The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1872-03-22
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T. du CAtiOnal Column.
JouN STE1NMAN, EplroR.
Compulsory Education.

ton is arbitrary in practice; and that
in principle it is opposed to the genius
Of our Republican institutions.
Applying the same course Of reason.
ing, can we not with equal consistency
say. that conscripting men into the army
and there compelling them to hazard
life that lesying contribution upon
the wealth and peaceful industry of the
land in the shape of tax, tariff, &C., is
also arbitrary and opposed to the prin.
ciplcs Of self-governmont?
Yet, we sanction these (arbi.rary)
measures, because it becomes necessary
at times to vindicate the principles Of
free government, even at the point Of
the bayonot. And in order to maintain
a government it is necessary to have a
revenue. To foster manufacturing and
other interests, it is necessary to have
protection, hence the necessity of taxa
ton, of tariffs, sc. If this then be a
true exposition Of facts, it follows, that
the right Of the measure subsists in its
necessity. Assuming that, it Is nov or
necessary to do wrong. We have but to
prove the necessity Of a compulsory law,
and the right will be apparent.
There is no question, and there can
be none, as to the necessity of universal
education. in Republican form Of
government like ours. The only ques-
tion is as to the manner of its enforce
ment. They who oppose compulsion,
assume that universal education can be
reached in some other way or by some
other means than compulsory legislation.
If this result can be reached by some
known or unknown means other than
compulsion, what the way, or what the
instrumentalities by which this dcsider-
alum shall be accomplished The evil
dence Of experience is certainly against
them. In examining statistics we find
that the average daily attendance for
the year 1870, was a little over 80 per
cent. of the whole school population, in
the United States, and about SO per
cent of the number enrolled. And we
find too, that in the most intelligent Sec
ton Of the union and under the
most favorable circumstances, a degree
of attendance has been obtained but lit
tie larger than that of the whole
country. This is the experience Of the
rast, and how are we to judge Of the
future but BY the past?
A system that will be the means of
securing approximately 100 per
cent, of attendance Of the whole school
population, must be the right system.
Prussia has compulsory law. Every
child is obliged to 60 to school six
months each year from six to fourteen.
The result is that the whole mind Of
the nation is developed.
1t is said that every soldier in the
Frussian army can read and write. The
The average attendance in Prussia and
in other European States, where cdu-
cation is obligatory, is very nearly 100
per cent. ofthe whole school population.
The present system may no doubt DO
made more effective than now.
But whatever provision the State
may make for education, there will
always be large class of uneducated
children, so long SIS the State does not
require all Of its children to be educa-
ted. No voluntary methods will ever
prevail. We must either submit to the
enormous evils Of having a large portion
Of the population uneducatel, or put a
stop to the evil By compulsory cduca-
ton"
Hon. Geo. F. Hoar, of Massachu-
sets, in the House of Representatives,
June 9th, 1870, on Universal Educa-
tion.' used the following language: II
could hear without alarm that all the
nations Of Europe had united their
forces for the overthrow of this govern
ment, but I cannot hear without alarm
that the fourth Of the whole political
power Of this country is welded by men
who cannot read"
Now first among civilized nations,
America will in few generations,
perhaps in single generation, be the
last, unless she shall awake to her true
interests. While others have learned
the lesson that in popular education is
to be found the key to national great
ness; while Prussia points to Sadowa as
evidence Of the triumphs in war Of an
instructed people, and to an achieve
mcnt in nobler competition, her mighty
insots of steel, with which Krupp as