The daily gazette., 1878-09-09
J A OBJ Blu T z .

EDUCATION IN DELAWARE is not as
general and thorough as it ought to be.
In Wilmington and in New Castle cities
it is as general, we believe, as in any of
the cities of the United States and the
public schools are quite as thorough.
The average attendance of the schools
in Delaware IS too low. There ought to
be greater attention paid by parents to
sending their children regularly to school.
A great loss is sustained in this way by
the children. The school population of
the State is 80, ,S07; the number between
and IS is 33, ,S36; the number enrolled in
public schools is ,5S7.
A great deal of attention is now being
given to education through public schools
all over the civilized world and if this
country does not wake up to the import
ance of the matter we may find ourselves
in the vocative before we are aware of
it.
With the exception of Prussia up to
1870 We were far ahead of all other ma
tons in Europe in general education. In
1870 Great Britain took wonderful start
in this direction, and well she needed TO
do it. In that year size enacted laws
which permitted the Boards of Education
TO adopt bylaws requiring the compulsory
education Of children by parents; up to
1876, no less than 100000 Of her best
population adopted the compulsory sys-
tenn; in 1876 the compulsory law was
made general in England, it is partly SO
in Scotland AMI Wales, but not in Ire
land.
The consequence is that England is do
ing great work for her children. Par
ents are required to send their children
over the age of 5 to IA, to school or they
are arrested and made pay a fine and
costs. This is going to run England
ahead in general education; and in the
next 20 years even Prussia with her com
pulsory laws will have to look out that
she is not beaten by the plodding but
sure Iooled English.
1t is really wonderful to witness the
progress that the nations OF Europe have
made in diffusing education during the
last ten years. What will be the result
1t is difficult to anticipate; but there are
many who pretend to see in this advance
ment tendency to more liberal gov
ernmental systems an extension of the
suffrage enfranchisement and the weaken
ing of the monarchical form
The United States, the most youtbful
of the great nations, has exceled all
others in the diffusion of education: while
it makes no pretentions to this; or of at
tanning to the higher grades in the arts
and sciences when comparing her cole
Siates and professionals. We stand well
at present and may probably rank all in
general education; but whether we can
continue to hold this position in opposi-
ton to the compulsory system in Eurona
is question. Or whether we sbo,ld
adopt the compulsory system is a oustion
of course this will have to be done by
the State II done at all; as all of our
education has been by the States. II ie
likely that soon many of the States now
will follow England's example in this and
make it compulsory upon parents to edu-
cate their childien. The progress we are
making now without compulsion is lit.
tie remarkable and certainly must be 80
regarded by the English. With a pon,,.
iation of 100000 inhabitants in tl,e
States, omitting the Territories, in 1876
our school population between the aces
OF 4 and IL years was 10,735, ,773, and we
had enrolled in our public schools s..
'oo,olo. Statistics to not furnish the
humber taught In private schools.
Germany with a population of 40 752
o34' has school population between
me ages of 6 and IA, of 7,O75. .2O1-3.
'44,S53 boys and 3,530, AS girls. Ii TIM,
appears that in the United States with
popula ion of 100000 exclusive of tb,
territories, we are educating more chill
dren in our public schools alone, thai
"ermany is doing by her universal com
puisory system. This looks little odd
but 1t is nevertheless the most correc,
conclusion we can draw from the statis
ties furnished us by the Bureau of Edn
cation.