Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-01-29
Within What Limits Has The State
The Right To Regulate and
Control the Education
OF its Young.
New Mexico Herald,

MISREPRESENTATION is the first law
of nature" This proverb applies
much more strictly to the state than
to the individual. For the latter
may be superseded by higher law,
but with the former it is always in
full and binding force. The state is
not q voluntary aggregation of indi.
viduals, but body polite possessed
OF rights and powers inherent in its
very future. Each member, as such,
has certain rights. but the rights of
the body are always superior to those
of the individual. The ordinary
rights Of the latter must necessarily
be surrendered whenever the inter.
ests of the whole body require Il. In
deed, the member can have no rights
in such case. Just ss soon as any
ordinary right of the individual mem.
Der cannot be exercised without Diet.
riment to the well being Of the body.
that right ceases to exist it is lost
in the necessities of the body. The
individual member, being but part
of the body, should value its we'll be-
ing above its own, and be ready to
sacrifice himself for it If need be. If
he does not, the body must assert its
superior rights. Upon this principle
the state, in time OF war, calls upon
its members to give up their proper
.ty, their personal services, and if
necessary, even their lives for the
good of the body polite. The ps-
triot citizen cheerfully responds, and
to the un-patriotic force is applied.
The only limitation to the rights of
the state is that it shall, as near as
may be, make the burden bear equal.
ly upon all it's citizens, in proportion
to their ability.
In republic, where suffrage is
universal, the safety OF the state re.
qulres that every man should have o
certain degree of education. Every
man will not be made a good and
safe citizen, out without it many can
not be made such. tits therefore
the right OF the state to prescribe d
minimum of education to which ev.
cry citizen shall be required to attain.
AS many citizens are unable to i'm
part this minimum to their own child
rem and are also unable to pay any
one csc TO do it, the state must pro.
vide schools and teachers for them
Others, who have the ability but not
the will to do this, must be con. PEELED
10 do it; and the easiest way for the
state to exercise its coerclve power
is to provide schools itself. So g
state school system becomes neces.
sity. This must, of course, be sup
ported by the state, and then it fol.
lows that some system Of taxation
Is required, and this, to be equitable,
must be general, and then the schools
themselves must also be general
open to the children of every citizen.
So there comes into being q state
school system, supported by state
funds, under state control, free to sill
the children of the state, and teach.
ing what the interests of the state
demand that its citizens sbsll know.
No citizen should be exempt from
! sending bis children TO these state
schools except upon condition that
the prescribed education should be
given to them elsewhere, without
expense to the state, and that the
state might be assured that it was so
given, all places OF education what.
soever should DO subjected 10 super
vision by state officers whose duty
should be not only to see that chill
dren received the prescribed educa.
ton, but also 10 see that they should
not be taught anything tending to
make them unworthy or unfaithful
citizens.
The state has the same right to
protect itself agsinst mistaught as
against untausht citizens. II is also
Its duty To It's young members to
guard them against teaching calcu
lated to lead them into collision with
its laws, The state cannot safely
allow such teaching upon any plea
whstever-not even upon that of re-
ligion or conscience. 1t has no right
to deal with matters of religion as
such, but when they threaten its hie
or it's welfare they come within lie
province rs matters Of civil or politi.
cal importance and may be dealt
with accordingly. The etste has
the right to regulate and control the
education of its young, both Is to
what all must be taught sud IS to
what none shall be taught, to the
extent required By its own preserva.
ton and we'll beng.