Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-01-08
he Bennett Law.

| Liz DeHHolt law lS NEE G1ng With con-
siderable opposition in certain quar-
ters, and is being generally discussed
in and out of the newspapers. Doubt
less many of its opponents are sincere
and honest in their denunciation of the
| law, but we cannot help thinking it
arises IN part from their misconceptiOD
| Of its provisions. The claim that the
law is in conflict with the natural
rights of parents, or interferes in the
least with religion or the rights of con-
science, is not sustained by reference
| to its provisions. The main features of
| the law are embodied in the followino
sections:
Sec. l. Every parent or other person bay-
ing underhis control a child between the ages Of
and IA years shall annually cause such child
! to attend some public or private day school i'm
| the city, town, or district in which he resides
for period not less han twelve weeks in each
year, which number OF weeks shall be fixed prior
70 the first day of September IN each year bv
the Board OF Education or the Board of Direct
ors OF the city, towE, or district and for portion
or ortlons thereof to be so fixed by such
boards the attendance shall be consecutiye
and snch boards shall at least ten DAYS prior to-
| the b"ginnng OF such period, publish the time.
or times of attendance in such manner as sncJe
boards direct; provided that such board shall
not hx such compulsory period at more than
| twenty -forr weeks in each year
s'n having such control and so offending shan
forfeit to the use of the public schools of such
city, town, or district a sum of not less than
three dollars (S31 nor more than lwentv dollars
(S o.; and failure for each week or portion of -
week on the part o: any such person to comnlv
with the provisions of this act shall constitute y
distinct ohense; provided. that any such child
shall be excused from attendance of school 20
quired by this act by the Board of Education or
School Directors of the city. town or district in
which such child resides upon its being shown
satisfaction q
ing is not able to send such child to school or
that instruction has otherwise been given tor q
Ike period OF time to such child in the element
ary branches commonly taught in the public
schools, or that such child has ready aconired
such elementary branches of learning, or that
his physical or mental condition is s.slIcb us to
render attendance mex pedient or i'm mpracticable-
and in all cases wnere such child shall be 80 ex
cused the penalty herein provided shall not be
incurred.
Sec s. No school shall be regarded as schoop
uhuer thls act unless there shall be taught
tneTelp as part OF the elementary education of
Uuited states history in the English language.
Now, all that is required above is that
for twelve weeks in the wear every
child between the ages of and 14shaIE
attend some schoolit may be public
or private, parochial or common school
where reading, writing, arithmetic
and united States history are taught in
the English language. No reference iss
made to other studies, nor is there any
provision as to the language in which
they may or may not be taught. Itmay
be German, Greek, French. Latin or
Choctaw SO far as any thing in the Ben
nett law is concerned, giving the larg-
est liberty IN this respect as to the.
other forty weeks in the year. and
there being no prohibitory clause as to
foreign languages bejLg also taught the
other twelve weeks, provided thatEth
branches above required in English
shall not be neglected. There does not
seem to be anything in these require
ments Justifying the opposition Which
mas been manifested, and we believe
that as the law comes to be better un-
derstood the objections to it will dis
appear. AS showing the needs ofsome
such law, at least in other portions of
the state, if not here, we COPY the fol-
lowing from Der Deutsche Pionier. a
German newspaper published at Wau-
sau, marathon county. The writer
says: 1T is true and easily explained
tnat to-day there are young people i'm
Marathon county, born here, who un-
derstand English less than their i'm
migrant parents. Twenty or thirty
years ago the population of the county
was more mixed, Anglo-Americans.
Germans, French Scandinavians.
Poles, etc., living side 10y side. Each
new conner sought to acquire as quickly
as possible some knowledge of Eng
l1sh, the common language, in order to
communicate with his neighbors. To-
day the situation is different. The
father, who formerly was under the ne
cesslty of learning English in the log
glng camp or the mill, bought home
with his savings: his German COM
rade settled next to him and was his
nelghbor, and thus settlements were
formed; and the young people whole
main steadily at home do not learn
English. Thus there are to-day people
born in Marathon county who, when
summoned before court, are obliged
to have an interpreter, and who, on ac-~
count of their ignorance of English. are.
incompetent to sit on a jury" This is.
an article not written in the interests
OF any party, but of the truth, and Gov.
Hoard is entirely right if he insists that
every child in the state should for thir-
teen consecutive weeks in the year at
tend, some school, public or parochial.
in which reading, writing and United
States history are taught in the English
language.p