The morning call., 1892-01-17
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.

The educational problem is being worked
out with conscientious assiduity in the State
Of New York. a few years ago the Legs
lature Of that State. finding All other means
fail to induce ignorant parents to send their
children TO school, adopted a compulsory
law, BY which parents or guardians were
compelled t. avail themselves of the educa-
iional facilities offered by the State under
penalty Of fine aud imprisonment. The
experiment appears TO have been a failure.
According to Governor Flowers message
the number of children of school age, which
in that State is from TO p, is 1921, 773,
but the actual school attendance IS reported
I by the School superintendent as only
1850 Thus it would appear that not
withsJaudWg the compulsory law 767,
children OF 43 per cent of the whole are
. no, attending school
This astonishing failure IS doubtless in
part due 10 the undUly long range given in
New York to what is called school age.
In itOst Of tie new States that age is
counted from to is, and IN some States it
is stiH further narrowed. Ia poor families
boys and girls Of IS are supposed to De able
{ help their parents; in this State a large
proportion of such youths are at work,
earning money to clothe themselves and to
help pay for their board. Governor
Flowers lameutato0 over the growth Of
i.literacY in his State would be better
grounded if he had shown that the bulk Of
tie 167, o-0 minors who are not attending
school were not between the ages Of Il
and u.
sun there is no gainsayjng his differences
from the fact that forty years ago tie pro-
portion OF children Of school age-w hich
vas then the same as noW-Wh0 were at
tending school was - per cent whereas
now IL is only - per cent. This is proof
that the march Of education in the leading
State Of Tie Union has been checked. The
consequences may be very serious indeed.
If ignorance ever comes 10 dominate the
! State Of New York as during the ante-bel-
I lum era il dominated some Of the States at
the South alarming results might follow.
/ Ignoran is the parent Of unsound poll
ties, ana uns0und politics bege.s bad laws,
foolish policies. confusion and disorder
The native American in the North would
no sooner leave his children withOu. edu-
cation than he would leave them without
food. He may differ with his neIghbors as
to he sort of education they should have
some parents insist on high education,
while others are satisfied with documentary
teaching, but some sort OF education, based
/ principally on the three Rs, he must and
/ will have. In this attribute foreign-born
| immigrants agree to differ with him accord
1 ing to the measure Of their intelligence.
! And it is the simple truth hat a large pro-
/ portion OF the Immigrants who are now ar
1 irving At New York az the rate Of 2000 q day
! DO not possess the Intelligence necessary 10
/ see the valus Of education. II would be
! strange if they did. They have yegetated
! in ignorance, generation after generation.
! from tine immemorial. Neither they nor
/ their ancestors ever had an opportunity Of
/ acquiring book learning. The want of IT.,
/ prolonged through several generations, has
narrowed their mental capacities, and it is
/ difficult to persuade them thai education is
! Of use. Il is these persons who defeat the
/ compulsory education law of New York.
| 1t is a pleasing reflection for Cahfornians
! that no compulsory law is necessary in this
/ State and that the defeat of the attempts to
| pass one has not been attended with practi-
! cal Inconvenience. Californians of all races
| concur in the necessity Of education. They
ara as one man in favor of the public
schools. No suTer avenue to political sui
eide could be found than an attempt to
disturb OF discredit them. The unanimtty
with which they have been supported by
all classes and the fidelity with which all
clIsses have insisted on their children at
| tending school may account for the high
/ level Of Intelligence which TIE CALL hopes
! it may claim, without offensive Dragging,
/ for the people of this State, and which has
! Offset the disadvantages under which Cali
/ fOrnia has labOTed by reason Of its distance
/ from the Intellectual centers. If, as seems
imminent in the not far distant future, this
! State should be oyerrun by the races which
are now unduIy crowded in the States Of
! the East a compulsory education law may
! become necessary, but until then the neces-
! sifr l. MT In. narativn