National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-28
SPEECHES BY VISITORS Ind RZsIQERTS
A CALL ON PRESIDENT GRANT.
His Cordial welcome to the Delegates
HOspitaIities Extended by Elk.
Gov. Shepherd-6eneraI
sightseeing.

ASSOCIATION met yesterday AZ IL O'CLOCK ~ " IL
lards hall. Previous to the meeting the dele
gates called on the United States Commissioner
Of Education, General John Eaton, at his othce,
where they were individually introduced, after
which they proceeded TO the hall. The president,
10. Wilson. called them to order, and Rev. DR..
Rankin invoked divine blessing.
ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
Mr.. Wilson made the following address Of well
come:
e1cC: We have assembled pursuant to adjourn
ment Of this department made at the meeting
held in August last at Detroit, and is my priv
iege, in behalf Of this city, to bid you a hearty
welcome. The United States Commissioner of
Education and the officers OF this department,
who were authorized TO make the arrangements
for this meeting, found II impracticable to pre-
your procedure and in the circular letter recently
addressed to you they have only invited your at
tentiOn to some of the important topics that will
At no time since the foundation of the National
Government has the subject Of education, espe-
cially when regarded as part Of our public
policy, demanded more earnest thought, careful
discussion, and resOlute action than it now does.
tits q time Of sharp, bold, sometimes reckless
cedent and the time whereof the memory Of man
runneth not to the contrary. 1t is claimed here
q scapc goat on which to load all the evils OF the
day, that the public schools are failing to accom-
pIish their professed mission; that they are
alternating youth from the honest toll and thrift
Of the fathers, sending them from the rural dis
trlcts, Where
''As she fed ma nEind.r
There justice lsft her last IOae trace behind,
and gathering them into the cities and larger
towns, olten to beeCme the prey Of reckiessness,
extravaganza and dissipation; that they failed in
properly Interviewing spiritual with secular tn-
stTuction, OF that the moral instruction that is
impaired infringes upon the p-erogatiyes Of
THE FAMILY on CHURCH;
that they are undermining the physical eorstitu-
lions OF the children committed to their care, and
are sowing the seeds Of weakness, disease and
defoTmity; that they are undertaking too much
Wien they pass beyond the boundaries of the
Tud!ments Of knowledge and enter upon the work
OF the high school, the college and the university.
Occasionally it is even asserted that our National
Bureau Of Education is not needed by the State
and local educational organizations, or, on the
other hand that 1t is with It's limits unctions and
sCanty appropriations, 4 dangerous centraliZing
power. ana therefore IT should be 'e1t up by the
This apparently untrendly agitation and dis
cUssiOn should not IN the least dishearten the
the most superficial observer that the country is
in need Of more and better education, and these
assaults may prove to be like the storms that
that supports it. The work in which are en-
gagged wall neither 90 backward nor halt, and we
meet today to assist in pointing the way to
future that shall more fully meet the demands of
an advancing civilization.
PROGRAMME OF BUSINESS.
General Eaton moved that, in consequence of
the absence OF the secretary, Mr. Brown, of In
diaD3polis, be elected Sc eretary PTO ten. Agreed
General Eaton moved that committee of
three be appointed to prepare a programme OF
business. Adopted, and the chair appointed
General Eaton, Messrs. Wiekersham, of Pennsyl-
vaDia, and Abernethy, Of Iowa, as he committee
The committee reported the programme as pub
lished in yesterdays NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,.
General Eaton moved that all present inter
ested in education be allowed to participate in
the proceedings of the association AdOPtC /.
motion was made and adopted that the de-
partment call on the President OF the United
States in body.
PREVENTION
Hon. B. q. NUrthrOp, secretary of the State
Board Of Education OF Connecticut, was intro
dueed as the first speaker, his subject being
Legal Prevention Of llliterancy." He began
his remarks by referring to the following law of
Connecticut concerning the schooling of children,
passed by the Legislature in 1863, and revised 10
"AlI parents, and those who have the care OF
children, shall bring them up in some honest an4
lawful calling or employment, and shall instruct
them or cluse them to be instructed in reading,
writing, English grammar, geography and srith-
person having control and charge Of any child be-
tween the ages OF eight anu I0uFteen yeafs- shall
cause such child to attend some public or private
day school at least three months in each year,
six weeks at least Of which attendance shall be
consecutive; or to be instructed at home at least
three months in each year in the branches or
schools unless the physical or mental condition
IF the child is such as 70 render such attendance
inexpedient or impTactcable."
