Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-04-04
EDUCATIONAL.
The Compulsory Education Law,

| hv the trends ot educauon, and NJ
Il time when interest III the subject
appeared to have somewhat sub
sided, the Legislature has quietly
passed 4 law compelling the cduea-
tion ot all the children III the State.
The prominent features Of the
law are ms follows: All children
between the ages OF seven and
and fifteen years are required to ut
tend some public or private school
ii least twelve weeks in each year,
Exceptions are made, however,
in ease of those whose health, as
certified by y physicians state
Inent, torhids such attendance; those
whose services are necessary for
support of INDECENT parents or
brothers or sisters; those who are
furnished equal educational advm-
tages At homo; those who Shall have
learned all that the district schools
usually teach, and those who live
nj distance of Two miles or more
from the school,
Parents who tailto comply with
the provisions of this law are liable
to a fine Of five to ten dollars for
the first offence, aud ten to twenty
dollars for every subsequent
offence
II is made the duty of the diree-
tors i'll each school district, and the
president of the board of education
in each city to prosecute all Offend
crs, and these officers are liable To il
fine for neglect Of this duty.
The law is TO take effect Sept |,
1879. These provisions are certain
| ~ lenient enough for amy law that
claims 10 DC compulsory; and the
modes of cvasions arc numerous
and simple. The good citizen needs
no such law to prompt him to his
duty; and the bad one, il is to be
feared, will Fequire greater stringen,
cy iii the law before lie yields it Il
ready obedience. But there is Il
plain duty for all in regard to this
as we'll rs all laws, that is to aid in
its vigor and execution 50 long as il
Gemains on the statute books. II
time shall demonstrate that il is
defective or injurious, the peoples
remedy lies in amendment or re-
peal, and not in evasion.
As to the right Of the Legislature
to enact II law of this kind, or itr
consistency with republican insti-
tutions, points always brought out
when ever this lay has been under
discussion, there is less ground for
opposition than is frequently
thought. Not even the frecst gov
crnment is bound to prcmit the cx-
istencc Of evils which threaten its
own dissolution. On the contrary
whatever imperils free government,
that government has the best of all
reasons for suppressing. And pop
ular Ignorance is the most forlnid-
able Of al the foe that threaten
popular government. Nor has the
parent any rights that are para
mount to the rights Of the State in
this respect IT is very difficult to
perceive what right inhcres in one
citizen to dehat the measures adop-
ted for securing universal education
by Withholding his children from
the schools, that does not inhere in
another citizen To withhold his
! property from the support of those
schools Yei this latter right is no
where recognized either by the citi-
zens or their laws.
Mr.. 4. c. Watkins formerly
County Superintendent of this
county, now editor Of the Sioux
City Tribune, IN the last number of
his paper gays "rhe settlers Of our
northwestern prairies seem TO bring
with them a love for the common
school and a conviction that il is
an essential institution in commu-
nifty, az deep4eated as was the love
for their religion and the dctermi-
nation to eHoy il untrammelled,
which the Pilgrims brought to Ply
mouth Rock.