The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-07-04

ly exceeds the demand; not for lack of
means, for no other country spends so
much for public and private instruction
as we do. What then can be the cause
Some of our citizens think they see
complete remedy in the compulsory at
tendance law, and hence are clamorous
for the enactment of such, forgetting
that what may be applicable TO the arbi-
trary governments of Europe, is wholly
unsuited to Republican ideas. Thecom-
pulsory law in Massachusetts is dead
letter, known only on the statute books
and according to the last report of the
superintendent of schools in New York,
no attempt has been made to enforce the
law, except in few cases in the city of
New York. One great cause of failure
to reap the benefits of the school system
in this country is that the. majority of
the house-holders are satisfied with any
kind of schools, provided they are cheap
and within easy reach of their residences.
And the multiplication of schools by the
district system makes it almost impossi-
BILE to obtain sufficient means TO spend
upon each school. Teachers are so poor
ly paid that they cannot make teaching
profession, leaving the unskilled and
the inferior to perform the work most
important for the elevation and stability
of nation. The demand for qualified
laborers in the school work is always
greater than the supply, and we will
1 nnvar hoxyo 40 Lind Of not
will come up to the nations demands
until legislatures and school boards all
oyer the country learn that to educate
the people broadly is the true course to
wealth and greatness, and that is the only
safeguard for nations liberty.
We often boast of our educational
facilities glancing at statistics put up
more frequently for exhibition than to
set forth the truth. Statistics are often
very deceitful, and cannot always be re-
lied upon. In England the census of
1870, shows that in every7.7 of popu-
lation was In attendance at school while
good authority makes it not over l to
10. 1t should be borne in. mind that
averages conceal the worst part of
community. In Scotland the average
of school attendance according to the
recent royal commission is ! to in the
best districts and from one to thirty in
the worst. The better classes can and
will take care of themselves, and it is the
worst who must have the fostering care
of the state. 1t is evident that we have
large sprinkling of various nationali-
ties in our midst; some interested in
education, some not; yet forming large
part OF our population, whose interests
must be looked after with as much as
siduity as that of other classes, if we
would prevent crime and make them
useful citizens. One great work of leg
islative bodies is to prevent crime, and
they should be eognizant of the fact that
the best way is to have all classes liber
ally educated; and in order to do so
they should make their largest appro-
priations for the endowment of Normal
schools of such number and efficiency,
that our young men and young women,
may be suitably educated to credItably
I'LL positions in our common schools.
The kind of instruction given in our
Normal schools should be carefully
looked at, that it may be of such
character as to qualify teachers for
their peculiar work; much depends on
the character of the instruction given,
whether we shall have a moral and
justice loving people. The legislatures
should make such ample provision for
raising funds that school boards will
have it in their power to pay sufficient
salaries, to enable teachers to make
teaching o profession. Not till then
will our schools be grand success.
O. w MILLER