The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-04-24
TIE SCHOOL BOOK LAW.
A Reply to the Attack of the 'Indian,
school Journal

Reply to the Attack of the 'Tndiana
school Journal"
To THE EDITOR-Sir: AS an impartial
reader of the Indiana School JouTndL, wonder
what can make its editor give space to such re-
marks as he makes in his editorial on The
New School Book Law" He has about ten
lines of praise to fully two pages of adverse
criticism. The law is now law. Is it not the
duty of every citizen to see that it is enforced?
Any law can be made ineffective, il half of the
people do everything in their power TO disObey
it. Such partisan work as this will some day
destroy our nation. 1t makes every conflict an
interminable one. Nothing can settle our
differences butIdeath. Our free government
principle that the will of the majority shall be
obeyed is ignored. When q measure has be-
come a law, then ii is time TO let discussion
stop. Give the New School Book Law" a
trial-an impartial trial-and / warrant you it
will not only do oil, but more, than is expected
of it.
The article referred to says the advantages
of the law are: Cheapness and uniformity. As
II uniformity was aimed at, and on a par with
cheapnesS! What was aimed at was cheapness
and excellence: and it will be realized If the
teachers of Indiana have one jOt of patriotism,
and think they have as much as any other
class of men in the state.
The Disadvantages of the new school book
law are pointed out under eleven headsi And
every one of them is hypocritical, except the
latter part of the eleventh which is absolutely
false.
The question is asked: HAS the state right
to interfere in any kind of trade for the sake
of saving the people a little money? If So
why not provide for cheap shoes and cheap
clothing, as we'll? The great natural law that
should govern all prices is free, open competi-
ton. When the state has secured this condi-
ton it has done its full duty"
1T this philosophy be right then the
whole common school system is wrong.
But l do not care TO argue by consequence.
Adam Smith, the father of political economy,
rightly says that education is not regulated by
natural laws. Natural law regulates savages.
But knowledge gives civilized men the power
to modify this environment. Art is what con-
trolls society. Civilization is a world created
by man largely in opposition TO natural law.
Society is an organism, and like all other or
ganisms, in lettering its condition, it is limited
only by its power.
In all countries where education is left to the
individual. it is a failure. Nothing is more
certain than that social education is the first
step to that complete amelioration of the
greater ills to which our race is subject The
time may come when the state will undertake
other functions that have heretofore been in
trusted to the individual. One thing is certain,
no amount of opposition can now take educa-
ton out of the hands OF the state. and our text
book law is the last law that has been made TO
perfect il.
IL seems strange to make an appeal to the
people to do their duty when many of the paid
officers of the state refuse to do theirs. But
the people will make this law effectual, for the
people are not set of ignoramuses.
April 10. JACKSON BOYD.