Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1882-01-10
QUEsrIoN ron MoRAI.Isrs.

What the proportion Of boys Of school
age in Storey county who do not attend
any school Is to those who attend school
10 not known to the writer. but that
there are many boys here between the
ages OF eight and fourteen years who do
not attend any school. especially in Viz
ginia City. is a fact that cannot escape
attention. Some OF these boys appear
to be going to the bad as fast as idlsn'ss
and evil associations can lead them.
They are now not only addicted to many
Of the bad habits and evil practices Of
grown men. such a. the public use OF
vulgar and proiane language and the
free uss Of tobacco. but they appear to
take delight in breaking windows In nm.
occupied buildings. and do mot hesitate
to steal when favorable opportunities
are found.
That these things are 80 Is evidence Of
q questionable state OF public morals.
and an uniavorable reflection upon those
who hold the rsins Of government. A
community that nealects the welfare Of
Its children. and permits large numbers
to grow mp without education and the
acquisition OF habits Of industry 10 SOW.
ing the seeds OF future disorder and
crime. lido and ignorant boys can
hardly become other than depravsd and
worthless men.
To persons who have the we'll. being Of
society at heart. the thought that q great
proportion OF the hoodlums seen on our
streets today. who do not attend school.
will become criminals. and. in the near
future. all our jails and prisons. is not
cheering.
II 1t is Q fact that u large percentage
Of crime 10 due to ignorance, ought not
the State to give this matter its serious
attention, and IL tho compulsory educa-
ton Law which is on its statute books Is
Q wise Law. SEQ that It is snforced1 That
law provides for tho compulsory attend
ancs Of school OF all children between
the ages OF eight and fourteen years. for
sixteen weeks in each year.
It 10 said to bean established fact that
In the older settled States crime dimin-
ishss in nearly an exact ratio to the
spread Of education and general intslli-
gsnce. And it is claimed that the COM
parative absence OF crime 10 the New
England States, rs likened 10 newly
settled territories. is due 10 the fact that
the people OF tho former are far removed
from the prevailing ignorance OF the
latter.
An English stsiistician, referring to
the pauper children who crowd the
streets Of London. says that ''they are
the source Of ninetsen-twsntieths Of its
crime" and tha: ''the great majority Of
its criminals are uneducated intsllectu-
ally" From 1886 to 1913. out Of every
one hundred offenders against the laws
OF England and Wales, thirty-fve could
neither read nsr write. fity.four could
read and write impsrfsctly or to NO pur'
pose. ten could read and write well. and
emily one had o superior education"
II these statistics may be accepted Of
proof that ignorance and crime 60 hand
in hand, and that education to the ex'
tent that may be acquired In our public
schools Is q preventive OF crime. Ia 1t mol
the duty OF the State to enforce its com
pulsory education law. and compel thu
hoodlums Of school age to attend SCHOOL,
No doubt that the author Of the compul
sorry education law anticipated good re-
suits from its passage, but. a. 1t hal
been suffered to be "a dead letter. or
our statute books. the good that it might
have accomplished remains an unknown
quantity. But ought 1t not to DO en-
forced?