The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-03-29
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
The QUESTION In the Village rs Compared
With Il In the City.

The Question In the Village rs Compared
With It In the City.
A correspondent from New Jersey in.
Quired recently rs to the duty Of villages
and small towns in regard to the execu.
ton Of the law for universal education.
This writer stated that in his own vii.
lagG and in many others, there arc no
"nightscllools, " or industrial schools
for tho trrlant and semi.ngrant class Of
children, and TINT il such children werc
arrested the authorities would not know
what To DO with them.
We need not inform the residents Of
villages and smnll towns, in New Jor-
soy, Now York, Pennsylvania, or in my
other State, says tho New York Times,
that compulsory education Is n more i'm.
portant question for them than it is even
FOR this city. There is little police au.
thority in our small communities, and II
a number Of. poor children grow up,
neglected and uneducated, they at once
begin to prey upon property, degrade
morals, and Threaten even the security
Of life, A striking instance wns given
Of this result Of public neglect in tho
condition OF number Of villages aud
towns on the lower Hudson during the
early part of the past winter. The chill
dren Of the poor and working classes
had been suffered in these localities to
grow up without education or moral
training, except such as the public
school impaired to those who chose to
attend. The boys were utterly without
education or moral discipline. They
only worked occasionally, never at
steady occupation. Their livelihood was
picked up by such employments as
tending COWS, watching goats, thieving,
and chance errands. When they be.
came older, tho bolder among tllom
joined the ranks OF thieves and burglars.
At Inst, with other more accomplished
associaIes, they began q thieving CAM
paign through the whole countryside.
There was scarcely n comfortable villa or
county house, from Tarrytown to Hast.
iugs, Which was not eiItier visited or
threatened by these young rufllans. The
houses whose families were resident in
the city in tho winter, were Of course
those preferred. Others, however, were
not spared. Even country stores were
opened. No one seemed able either to
detect or arrest these nimble thieves.
There is no police worth speaking Of
in this happy and idyllic riml district.
Tho consequence was that the young
vagabOnds Ind FREQ sweep. Property
holders begun TO feel insecure Of every.
thing. Gentlemen, wearied out by the
days business, spent the nights in pa.
trolling their premises with guns and
pistols, Atlength, local patrols Of the
citizens OF these villages were organized,
with much trouble md expense. But
tho close Of these marauding expeditions
seemed to bo brought by n horrible mur-
der committed by one gang, on an inno-
cont watchmaii Of u gentleman's property
in Iarrytown, though the guilty person
was never discovered.
There can be little doubt that these
petty thieves and young burglars were
simply village street boys, grown up
without education or moral discipline.
Many saving supervisor and village
trustee Of these towns no doubt bitterly
regretted last winter that llo had not
permitted little of the expense to bo
paid out for prevention which he was
now forced to pay for safeguard or for
punishment.
Under the New York law, already
passed, nnd which will be passedby other
States, the school trustees call upon the
supervisors for an appropriation for q
small outlay on n "night school," This
for the six months need not cost over
$3.50. Then all children not attending
day school should DO warned to at once
enter tliis school under penalty Of arrest.
Tie place OF detention must DO arranged
by tho school trustees. After n few
warnings, only small number would DO
obliged TO be arrested. Compulsory
attendance ut school would become q
habit.
But village residents should go fur
ther. Their duty and their interest arc
clearlyto sec to It TINT the poor in their
localities Rre educated. There ought to
bein all tow1ssmall industrial schools" :"
carried on in part by volunteer labor,
like these schools in this city, designed
for tho vagrant, poor, and ragged chill
dron. Great aid could thus 10 given to
destitute families, while ut tho same
time their children could be trained in
industrious habits, and brought under
moral discipline. The increase Of such
young girls as tho "NIargaret Of un-
fortunate famo could thus bo checked.
II is tho expcrince Of the city industrial
schools TINT no children leave them TO
become vagrants or thieves. They aro
moral preventiyes. Each village will
thus bo the guardian of its own welfare,
and spread the benefits Of education
among all classes. Influences like those
OF tho visitors of the "Chnrities Aid"
which arc reforming the poorhouscs,
would stop the increase OF rauperism
and crimo among children. We should
then hayc system Of education which
would reach TO the bottom Of society.
Not with That.