Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-05-01
The Point at Issue.


The Milwaukee Sentinel says editor
ially on the Bennett Law; THE writer
OF this article recently had conversa-
ton with Lutheran clergyman, who
is among tie most active opponents Of
The Bennett law. He declared himself
friendly to the public school and in
favor Of compulsory education laws, but
he denied that the state had any right
to define in any respect what h,uld be
the nature of the education in behalf Of
which the legislative and executive
powers of government are to be exerted.
Under his theory OF state authority andlts
limitations the state may properly force
children TO attend some school, but it
must remain wholly indifferent as to
the kind Of education they receive. At
tendance upon anything that calls itself
a school must be accepted as satis:ac-
tory II a Mohamedan were to set up
2 school here and teach nothing but the
Koran ia Arabic. attendance upon it.
il this pastors view, would be all that
the state has the right to require under
compulsory educational law.
The attitude of the German Lutheran
pastor, seems to Is more illogical than
that OF their German Catholic co-work-
cr,. The latter do not claim to be
friendly Is the public schools. They
frankly ayow their opposition to COM
pulsory school laws. They claim that
an schools should be religious schools
and that in equity the taxes paid by
Catholics for school purposes should 20
to the support Of Catholic schools But
their Lutheran allies in the campaign
against the Bennett law concede the
propriety Of the public school system,
and OF taxing the property Of all persons,
whether il be of those who send their
children to private schools, or those who
have no children 10 be benefited by
education for the support Of public
schools They can only Justify such
system upon the ground that the gener
al welfare demands that all children
receive an elementary education such as
will 1T them to discharge with some
degree Of intelligence the duties Of cit
izenship + it not absurd then to
hold that the state, which. by its con-
stitution. is commanded 10 maintain
schools and tax all property for the
purposes Of education, possesses NJ
right 10 define what that education shall
be. not even to the extent Of requiring
that children shall attend for twelve
weeks in the year some school, public or
private, in which reading and writing in
English shall form a part of the instruc-
tion2 Yet this F. the contention Of our
Lutheran brethren II every other
feature OF the school law bat this re-
quirement were blottcd out they would
be not the less oppo. 81 to it. why.
ittA sly "a AAC state may '8ttiAt tetA
children TO be taught to read aud write
English, il may extend is requirements
10 every branch Of instruction 1t may
enact such laws as would make it inn
possible 10 maintain our church schools.
The same reasoning might be used 70
demonstrate the danger Of nearly all
laws on the statute book If the state
may send man to prison for highway
robbery why may il not make eXpector-
atng on the sidewalk penitenuary
oilense2 Well. perhaps il might, but
the state is not likely to do anything Of
the sort, though eXpectorating on the
sidewalks is offensive, and SIN TO
which Americans are too much addicted.
The state here is not something apart
from the people. with interests distinct
from theirs. and liable to become ty-
rant actuated by mere wantonneSs and
caprice. The state is the people them
selves In lis acts it simply obeys the
Will OF IL people - eApItSSeu uY the
majority II will not become an OPP
pressor There is no considerable
number of its people hostile tothe pa
rochlal schools. and amy apprehension
that may exist of legislation conceived
in a spirit Of hostility 10 them. or Of
any organized effort to interfere with
their maintenance and prosperity is as
baseiess Is the fabric Of vision.
Chicago Tribune: You have 10 OBJ
/ lection 10 accepting a tract, have YOU.
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