Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-17
Compulsory School Law in Tennessee
Its Results. and Something

Mr.. EDITOR: This question has
agitated the minds of the people and
lawmakers in this State and others,
but has, so far, failed to accomplish
the ends desired In the States and
countries in which it has been in use
Or rather misuse. I am in favor
of compulsory law in Tennessee if
we can attain the ends desired, but
if we cannot do that, let US fall ON
some voluntary plan which may
work better and prove a success.
Our Farmers Convention discussed
this measure, and it seemed to be
the prevailing idea of the best heads
of the convention that compulsory
system was the thing. With all due
respect to the convention and the men
composing it, I must say that COM
pulsory system of education in Ten
nessee or any State is failure, if the
past experience of this and other
countries is worth anything. Now,
I propose to show how it has failed
in other States. and then suggest a
remedy. AS early as 1874, in
Sweden, a resolution was passed
tAat .good schools were in great
need, and wicked schools did great
deal of harm" So, I think now,
good schools are in great need, but
think they would be wicked schools
if we should pass law compelling
attendance. Schmit quotes an old
chronicler as affirming, in 1875
years later-that there was
not, in this province, a sin
gle peasants child unable to read
and write This was not under a
compulsory system either. II the
province OF Sweden could succeed
80 we'll at that early day we certain-
ly can fall upon eome successful
plan in this "fast age"
Compul, ory school law in the
United States has been failure, or
else the Commissioner of Education
reports falsely. We viii hear him a
few minutes, and see what he says:
New Jersey enacted compulsory
school law March 9th, 1874; South
Carol Ma did so about the sane time,
without success. Supt rintendent IF
the State Of W sconsln recomme nds
no legislation on the school ques-
ton compelling attendance. The
State superintendent of New York
says it will take some years co>oper>
alton between the Legislature and
the school officers in prep ring am
pie accommodations, before it
can be put into successful
operation. He therefore thinks
that if the results of this law can be
approximated by voluntary system
it would be far preferable. The
District of Columbia had compu,>
sorry school law, enacted 1874 and
it has been a dead letter ever since.
In the State of Ohio her compulsory
system exists only in her statute
books.
The State Superintendent of Ken
tuckJ does not advocate a compulsC-
ry system of school law as remedy
for existing evils After an investi-
cation of the results attained by
those countries and States where
such law has prevailed, he con-
cludes that Kentucky should devise
other means. A compulsory statute,
he argued, even when strenuously
enforced by all the pains and penal
ties that can be attached
to it, can not bring into the
schools pauper children suffering
from privation of food, clothing and
shelter, children without the care oil
parents and guardians, and who are
shut up to choice between working
or stealing for bare substance
Neither will it in our State. With
these facts before us it seems diff.
cult to make any improvement or
! the subject. Let me drop a few
suggestions here which may prove {
success, when tried: First of al
have good school houses, apparatus
. and the very best teachers; IN add
ton to this have a good school funt
to back 1t and then adopt the follow
ing PIN: Procure a live teacher
pay him certain salary to do tin
teaching and to go around til
: neighborhood and hunt up thes
: little wanderers and bring them i'll
i pey him a per cent. on every on
thus brought in, discount him fo
every one dropping out, and discon
tinue his saiary for failing to kee
up his school This or simila
: plan will surely succeed. A frien
Of mine suggested that this plan wa
I used in England and proved to t
i ahead of any plan yet tried in tt
3 way of reaching the classes desired
Something similar to this is use
even in our own country. Our col
i. lectors of duties in our ports are pal
salaries, and per cent. on all sci
ures of Struggled goods. If thes
plans prove success across the sc,
N and on this side of the seas, they Wi
or certainly work in Tennessee, on tt
land between the seas.