, 1881-02-27
COMPULSORY EDUCATION IN ILLINOIS


bill, which has passed the Illinois Senate,
with slight opposition from the Democrats,
is in its general scope and intent good
measure, and ought with some slight amend
ment to become law. It requires all chl1-
dren between the ages Of and Il years to
attend public school for twelve weeks, at
least six of which shall be consecutive, Ill
each school-yea1s Exceptions are made OF
children physically ors1nentally incompetent,
and those attending private schools; anu
when public school is not taught during
three months OF the year within one and
one-half miles of the residence Of the parent
the provisions OF the law do not apply to
him. Tie Board Of School Directors is requlr-
ed to furnish books free OF cost to INDECENT
children. Persons not complying with the
law will be liable to a fine OF not less than
S. or more than $40, to be collected by action
before Justice of the Peace, and any School
Trustee or Director failing to prosecute for
such fine when complaint is made will DC
himself liable in the same sum at the suit OF
any taxpayer. All moneys collected from
fines are to be accounted for as other moneys
raised for school purposes.
The law requires amendment in two
respects. The minimum age is not low
enough, and the period Of compulsory at
tendance is not as long as it should be.
There is no reason why children should be
excused from attending schools until they
are years of age i child of !, or it may be
of 6 years, is old enough to begin learning tile
elementary branches. The British law puts
the limits Of age at and Il years. Tl1atmay
be I'LL excessive requirement. but it would be
entirely safe to compel attendance Ut
children of years. and we should say that
years would he none too young, especially is
very young children are not useful at nome.
or ought not to, be in any form OF labor.
The period Of attendance is fixed by Mar
slall's bill Mt twelve weeks, six of them con-
secutiye. It ought to be EXTENDED ut least TO
sixteen weeks, of which one-halt Should be
consecutive. Three months are not enough.
Children can easily be spared from home III
an agricultural State like Illinois during all
the winter months; and as they are to nave
free textbooks when needed there can be no
decent excuse for not giving them the bene-
fits Of common-school education. But it
school is not kept for rs long time Us six
teen weeks within the prescribed distance,
then attendance should be required for as
long q time as it shall be kept.
The distinctive feature Of MarsllalPs bill,
and that which will give it value rs an eS-
pertinent, is the section enforcing liability
against School Trustees and Directors who
fail to prosecute complaints. Compulsory
education laws arc no novelties Ill this coun-
try. Several States have them, but they had
rested on the statute-books since their adop-
ton without even an attempt being made to
enforce them. The Michigan law is now
eight years old, and the State Superintendent
reports that not single case Of compulsory
attendance has occurred under its proVls-
ions. About the same experience mas re-
suited from the passage OF a compulsory law
in Ohio, where the forced attendance OF chill
>dren on public schools has been deemed as
illusory as the enforcement Of prohibltory-
liquor legislation. It is not doubted, how
ever, that these and other laws of the same
tenor have had 4 good moral effect Ill direct
ing attention to the subject and Qulckenlng
the co1sciences of parents and school authorl-
ties. Marshall's bill goes step beyond any
OF them, and holds School Directors person.
ally llaUle lOi leEllbt1lCe VI coHIS4HPo ~ 04s'
law. It seems very probable that this pro-
vision may stimulate the authorities and
make the law III SOME degree etlicacious.
Itmight be we'll to reinforce this law with
another and more radical one on the subject
Of truancy; but, whether this shall be done
or not, there can be no possible harm, and
may be much good, in giving full effect to the
provisions of Mr. Marshall's bill. There are
many schools even in this County of Cook
which have an average attendance Of but
five or ten scholars, though the constituency
Oh which they might draw is fifteen or twen-
ty times as many. In the opinion Of skilled
educators. bill like narshaIrs would enor-