficiency
of this system is not detracted from,
though but half of the youthful popu-
lation, avail themselves of its adj
vantages. The gentleman errs i'll con-
Gliding that the attendance ol
scholars detracts from this means
of Government, by regarding the
number of those who actually receive
instruction in Common School, as the
standard by which to Judge of its eff
cheney, He forgets that it is simply q
means which Government places in the
hands of the people, aud they are al
liberty to use it as they may see fit and
proper So that, if they are willing tc
: support it by taxation, and at the same
time refuse to receive its benefits, they
are at freedom to do So; and whatev
er may be the, amount of good they
receive, whether much or little, it's eff
ficiency, per Sc, is ever the same
AS the gentleman will agree, thl
universal instruction Of all the you'll
. within the limits of certain ages wa
t contemplated as the object of the Pub
lie School System by the trainers o
our Government. 1t was their right
their duty, to have in view the goot
4 of all, in devising this scheme The,
would have been recreant to their du
ty. as the peoples servants, had the.
not designed that the Common Schoo
should be the common heritage of all
And Judging from the catholicity O
the Common School, we may conclud
that all children, whatever the relig
. ious views or church tenets of thei
parents, have an unqualified right t
its privileges and benefits. But be
cause this is the object to be attained
is no reason why the people should b
= compelled to its attainment Thi
IN there are parents who refuse to Civ
'9 their children the advantages of a Com
ii. mon School education, is no deprecit
ton of its merits as a means to ths
: end, and only argues for the inexcus;
ble recreancy of parents. The affair
ment of universal instruction as the oil
ject of the educational scheme of OF
q State, depends upon the absolute frC
will of the people. 1t is the inviot
bic right of every parent to have Il
mental, as well as the physical ar
moral, education of his child in II
own hands A nerson'e a1uootior