Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-11-07
WAEENAN'S WANDERlNGS
THE RAGGED SCHOOLS OF GREAT
BRITAIN.

Their outgrouth fson tue Compulsory I
Elementary School sy.tem-Chiidtsn |
aud Parent. HEATED. Haunted aud naf-
ricd Untn Lowiy Home, Are Destroyed !
aud Criminal. Created.
Copyright. isai. byEdsar L. wakemau.l
LONDON. Oct. 10. -rWenty.on yeafs ago
the British parliament enacted that all
children 81 England aud Wsles between
the ages of nve and thirteen years. ~ the
'aixth standard hsd then been reschcd.
should b. oumpulaorily educated. ~ dif.
fefsnt times siuce II has made laws that
these children should receive this Compul.
s1ry education uithcr 10 various "vUlun.
tary' or parish and church schools, or Ia
board" Schools under local and govern.
mental supervision. aud compulsorliy pay
for tho same
The State, Ia effect. said "You. Tiny Tot,
aged I've years, are 10 attend such school
~ We may provide. or your parents select,
every school day of your life until you are
thirteen years Of aye, or have passed the
a.xth standard. OF We will clap you 10 a
criminal Institution. Aud you. Tiny rots
father, must pay Tor what we compel your
child to do. or we will fine YOU ior every
absence recorded against Il, aud tax you
for the cost u ~ imprisonment whenever
we finally shut ID up. and then. " you can't
pay ~ accrued fees and nuus and the nc.
cruiug Judgments against ynurself. we will
also clap you in Jail until they arr paid or aro
liquidatcd by imprisonment. when We will
then release you ani again bcgin the ssmc
wholesome care Of yourself and your on
spring"
Out Of this exquisite system has grown,
naturally and In order. millions " school
hntcrs aud lsrsi hundreds Of Thousands Of
petty lawbwakefs before the local magis'
tracy, tens Of thousands Of children crimi'
mails among the good aud bad alike; an
army VI visitors" Inspectors aud detoc.
uve., whose unompowercd though univer.
sally exercised brutality among helpless
children and distracted aud ignorant
mothers Il iuexprr-.lbly Infamous, aud
hundreds Of 40 called lndustrial schools.
or Ragged" and "rruant" schools. n
they arc more popularity termed. which.
whatever their merits " management on
the line Of their lezAlised purposes. are M
ineNcusihle outrage upon the inallcnnbls
rights Of child life aud home life In any
civilized land.
Tie elementary schools arc Of two kind.
the board schools aud tho voluntary
schoob Tue frst arc vaguely supported
by government allowance from taxation,
though their support actually comes from
the parents oi scholar. forced to attend
school, through fee ranging from one
penny. or two crnis. TO nincpcnce, or eight
ecu cents, pr week for each child. A the
poor are notorluusiy most prolific, the fee.
taken from a family compelled IN send
from thras to Owe children 70 a board school
may average dvepencc each per week, or
FROM thirty to fifty cents for the whole
number
The voluntary schools arc simply those
schools established under boquests, the
schools founded By associations aud the
parish schools Of nearly every religious de.
nomination Ia England. They all demand
Ices, Ia most eases exceeding those estab'
llshrd by the boarl schools There ATE
seven standards OF grades aud \ special
seventh the latter merely comprising a
tlass receiving special attention for pro
iclency. Out OF the latter the master
chooses those who are 10 compete for an
annual scholarship, aud this entltles tue
winner TO collegiate school education OF
shout three years term.
The most effective commentary upon the
inherent wrong In the British system Of
compulsory education with compulsory
payment for the same il found IN n few
briefly recounted facts. II q universally
admitted by all board school visitors" In.
tpector,, detectives aud officers, rs well rs
Wy mAgit,raics adiudlcatlng school board
eases, that II has come to be the most des
I-fate struggle Of a large portion Of the
iowly Of England, second only to theli
struggle for bread, 20 cvado the registra
tlon OF ths!rChildrcn for school attendance
N that, 20 them, miserable misfortune he
falls them, II Is their next uurcmittlng
a - - a A..
cunning device, falsshood aud downright
ylllainy the enforcement Of the law. IL re
irutiessly hunts, haunt aud hAries them
90 long ns they posses, child within III,
compulsory acc; aud pcsnnally know OF
tcorts % families where on NJ both parent.
have been persecutVd to th,r grave and
their children driven frnuiNpo,sibie 70
spsctahllity 60 permanent crliiunl lie.
This information il based ou,be state
ments ~ school visitors, insp',or. nnf
reputable people. But any one u, Access
~ the fact that IA London, Tor IA ninl
months ending March 80, 1857, out = III,
parents OF tho enormous number OF t,GT
children summoned before the police w
istrates for nouattcudguce or Irregular,
tendance, ioa had been proviously sui
moned between eleven aud thlrtyh
times Not only this, but, according
onicial returns. Tor every hundred sohola
fpnts provided (while there Is not proylsi
for onc.siKth Of all British children "
urr entitled 10 receive elementary oduI
tom there h, under the compulsory
tendance and pay system, an average
tendance OF only about 70 per cont IL
also true that there II an Attendance Tore
mud yoluntary, OF only about 20 per &C
in all British elementary schools.
Ia Other words, after an army OF DEF
tlycs have found certain nnmbcr OF 81
dren, which the law mcrcilessly drives
s,hool and into paying Tor the school
mud tho driving. the utmost rigor Of u
i,h law-re enforced by folentless ma
tratcs, By eonsiahlcs detectives and W
Itor., whose very sustenance depends ~
their vigilance, aud the endless dread
prison To both parents aud children
after all compel a school attendance
only ihreeiourths OF the ehildFen uu
actual everyday Surveillance. i "
wonder that, under such system, thr
tire school Attendance OF tue grrat
Of Liverpool, for the month OF jay
failed 70 reach 81 600, aud that, to pro
for the detention Of the rebelli1us am
this number. its Ragged sehool' prli
Ia Park lane Bond. Queensland and a
,on streets were rated to hold l,925 {
prisoners. with their capacity quite
.axeli
Children are got on the school liz
three ways by house tn house reglstra
when more than one.hAlf Of the pS
classes deny all knowledge Of their