Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-04-18
VOLUNTARY EDUCATION IN
WEST VIRGINIA.

Superintendent WADE, of MOnOnga-
liza, in an article in the West Virginia
Journal Of Education, makes a cOmPari-
son between the attendance upon free
schools in Massachusetts,, where they
have a compulsory school law, and in
West Virginia where attendance is vol
untary, for the purpose OF showing re-
suits i'm favor OF the latter.
The comparison is made between
State which might be termed the parent
Of the free school system and one OF the
youngest offspring. Massachusetts, is
alleged 10 have mad a free school sys-
TEN for more than two hundred years
(which statement we suppose Mr..
WADE is ready to verify-we are mott
She has great wealth, with dense pop
ulation, and is well supplied with school
houses; while in West Virginia the free
school system is only fifteen years old,
her population is comparatively poor
and thinly scattered over her territory.
In addition to these obstacles in the
way Of school attendance in West Nir-
ginia, Mr.. WADE says;
''In the first place, desire to say we
have not provided a sufficient number
of school houses 10 accommodate all the
youths OF the State. could name sew
eral school houses which would not
comfortably seat One-hllf the number
OF pupils entitled 10 attend, and new
houses are being built TO meet this
want.
'In sparsely settled regions, even
where the number entitle To attend each
school is small, the distance TO be tray-
eled by many Of the pupils is So great
that q high average Of attendance can
not reasonably be expected. But even
il we were supplied with a sufficient
number of school houses % comfortably
seat and accommodate all our youths,
were these houses within reasonable
distances OF those entitled To attend,
there would still be many hinderances
10 full attendance. propose to notice
a few of these hindrances."
Yet with these and other 'disadyan-
tage contributing to depl,te the atten-
dance the fact is adduced that "only
seventy-three per cent OF the whole
number Of children enrolled, were actu-
ally in attendance in Massachusetts,,
while in West Virginia, the States SUI
perintendents report shows that sixty
six per cent of all entitled TO attend,
were actually in attendance upon the
schools
We do not know whether Mr.. WADE
makes this showing as an argument in
favor Of voluntary as against compul-
sorry education, or a. simply a compli-
mentary comparison for the free school
system OF West Virginia. 1t may be
accepted as conclusive OF the latter but
not OF the former.
We believe the tendency Of public
sentiment is, rightly, toward system
Of compulsory education, within proper
and reasonable requirements
In a republic, where wise govern
ment and national progress and stabili-
~ depend chiefly upon popular intelli-
gence and morality, nothing is more
proper, nothing more necessary, than
the general education Of the citizens,
who are the sovereigus, and who should
be-must be-capable Of thinking for
themselves.
The experience Of States and govern
ments in this direction has been, in the
main, satisfactory and beneficial We
all remember how very strikingly the
war between France and Germany illus
trated the superiority OF people, even
in the matter Of courage and efficiency
as soldiers, who had the advantages Of
mental discipline. For the result Of
this memorable engagement was attrib-
uted entirely to the superior education
and discipline of the German soldier.
A compulsory system of education had
been in effect in Germany for several
years, and it was stated that every
soldier of the victorious army which in
vaded France in 1870 was man OF more
or less mental eulture-that every mus
ket was backed by brains which had
been taught to think as wen a. to obey.
Ga the other hand il is alleged,