Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-19

the church, 80 that the morals of chIdrt
might have been improved as well az thei
knowledge OF books. But every sec
would teach Its own sectarianlsm, anc
the church was therefore necessarily de-
prived OF missionary advantage Of the
grestest moment. The state In q measure
steps between the child and its natural
guides in the Affairs of the world and O!
,, the world to come. 1t lisa very difficult
matter to decide rightly how far the state
should 60 In the matter of public
education. The stronger and better
opinion seems to be thst, having laid the
foundation OF learning upon which the
pupil can thereafter build what super.
structure he may desire, the state has
gone to the extremity of its proper fupc-
ZION. As 1t can only give rudimentsl
educatlon to all, Is 1t warranted in doing
more than that for part and thus max.
Ing iss bounty unequalS As the money
comes from 8 common fund it would
seem that 1t should be expended for com.
mon use.
There is always danger In extremes. A
curious difficulty has lately been de-
veloped In England, where of late years
the common school system Of the United
States has gained 8 strong foothold. At.
tendance Of children he's been inside COM
pulsory, and hundreds of trusnts are be-
ing thrust into the teachers hands. But
some OF the street ragamuffils are not
amenable to moral sussion, and, as the
law forbids corporal punishment, the
"oirchless schoolmasters," WHO can
neither expel nor appropriately pun sh
bad boys and girls. are at their wits end
how to proceed.
Compulsory education, the teaching OF
girls how to sew and cook, and of BOYS
how to saw wood or plant corn, the ex.
pertinent OF higher education at the gen.
ersl expense, and sill Of the various plans
for extending the usefulness Of the public
schools, proceed upon the hypothesis that
In these affairs the state may do to advan-
tage what the private hand should do.
This Is straight departure from the
American theory of government. The
state should DO nothing that might be
safely left to the respo visibility Of the
parent or the citizen. 1t will be sad
day for the country when the mothers of
the land Shall be encouraged to abdicate
the duties Of the household by sending
their daughters to school to have them
taught how to build q fire and boil q
potato or bake loaf OF bread.
There can be no objection 10 industrial
schools for boys and girls. They are
both us=ful and necessary. The tendency
OF skilled workers Is to follow the hard
lines laid down by the crafts and
guilds of the old world and to
restrict industrial knowledge with
In certain close bounds Industrial
schools would to some extent correct this
evil. But if the schools should be filed
with youth taught at public expense the
greater part Of the instruction was thrown
away. Every business man understands
that those things which are furnished
without cost are used without spprecia-
ton. Besides, Industrial schools are
only for the few. The few should pay
their way. The state in aiming to DO
every hing will push beyond its depth,
and all the virility and force Of independ-
emit, sslf-confaent citizenship will be lost
IN puerile and implacable uniformity.