The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-10-30

WHICH luey TtSiIe IOT ii pcflOu VI DIT ledSt
II weeks. the board to fix the time. The
reason that the attendance shall be in the
city. town or district is that the board
has no authority to fix a period for a
school outside their jurisdiction.
In order to permit parents to send
their children to any school they please,
Section provides, &" that any such child
shall be excused from attendance at
school required by this act'' if.
q The parent is not able to send his
child to school.
(2) Ii the child has otherwise been
given the obstruction in these branches.
81 If the child has already a know
ledge of these branches.
a. Or If the child's condition, mental
or bodily ls such that he should not at
tend school,
Notice how carefully the parents
right to send his child. to any school Is
guarded. The law says, 1.-The child shall
be excused from attendance at school re-
quired by this act"
O. What school shall he be excused
from attending?
A. The school mentioned in Section
1, 'in the city town or district in which
he resides"
@. What shall be an excuse for not
attending school in 1.-The city town or dis
triot in which ba racidec2.
A. The fact that the child has other
wise been given instruction.
Q. What do you understand by "other-
wise?"
A. In anyway different from what is
mentioned in the law. That is at any
place other than in "the city, town or dis
trict in which he resides"
| Q. Why then is it necessary to men,
ton "city, town or district in which he
resides?"
A. Because SO per cent. of the chill
dren who attend school voluntarily or
otherwise will attend 'in the town, city
or district in which they reside" Besides
the school board can compel attendance
only in the schools over which they have
jurisdiction in case the parent should
absolutely refuse to send his child to any
school.
@. Is not the law bungling one
when it is necessary to read two sections
in order to determine to what school a
child may be sent?
A. Not more SO than other laws
There are few laws all of whose provisions
are contained in one section. Take, fol
instance, the constitutional requirements
for the right of suffrage. If you read
only the first section, you Will conclude
that the right OF suffrage is granted tc
insane people, idiots and criminals. But
Section 2 denies the right of suffrage tc
these classes. Both these sections must
be read in order to clearly understand
who are electors in Wisconsin. If the
Bennett law is faulty because everything
is not in one section, then the article re-
lating to suffrage in the state constitu
ton is likewise faulty.
@. Haye school boards the right to
impose fine on parents neglecting tc
send their children to school?
A. They have not. All the powe,
they have is to make complaint before g
justice of the peace who tries the case
the accused having the right of trial by
jury as In any other case. Even after
complaint is made the board gives notice
to the person accused of neglecting tc
send his child to school, and if he then
complies with the law the court dis.
charges him. There is no other law on
the statute books as favorable to the
person against whom proceedings are in.
stituted.
q. Is it not an infringement on the
right Of the parent to demand that he
shall teach his child certain subjects?
A. The law does not require anything
of the kind. 1t demands that certain
subjects be taught in English at the
school which the child attends for u
weeks. The parent has absolute control
over the subjects which his child shall
learn. The law relating to subjects
taught in district schools says that or
typography, orthorpy, reading. writing,
grammar, geography, arithmetic and the
| constitutions of Z. S. and Wisconsin
shall be taught in every district school,
In the English language, but no one has
held that because these subjects are
taught, that all children must have in
struction in them. The Bennett law re-
quires that four branches be taught in
English, but it does not follow in this
case, any more than in the general law,
that the pupils of these schools must
take up these subjects.
Q. But if the law says these branches
are to be taught in English they can be
taught in no other language.
A. The Bennett law is plain on this
point and says there 'shall be taught
therein as PART" not ALL, "of the elemen-
tary education of children, reading. writ
ing, arithmetic and United States history
IN the English language" The idea OF
the law is that the child must be given
an opportunity to attend a school IL
weeks in each year where part of the in
structlou for that period shall be in the
English language.
z. What then can be the real obiec.
ton to the law?
A. Can you tell? Examine the law
and see If it is possible to find anything
Objectionable unless it is that children
be given an opportunity to acquire a
knowledge OF English. II this ls.being
done now then the law can hurt no one.
Ii 1t Is not, then the Law should interfere.