The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1880-11-03


rem in whatever school they think best
for their welfare. The law compelling
attendance at the public schools, to be
operative, must be localized, and will
compel parents to send their children to
inferior, or even bad schools, in their
own district for instance, l propose To
send my son, aged IL, to Prof Alexan-
der, at Hartford, soon, | could not do
that were the law in question passed.
Why? The attendance must be local
lied, and where else could il be, il not
in the district in which his parents
reside? Consequently he would he
compelled to attend school here, where
he is able to teach the teacher, instead
OF having a good and efficient teacher
elsewhere; beautiful, is 1t not, the idea
of few corrupt politicians acting in
the capacity of Mcum tenems for the
parents of this Commonwealth. How
long would it be before the public schools
would be but little more than u hOt-bed
in which all the young minds of this
State would be made to sprOut the pc
culiar views both political and religious)
of our State Board of Education, given
them the power to compel attendance.
Such a law is also unnecessary, because
under present conditions it could not be
enforced. Our, and most other States
of this Union, are too sparsely settled,
and to any thinking man it is evident
that pupils from 8 to 8 years, especially
girls, cannot attend schools two or three
miles away during the winter season.
A large proportion of our rural popula-
ton Is i'm that predicament, can you
compel in such cases, and if not, where
Is he going to draw the line between
those who must and those who need
not obey the law.
Such law will, like many other OF
our laws, he a dead letter on our Statue
books, and therefore useless.
The third objection is by far the great
est and most deserving of consideration,
IA part of this is embodied i'm objection
first, and both might have been con-
sidered under this head. Many of our
best citizens, in fact had nearly said u
majority, belong to religious denomina-
tons that favor UNCONVENTIONAL schools
for themselves with no wish to force
their teachings on others, such are the
Catholics, Jews, Baptists i'm many
places, in fact nearly all religious sects
have come to look upon Il purely secular
education rs nearly SYNONYMOUS with
manufacturing Bob lngersOll's. All
seriously religious men of whatever
sect they may he, object to this training
for their children; that such is the case
is amply shown by the number of pri-
vate schools maintained throughout the
State, nearly all denOminational in
character. Now, l wish to know if it
is i'm accordance with the spirit of our
Constitution and its guarantees to us,
for this State (Or any other through its
State Board of Education to claim the
right to take my children from school
where they receive better secular ed
ucation than they are furnished in the
free schools, and at the same time the
principles of religious training that
certainly sends them forth much better
citizens than they can be without.
say is this freedom? Is it liberty? Is
it right? Is il even reasonable? No,
no! The guarantee that L shall be al
lowed the pursuit of happiness" never
meant that the State has prior right
to my children. AS well might it claim
my wife, rs well have u State Board
to say when and where and how long
man and wife should remain married
as well have State religion-as well
nearly anything you can name and call
it liberty.
The present law requires teachers to
be capable, and provides way for test
ing their capacities as such, If many are
employed that are not qualified, it is a
fault in the application and not of the
law ITSELF If Trustees and Commits
siOners are elected who are not qualified
for the position, it is fault of our form
of government, and one, too, that is
common i'm other governments. Is the
Woman correspondent prepared to say
that the MOnarchial form of appoint
ment would secure us better Trustees
and Commissioners than our elective
system? Our free schools are very UNI
satisfactory, asa rule, know, our school
laws imperative, and our system Il
farce. but the remedy is not in the di-
rectiOn pointed out. Far from it.
In my next will point it out to him,
and assure him before hand that there is
no bigotry in my views, nOpOlitical clap
trap, no visionary plans or impossible
theories, but only practical, common
sense plan, and an earnest wish to edu-
cate, In the full sense of the word, mine
and others children.
CROCUs.
LITcHFIELD, KY, Nov. !, 1850.
THE GovernOrs Of KENTUCKY.
1. Isaac Shelby, 1892 to 1896.
.. James Garrard, 1896 to 1904.
5. Christopher Greenup, 1904 to lsOs.
1. Charley Scott, 1905 to 1872.