The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-04-10

Leu US pIOCGCQ 10 lllQullC lllIO IHC
necessity of such law. The Ben
nett law applies to children between
the ages Of 7 and IA. The oppo-
nents of the law say there was no
need of enacting such measure.
That is their opinion. The reports
of county superintendent to the
State Superintendent show that the
whole number of children between
the ages of 7 and IA years in 1889
was 284, o36. The number who are
reported as attending the public
schools twelve weeks or more is
21o,o57. This leaves 1870 who did
not attend the public schools schools
twelve weeks or more during the last
year. The reports concerning the
number of children who attend some
private school twelve weeks or more
the last year are very meager and
unsatisfactory, but up to the time
these figures were obtained the num-
Der reported was 24,3Io. This
would leave $4,000 between the ages
of 7 and IA who did not attend any
school last year To allow for mis-
takes we cut the number down to
40, 900. There they stand, an army
of ignorance growing up in our
midst. Denied by cupidity and big
otry combined the privileges of even
the free schools of our State, large
proportion are purposely kept in this
condition. And yet, my countrymen,
the air is full of the pleadings Of
priests and politicians that this bles-
ed condition of things may continue;
that this illiteracy SO conducive to
certain ideas of what constitutes re-
ligion and morals may not be dis
turbed by the force of law.
But, say the opponents of the
measure, to enact such law is re-
proach to those who are claw unto
themselves" in the matter of educat-
ing their children. In reply to that
| would say, that it is a maxim as old
as law itself, that all laws, Divine as
we'll as human, are made for the ex-
ceptional cases.
The Decalogue says: "Thou shalt
not kill" "Thou shalt not steal"
These enactments are not made for
the ninety and nine who do not kill
or steal, but for the one who does.
We have laws compelling parents to
care for their children and Compell-
ing children to care for aged parents.
We have laws against polygamy,
abuse of children, and many more
ofenses against the peace and well
fare of society. These laws are not
made for nor are they reflection
against those who live orderly, but
for the one person in a thousand
who does not so live. The Rev. Mr..
Swan, President of the Joint Luther
an Synod which meet in Baltimore in
1880, admitted in a communication
to the Chicago Zrlbune that it was
the duty of the State to compel all
negligent parents to educate their
children. Very we'll; that is just the
purpose of the Bennett law. 1t was
enacted to deal with those negligent
citizens who are the parents of the
10000 or $4,000 children in the
State who were denied all school
privileges the last year. Still fur
Their, the State enacts that a certain
knowledge of the English language
is necessary to the future good of the
child and State, and it says to the
parent-not to the priest or paroCh-
ial school-you must not neglect to
give the child that education twelve
weeks in the year at least. Has not
the State the right to SO enact? If it
has the right to compel the negligent
parent to do his duty, does it make
any difference whether that parent is
found in a Lutheran or Catholic
church, or in neither? Does a mans
allegiance to the State depend on
what kind of religion he processes
Secular education happens to be q
part of the business Of this secular
State. The State says the parent
must give the child this rudimentary
education in English. The church
proceeds to take the child away from
the means furnished by the State for
such education and refuses to fur
nish such education in the church
schools as the State demands. The
State enacts law to compel the par
ent to do his duty by the child anc
the State. Mr.. Swan says the State
has this right. The necessity of {
general bracing up of the people ii
the line of more thorough teaching
of English branches is seen on every
hand. There has been in many sec
tons of the State a greater attach
ment to some foreign language thar
to the purpose of making American
citizens and equipping them with the
tools Of that citizenship. Every for
eigner when he sets foot in Americ;
knows that the inability to speak
| l. sc