Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-03-14

iioHb III piie OllTQuOted iu6h VI XIV eOSiui |
turnover claimed to occur periodically |
in this country, those at one time rich |
becoming poor, the latter in turn taking |
their pluces. Such conditions are looked;. |
for In d country such US ours. This, the |
speaker said. is best Illustrated in WASH
ington society. At stated times this
happens, nd-fanilies that had Il good
time there'd ud themselves left at home
as Dame Fortunes wheel turns. CThls
remark seemed so obviously applicable
TO present political conditions that the
whole audience burst out In audible
laughter and then cheercd the speaker,
who for The moment seemed surprised
at having nade such telling point SO
well andsn unexpectedly.
In country, he continued, where
everything is renewed from below,
comes still more strongly the unanswcr'
able argument for universal education.
Therois 9ne State where majority
of the voters can neither read nor write.
And there are several States where .
large number of those having franchise
rights are illiterate. AT critical times
these bodies of ignorance control and it
is possible for them to cast their intlu-
cnce In the direction of retrosicssion.
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
Is 1t not . logical conclusion that COM
pulsory education Is not only q duty but
the right and necessary thing.
Compulsory education is the action OF
the people of the United States acting
through a flexible majority and exereis-
ing their right that this American SOW
ereign, of whom was speaking, shall be
educated 80 that he may use intelllgcntly
and well the great responsibility resting
ON bis future This prince from the low
lost, for his own success in life, must be
educated for the safe use of his powers.
The youth of the country have this in
alicnable right. Who shall assert the
children's right to ON education. The
child certainly can't do it for himself.
Who, il not the State And that means
the people-the parents of the pupils.
the common people who attend church,
town meetings, and tho multitude OF
other public gatherings where public
matters are attended to.
Its not strange that in % States Of
the Union there is law that II parents
| do not educate their children they shall
DO compelled to. The paramount in
terest of the State is that the child shall
be good citizen. And anyone that
dares get across the track of that ex-
press train must look out for himself.
Anyone who lays his hand on the child's
head and says, '4"Phis is my child.
have a mortgage on him." that man
must look out for himself. The State
has something to say about that.
| Massachusetts and Connecticut were
the firsttwo States to establish common
education. But compulsory education
was embodied in their laws $50 years
ago. 1t is the great Northwest thai in
this day holds in its hand the destiny oil
the nation In the demand for compul.
sorry education. That think is an ar,
gument we should not lightly pass over.
In regard to enforcement, well, If thu
good judge, who just addressed you
had told You of other things he knows
he might have said that at times it i:
very good to have law that is littl,
ahead of the people. Such law, il
this case is prodigious educationa
force, even II ii be not always enforced
to the full letter of the law. In New
York, Immediately on the passage OF thi
Compulsory Education enactment, ,
great additional number of pupils CAM
into the public schools. II made demanC
for numbers of additional schoolhouses
New York made the mistake when sh
passed her law. Over 10000 pupil
swarmed into the schools and Their
were no seatings for them. Now tina
city is bonded in the sum of $l5,000,00
for new school buildings. The Law
J compels an Improvement in the schools
Massachusetts and Connecticut haV
succeeded by an indirect methcd
There is 30 days imprisonment and $
fine for q child's absenteeism. II look
hard to send parent to Jail because hi
,, child is vagrant. Every compulsor
law should have a vagrant CLAUSE
There should also be provision agalns
,, child labor. The two States referred
have succeeded because of the vagrar
and child labor clauses. Every chill
must have at least 80 weeks educatio
in common English.
DR.. Mayo closed his address in a
eloquent appeal for the passage in Delt
ware of thorough Compulsory Educa
! tion enactment He was loudly cheere
= as he closed.
MRS. NIELDs' ADDRESS.
} Mrs. Colonel Nields was then intrt
duced by the chairman as one of I'll
ladies of the New-Century ccmmittt
1 Interested in the Compulsory Educatio
r movement. She spoke in quiet, sui
/ dued tone, but with an ease and clea
{ ness thut allowed of her voice beiil
: heard with facility by everyone in Il
!. Opera House. The speaker regrette
n that since the inception of the presel
! movement for compulsory education
4 has been learned that educational al
n vantages in Delaware are restricted
Is certain ones. This State, therefore,
Il unable to stand shoulder to Should
with the others of her sisterhood in til
:. matter. of public advancement. "
70 must remind our people that 100 yea
II ago the foreiathers declared that 50
men are born free and equal" That
"a not all the rich only-all the white
i all the Anglo Saxons-but all who a
n born in the image of God.
Il In the trying times Of the civil WI
~ the only'friends this government had
the mother country were the workin
- men. At the time they were starvi
~ OH account of the closing of the mi
~, - for lack of American cotton. II
= those workingmen rioted the Engli
~ government was ready I'd make that
~ pretext for breaking the blockade
II the Southern ports. But John Brig
~ stood firm and with his workingm
~ better copnsels prevailed. Everlastl
mr. credit should be given those men u
~ they endured through those terrii
:, privutlons to the end.
q The speaker pleaded for the ena
"f nent If compulsory education stati
H.. that III so years the jails might be &c
~, ~ down. The present bill does not bro
~ down the parents right over the chi
(, The number of children forced to We