The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-06-26
Nv.

From the political Mr.. Campbell proceeds to
discuss the legal institutions for which we
must seek models. not in England. but in the
Dutch republic. Before following him how
ever in this branch OF his inquiry. let us 20
back to the nineteenth aud twentieth chapters
and consider the state OF things in tho Meth
erlands at the time OF the founding OF The
American colony. as regards free schools,
freedom OF the press. charitable Institutions
and prisons the position of women. and re-
liglous liberation. Already in his introduc.
ton tho author has demonstrated that orr
free school system could not have bean
derived from England. since . 1t was
never introduced there until very reccn.
years. Neither could this institution have
como TO us. as bancroft said II did from
Geneva by the way OF Germany and Scotland,
since tho early settlers who brought 1t to
America came not from those countries but
from Holland ana England. Wo have tho tcs-
timony Of tho Italian historian Guicriardini,
to the fact that before the outbreak of tho war
with Spaln even the pea SAINTS in Holland GOULD
read and write wo AS the war went the pco-
pie showed determination that in this matter
there should be no retrogression. In the first
synod OF bort. held in 1874. the clergy directed
the servants OF tho Church" to obtain from
the magistrates in every locality permission
m order for their compensation, as In
the past Within few years the civil author
tiles began 10 establish u general school sys-
tom. In 1852 tho Estates OF FriesanI do
creed thnt tho inhabitants of towns and vii.
lagos should. within tho space OF six weeks.
provide good and able school maSters and
those who neglected so to do would TO conf
pcllcd to accept tho instructors appointed for
them. Inc system soon spread over tho whole
republic. In these schools. however. though
they were fostered by the State. tho tcnchers
seem first to have boon paid by their punjls.
But as years went on a change was brought
about In this part Of tho scheme By 1909,
when the Pilgrim Fathers took M their resi.
dence in Leydcn. the school had become tho
common property of tho people. and
was paid for among other munich
pal expenses. Tho Dutch republic was
a land OF schools supported by tho
state-a land. according to Motley. whore
every child wcnt to school. whore almost
every individual inhabitant could read and
write, where even the middle classes were pro-
flcient in matl emntics and tho classics. md
could speak two or more modern languages
With these facts before him no reader will any
longer nced to ask whence the settlers of
plymouth. who camo directly from Hul!anI:
and the other settlers Of New England whose
Puritan brethren were to be found I'm fbou-
sands throughout tho Netherlands derived
their ideas OF schools first directed and then
supported by tho state. 1t il. inicei, to DO
noted that mt tho outset the schools omen In
Now England were not free Such scholars
rs wen9 able paid Tor their tuition: aniy tho
poor pupils wero paid for by town charges.
The first free schools in America open to all
and supported by tho Government were es-
tablIshed by the Dutch sett,ors ~ Nav, Val.