The penalty for the violation Of the above pro-
visions is a fine of tive dollars "for every week,
not exceeding thirteen weeks in any ono year,
during which any parent or guardian Shall have
failed to comply herewith The schools Of Con-
necticui are iree to all. No child under fourteen
years Of age can be lawfully employed to labor in
any business whatever, unless such child shall
have attended some school at least three months
in each year Of such service. The penalty for the
violation Of this law is one hundred dollars for
The aid Of the manufacturers was obtained, and
Their association was beneficial in carrying out
the law. Numbers Of those employed threatened
TO leave the manuia cturers IL the law was carried
out. The manufacturers stood true, and all now
works we'll, and the progress was most encour-
aging. Success Of education depended on public
sentiment. and without it compulsory attendance
would be Improbable. Education was the uni
Versal right Of man. In Connecticut public senti-
ment was growing stronger in favor OF the law.
The public schools have been privilege, and by
moral suHsiOn many have come TO terms. Legal
coercion has only been resorted to under the most
desperate circumstances. The people approve
the law stringent as II might be- He had never
met until lately an adult in Connecticut who was
unable 10 read the English language, which was
owing TO the recent immigration into that State.
OBLIGATORY EDUCATION
was strongly favored by the Labor Union. Eiu-
cation should be univeral, compulsory and na-
tiOuaI. He clOsed his remarks by reading stats
tics showing the success Of education in England,
where 1t was compulsory, and charged that OBJ
hgatory education promoted the growth Of
liberty Numerous questions were asked Mr..
Northrop, and in response he said the leading
manufacturers throughout the State had cor
daily sustained the law and even volunteered to
that We will employ no children under fourteen
years Of age, except those who are provided with
a certificate from the local school officers Of
actual attendance at school the full term re-
quired by law
The law applied not only to manufacturers but
TO merchants, mechanics, farmers and all employ
eFs OF children. School visitors were required by
law to inquire into the causes and extent Of non
attendance; they were requested to communicate
the secretary Of the board any facts they might
learn as to neglect in the schooling Of children.
Tho Law was most benehcent in its aim and
suits During the three years Of it's Operation IL
has met general and cordial approval and brought
large numbers into the schools.
AN ENDORSEMENT.
Mr.. John d. PhIbricE, OF Boston, made a few
remarks strongly indorsing the address made by
Mr.. NOrthTOp, and claimed compulsiOn was the
only means by which universal education could
Gen Eaton gave notice that the president would
be pleased to receive the department bstWeen the
hours Of Il and clock.
OPPOSED TO col.PULsIoN.
Prof NJ. A Newell, Of Nd, opposed eompul-
sorry education, but If the law was to be carried
out by Cancellation, persuasion and argument he
would favor it.. He doubted whether all the
law. He thought that compulsory education had
been given up. and by the remarks made az to the
carry out the law he would infer that compuI-
sorry education was not success.
Mr.. G. J. LucEey, Of PIttsburg addressed the
department, taking strong grounds against CON-
PulsOTy education.
HosPITALITIEs EXTENDED.
The secretary read q letter from ex-GoT. Shep-
herd inviting the department 10 MS residence on
Thursday evening Accepted.
It was resolved 10 call on the Secretary OF the
Interior Thursday morning.
The department then took a recess and pro-
oeeded 10 the Executive Mansion, where they
were received by President Grant in his private
Oltce.
REMAINS OF SUPERINTENDENT WILSON.
MI J. .. Wilson introduced the delegates to
the President, after which he made the follow
ing address:
"Mr. President, thememb ers of the Department
Of SupeTntendence of the National Education
AssocistionnoW in session in this city, have called
70 pay their respects to you, aud to say that they
highly appreciate the deep interest you feel in
education, 10 which you have given such emphatic
expression in your messages 70 Congress"
RESPONSE OF PRESIDENT GRANT
The President responded as follows:
81 feel that the advancement Of the cause Of
education would be one Of the best reconstructlye
movements We could have in the country, and
therefore have felt, in addition 70 other rea-
cons, deep interest in It. l do net see how a
pure Republic is TO be maintained unless it is
based on the intelligence OF the people. That re-
quires educational privileges for the masses
Without a combined interest and effort in every
rrF# Hn nrTVffrN