New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-30
THE RURALLIFE OF ENGLAND
BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID
XVIII.
SCHOOL PERSECUTION.

laborer mentioned among his grievances the COM
pnlsory sending of his children to school. In the
United States this might not be thought much OF a
grevance since there the general sentiment OF the
pcoplewith intelligent forecast of danger TO free
institutions from Ignorance favOrs education at Ill
cost even to some encroachment individual ND
erty STILL the natural rights of man IN TINS
matter are perfectly clear and no Government can
with Justice override them. by competing MIN "
educate either himself OF his children any moro
than it may force him to adopt particular relg-
ious faith. What Government may )us'iy w 10
to exclude the uneducated from all participation III
itself even TO the exercise Of its first ana most
o,ainarv nower-the franchise. When the great
Pepublic enacts n law that no man III the Ohl'ed
states be entitled to vote unless educated mp 10 a
certain standard it will have reached the nearest 10
government perfection yet known IN the woriu'
And with such bar before him, there need be no
fear of the citizen declining TO have his chhuren
fanght unless he he one who prefers Outlawry 10
citizenship-a sort never likely to be so numerous
ms to endanger the fabric OF freedom
I'm England this subject has unfortunately very
different complexion, and the English Iaoo'ins
man regards it in different light. lie mas no ol''-
1ensbin 70 aspire TO- no vote nor would any amount
of education get him one. Even had he u VOC, do
thipos stand now it would scarce be worth the
.nu,inc of which fact by a sort OF intuition he is
aware This however. Is not the chief cause OF his
indifference 10 having his children go to school, a
still greater one-the real grievance--beIng us IN
ability to spare them for such purpose. AS
stated in the letter referred to, the EnghSh ru'l
laborer earns barely enough to keep hody anu Sou
together and when thrown out OF WORK Dy ePeH
of wei weather long contiDued-wOrse sui Il IL po
one of sckness-they often come nigh falllne ap'r.
or at all events he will be reduced to diet OF bTad
IL tnnr hnN
girls capable of well supporting the family, but dare
not avail himself of such aid. Nor dare anyone en-
ploy them the rigid, rigorous statute. called the
9 Elementary Education Act not only forbldding
INT making il Unable to do SOL BY the conditions
of this Act all children of both sexes are required
10 attend school from the age OF lve mp 10 iouteeh
unless at an earlier period they have attained
certain standard CT proficiency, fixed by the puOhc
school inspector. which will sooner release them
from the obligation. This standard, however they
rarely do attain till the full time Is up the mSpec
tor not being easily satisfied and so. during all 'heSe
wears. the services of the children, with the wages
for such work as they might get employed at are
lost TO their parents Where these are in strait
eped circumstances or absolute pOvcrty-as too
many of them are-the deprivation becomes what
have called It, a grievance, as may he easily under
stood.
tn mott this cducatiO nal necessity further con-
diuon of the Act requires each parish to provide
school accommodation for all the children resident
in it, and If the ordinary school or schools be not
sufficient. then the inhabitants can demand the
establishment of Board School that Is one
controlled by a number of men elected from among
the parishoners for this special purpose Women
are also ligible to be the SchOol-Boards' ana III
many places arc Oh them
Another reason for the establishment OF Board
schools is that the ordinary parish school is usually
All appanage of the parish church. and 80 under an
influence not reshed by DSsenters. Ii Is, IN point
of fact subject to the almost exclusive c0ntrol OIL
the Episcopalian clergyman, who can tram up the
children attending it in the lines of Eplscopacy,
having them AS il were, at his mercy. Hence he is
naturally opposed to the Board school, and does
what he can TO hinder its introduction To his
narisb Failing in this, however, TIE thing ne
deems next best is to get himself elected member
of the School Board, with as many OF his creed AS
possible 50 that they may control It, FOR having
a majority they appoint the teacher-Of course
n Jealous EpiscOpalian,-and use other influences
favorable to EpscOpacy. True, the law does not
ollow sectarian religious teaching in these schools,
save at certain of hours, when the children whose
parents NAV be opposed TO II are not compelled To
attend Nevertheless infringements of tins law are
of common occurrence in neighbOrhoods where the
Dissenting element is weak and EplscOpacy all
poverful Besides there other ways OF lnduct-
ing the latter. as 1t were surreptitously. The
scboolmaster Will have musical talents. with hne
voice has probably got his appointment throngh
These and will most likely be leader OF the church
choir while the children easily induced to oin'
even when those of Dissenters. Thus the thin end
of the wedge is entered, and "A fOudness for music
often terminates in conversion to the EpscopaIan
form of faith 1t is chiefly on this account that
avp q Y.
times with an anmosty bitter as between the ex-
tremes OF political antagonism.
The money for maintaining Board schools comes
tr,m several sources First there the fees from
the children attending them, for these schools are
mot oltocetber free. The poorest man has to pay
tvopence per week for each child he sends TO them;
though there exceptional cases OF extreme
poverty where this rs reunited Next the Board Is
endowed with powers to fix and levy a rate on all
the inhabitants of the parish; while as further
source of maintenance there IL Elementary grant
from the national eXchequer. the amount "ehS Ill
rroporrion to the number of children shown each
wear to have attended the school. conoint with the
number of their attendances This Will go far to
explain why truancy sharply looked after; iOi
the more scholars and atendances that can be ex-
hbtea by the register kept, the greater the Parla
mentary grant TO be claimed for the school, AS
evidence Of the zeal eXerted in compelling attend
apce Law before the readers of THE TRIBUNE the
reports of two Petty Sessions meetings at which
school cases" were adjudicated. They are taken
from The Hereford Times, a newspaper of the
western shires and as will be seen. refer 20 the
Petty Sessions Of two distinct places. Ross and
Trcdegar. Ross is a small town OF about 1000 IN
habitants: Tredegar but little larger; and 1t is
20 be observed that the reports relate to only one
sitting of magistrates at each place, which occurs
every fortnight. admit the number of cases ad-