The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-02-07
THE SCHOOLS.
Something in Reply to Mechanic
THE LIMIT OF STATE AID TO STATE
EDUCATION.
To the Editor of the Press.

To the Editor of the Press,
I have certainly no disposition to quarrel
with your correspondent Mechanic" concern
ing his estimate of the value of our High
school course. I agree with him that, other
things being equal, the boy who had spent four
years of study In the High school would have
better chance than the boy who had stopped
at the Grammar school. do not think "Me-
chanic" will find any one who will dispute his
conclusions on these points. Neithtr do
think Mechanic" will find anybody who is
opposed to giving every man or woman, wheth-
or he or she be poor mans son or daughter or
rich mans son or daughter, fair chance.
But do think he will find many who will
quarrel with the spirit of his communication
as far as it relates to the scope and purpose of
education by the State. If it is right TO tax
the community in general to render man
"willing to subject himself to criticism" on
subject of which he knows more than any
one else ia the State, in other words to give
him confidence to speak in public, / cannot
conceive of any limit to taxation for educa-
tional purposes. If it is the duty of the State
to support High school on the ground that
shO opooo 10 OOdhu W SlFb Ln6 pOur mdn al
equal chance with the rich man, is it not just
as much the duty of the State to support our
colleges, our law schools, our medical schools
and our divinity schools? II want of means
shuts out the poor man from these institutions
which the rich mans money enables him to
enjoy, does the poor man have equal chance
unless the State supplies him with money? Ii
the poor mechanic with five children finds
when his children have completed the Gram
mar school course that his lack of means rem
ders it necessary to take them out of school
and set them to work to earn their living does
the State give them an equal chance with the
rich when it says simply, Here is the High
school open to you free of expense?' Shouldn't
it also on the equal chance" theory support
them while they spend four years in the High
school? Under the equal chance" theory the
poor mans son Can consistently dema I'd to be
sent to an English or German university OF TO
be sent on a tour of The art galleries of Europe
because the rich mans son can enjoy these
advantages if he wants TO. The poor mans
daughter Can consistently demand that she be
sent at the public expense to Vassar or We les
ley or to a conservatory of music because the
rich mans daughter can enjoy these advan-
tageS. A theory of taxation for educational
purposes which leads to such absurdities as
these cannot, think, be the correct one.
Is not the corrtc ct theory rather that the Sc
enrity and we'll being of the State demands
that every citizen shall be sufficiently educat-
ed TO perform the ordinary duties of life, to
prevent bis becoming drone in the hive, and
TO make him a worker and contributor TO the
general good? And when the State has edu-
Gated its children to this extent hasn't it done
lis whole dnty? If the branches taught in the
High school fall within the scope of this the
DRY then certainly il is right to tax the public
hAu do mt hxxf all
OF them are merely for the purpose of turning
out scholars and cultivated gentlemen, do not
believe general taxation for its support can be
defended. X