The Portland daily press., 1872-01-26
THE PR ESS.
FRIDAY MORNING, JAN. 26, 1872.
A Genuine Reformatory Movement.


of pupils of a legal age on the public schools
of Maine, is the most encouraging thing that
has vet taken place at Augusta this winter
For this matter of compulsory attendance,
we take it, is the essential thing in beginning
the much needed work of educational reform.
While our able State Superintendent reports
year after year that only fifty per cent. of the
boys and girls go to school at all, it is COM
pdratiUely little use to improve the methods
of instruction or increase the school funds.
1t is to be hoped that none of that progress
i've" spirit which so loudly calls upon the
Legislature for leave to tax the people still
further for the benefit of capitalists and their
schemes, will array itself against this most
needful of all true reforms. The tone the
opposition to this bill is likely to assume is
that compulsory attendance savors too much
of despotic government, that it is the very
essence of Capitalization" and that it is UNI
constitutional. There is one reply to such
suggestions that is conclusive. All govern
ments, like all individuals, have the right of |
selfpreseryation. The freest countries i'm
pose such restrictions on individual liberty as
are necessary for the continuance of organ
lied society. The most democratic states re-
quire their citizens to pay tax, to assist if
need be in the arrest of criminals, to fight
the public enemy, to observe certain sanitary
regulations for the safety of the public health,
and to clothe themselves decently. Other
wise the state could not exist as political
organization. Some of the duties that the
remotely for his own personal good, serving
on a jury for instance. Now the education
of the masses is, of all things, the most vital
to the preservation of free government
The free state must have its citizens who par
ticipate in the government educated in order
to protect itself from poverty, crime and 4
finally from utter collapse through the adj
popular ignorance and degradation. 1t is alb
surd to say that the institutions under which
man may be compelled to pay tax, to go
to war, to be vaccinated, to serve on a jury to
arrest criminal, will not permit him to be
be compelled, for his own good, to receive the
instruction without which he cannot perform
intelligently and satisfactorily either these
public duties or the infinitely larger number
that pertain solely to his own comfort and
happiness. J ~
There was published in this paper not long
ago letter from Hon. G. c. Andrews, United
States Minister to Sweden and Norway, who \
wrote to commend the course OF the PRESS
in agitating the question of compulsory ed
ucation, in which there was suggestion that ]
is thya If IL, a..
pulsory law is in successful operation in the
countries to which Mr.. Andrews is accredit-
ed, and by that means a higher average of
attendance is attained than anywhere else in
the world Only three or four per cent. of
the children absent themselves from school
But this wonderful result is obtained by a
law little more stringent than that which
mas been framed by our committee on educa-
ton. 1t was found in Sweden that the sys-
TEN OF lines was partly imperative, because
OF the wretched poverty of the class against
which it is directed. Accordingly it was
found necessary to provide the separation of
parents and children as penalty for per-
sistent disobedience to the law. Such law
could hardly be adopted here, there being a
sundering of family ties on any but the most
urgent necessity. But it may be necessary to
increase the stringency of the act in some
way SO as to make it approximate in efficiency
to the law enforced in monarchcal Sweden.
VI course the Democrats in both the House
and Senate will oppose the bill. Last year
Democratic caucus in Bangor unanimously
passed Marcellus Emery's resolutions oppos-
ing not only compulsory attendance, but the
mil tax, the abandonment of the district
system, state supervision of colleges and acad-
emies, uniformity of text books, State aid for
free high schools, aid to the Maine Educa-
uonat journal and Association, and finally
the whole system of county supervision!
Democrats here and elsewhere have strong
family resemblance, for only day before YES
terday, when Mr.. Perez of Mississippi, House
chairman of the Congressional Committee on
Education and Labor, advocated the states
manllke measure Of setting apart the public
lands for educational purposes, no less than
three Democrats jumped up to oppose him.
The opposition of the Democrats in Con-
gress to Mr.. HOar's. bill establishing national
liquor law or a registration act. So there
Is no hope that any help for this democratic |
measure will come from that party which used
rightfully to call itself Democratic pdr en-
cellence
Elsewhere will be found an interesting |
communication on this subject.
HE Advertiser speaks of the members of |
the Legislative railroad committee as 'sthe
Ten Mollusks." The Advertiser has undoubt-
eddy coined phrase that will pass into histo-
ry. The committee will probably always be |
referred to as ''the Mollusk Committee" and |
If the consolidation bill passes, as it undoubt-
edly will, the Legislature of 1872 will be
known as ''the Mollusk Legislature We |
are always willing to do the Advertiser justice,
and in this case is has originated something
that is really clever. But down with the Mol
lusks, say we, Qet no feeble witted Maine |
Central lackey ask if we refer to oysters) who |
have delivered the State into the hands of
wicked, arrogant, law-defying monopoly
They are marked men henceforward. Down
with the Mollusks, wherever they are and
wherever they live Sis
The Georgia Democracy are of the true
blue stamp; and in proof of the assertion
and the best possible proof of it is-we have
only to state that on the 10Th of January the
Democracy of Savannah celebrated the day
with military and civic procession and an
Grafton by an ex-rebel General jackson, be-
cause it was the anniversary of the secession
OF the State of Georgia and the birthday of
Gen. r. E. Lee. The orator delivered him
self of the following:
mo lines OF latitude in space no epochs in
the LAPSE of time can circIImscriha fbo no,rar