The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-02-15
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
Is Ii Needed 2

Is IL Needed
The last letter of "Hansonu in the
Gazette suggests some things worthy
of consideration. One OF them Is,
, that we believe great deal too much
in civil government, and, therefore,
have too many laws, and meddle too
much with all affairs not that most
laws are not intrinsicslly good, but
that not one in ten OF them can be
enforced. Human nature has not ar
rived at that degree of perfection
which at once knows and Obeys the
law. The theory Of the law itself is
that every man knows It! The fact Is
that not one in a hundred knows one
tenth Of the laws. The consequence
of multiplying the laws is practically
the same as putting them in small
print at the top Of 8 high post-the
people do not and can not learn them.
"danson" says:
"Here is g safe rule for legislators: When
in doubt, vote No 0! The presumption is
always against any proposed law; for four
new laws out Of i've prove utter failures,
and so the chances are four to one that you
viii fail"
This was the rule Of Nathaniel
Macon, for many years q member
from North Carolina, who acquired
great popularity by voting mo-"
One Of the things up before the Legis-
lature is q Compulsory Education
BILL" 1 have not seen the bill, but
can not conceive In what way such
bill can be drawn, and be intrinsicsl-
ly right on one hand, and be enforced
on of n ann
Henry Ward Beecher delivered lee
ture in Cincinnati in favor Of COM
pulsory education, but 1 think the
opinions OF that eccentric person are
not Of great weight. Forty years ago
Prof. Stowe was sent to Europe by
the State, at the instigation Of the
College of Teachers, to report on the
Prussian education, which he did at
great length. but the report made no
| impression, for the American people
do not look with favor on the arbi-
trary institutions OF RUSSIA. II Is
not q state we should go to for the
highest examples Of civilization.
Compulsory education has been talked
about for long time, but the idea has
not been received with favor by eth
er the multitude or the thinkers. Let
US analyze 1t. The idea is that
everybody should be educated in
something somehow. What is the
idea Of a Christian community on
that subject? Clearly that there are
two great agencies for this purpose
the parent and the church. All gov
ernment begins in q family, aud that
family contains the elements Of all
government. 1t is the fiRal and the
/ only resort of society for the eduea-
/ ton of children. But suppose they
are orphans, or the parents fail to
teach them, what can society do ? In
that case, as In all cases, it is the duty
i of the church to provide institutions
for the helpless, which it has done,
and watch over all its people. But
suppose some parents belong TO no
congregation Of religion then the
State has provided public schools,
where they can go, open to all, free
to every child in the community.
But suppose there are some parents
who are Joined to no religious congre-
CATION, and refuse to send their chill
dren to any school-what then? II is
their right to do as they please, or
else there are not rights in republic
can government. II they can not,
Democracy will have put its despetic
hand upon all that is human. A law
to compel all men and women to
marry is q more reasonable and less
despotic act than one which would
take the control Of children from their
parents.
Let US now see by what authority
this is to be done. Such q law as
sumes that the state Is everything
and the Individual nothing. This
was the principle of Sparta, one OF
the most barbarous communities
which history has signslized. 1t was
signAlized because such q principle
must make q strong state. The fami.
ly was nothing compared with the
state. The moral virtues, the social
amenities, even life itself, all sunk
beneath the iron hsnd of the state.
But strong men were made by dis
cipline; the whole energies of the
community were conveyed to q single
point, and the state embodied in it.
self the united strength of all indi-
viduals. Christian society is founded
| exact reverse. In the sight OF the
/ church, the individual is everything
| and the state nothing. It acknowl-
/ I1g
an organization ordained for the gen.
ersl welfare within its own specific
| operations but it does not Rcknowl-
edge the least authority of the state
| over the church, or the conscience Of
/ individuals. Can education be car
ried on without q conscience 2. Sup
pose the father thinks that religion in
/ some form is q part Of education, will
/ ~ e., = Il. II, = A..
school where there is no religion
Such is the position OF Cincinnati.
The consequence is that there are
thousands OF children in Cincinnati
who will never go to the public
schools. What will you do with
them? Will you force them to go
What will you do with the Catholics,
who have their own schools ? VIII
you doubt their evidence that they do
go to school? For what purpose then
did you found the public schools
viii you deliberately pass law for
compulsory education and then ig-
more your own schools Will you
say to the world, that you have foun-
ded vast and bene1cent system Of
public education, and even dared to
compel parents to send their children
| 70 sCDOOl duu YET nALcu ItOL coup
them to go to public schools {? Let US
either have compulsory education in
full, or not at slI. The religious view
of tbis subject can not be ignored.
On the contrary, it Is soon coming up
in new forms and II the public
school system can meet the shock Of
renewed agitation, it must not be
: incumbered with new weights. But
does Ohio practically need any COM
pulsory education Is this an igno-
rant State a people who neglect
: education a people who fail to re-
gard their high privileges The pro-
portion Of youth attending school In
/. Ohio is larger than in any State out
, side Of New England, and is equsled
: only in a small part Of that. Fairly
: and properly compared, their are
probably no three millions OF people
} in one section Of either Europe or
{ Americs who are more intelligent or
more uniformly instructed than the
I people Of Ohio.
i Some people, however, will say
e that there are many illiterate people
e VINO cannot read and write and
= then, II we don't have every voter In.
: 'telBgent, we shall lose our liberties,