The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1896-01-10
Nebraska Teachers, Meeting.

Lincoln was very largely attended and
great interest in the matter of educa-
ton manifested. In the neighborhood
of twelve hundred instructors were
present. thus eclipsing any former at
tendance. On the last day of the ses-
sion the reportof the Educational Coun-
Gil was read by President Pearse of the
Omaha schools. The report of this
body is always looked upon as the inn
portant part of the annual meeting,
and this year it was especially inter
esting. 1t dealt with the work of the
legislative committee largely, and
briefly reviewed the operation of the
free high school attendance law, the
free text book law and the report Of
County Superintendent Baer of Lancas-
ter on the Country Schools" and the
problem of supplying teachers fitted
for work.
The report of the committee on high
schools, which had charge of the prob
lem of the high school course study,
was touched upon, and the fact that it
had been re-referred was mentioned.
The free text book law of Nebraska
has come to be looked upon as a model
of it's kind, and the fact that several
states are commencing its features,
made this part OF the report more han
ordinarily interesting. The report
showed that the law is generally popu-
lar, though some of the districts refuse
to comply. These, it is said, are shown
to be the worst in the state, and many
of the most enterprising ever go be-
You'd h requirements of the statute,
and furnish free of charge, as a part of
the n~ecessarieS, articles which are not
provided for in the law.
The report also ven into the subject
of needed legislation, and on the point
OF what nae been attempted and not
obtained in this matter had this to say:
Among the measures very generally
deemed ofconsiderab BILE Importance hat
failed to become laws at the last ses-
sion was a bill providing for several
changes in the details of organization
and administration of schools in the
different classes of cities n a bill to
provide for a state board of education;
and while these important measures
failed to become laws your committee
on legislation realized that progress in
educationa legislation, as in other
lines, is necessarily slow, that many
times we must wait for those things
which are good; that if a little prog
ress be made each year or w years
we shall gradually work into the en-
joyment of those improvements that
seem d~esira bic.
Probably the most important bill
presented to the last legislature with
reference to school matters which failed
to become alaw was that providing for
compulsory attendance at school of all
children within the state. 1t is uni
versally recognized that the present
so-called compulsory attendance law is
not a compulsory attendance law. No
penalty for Noncompliance with its
provisions has ever been inflicted under
this law, and it does not in any way
answer the purposes of the state in Sc
curing the attendance of all its chill
dren in the schools.
The bill drafted and presented to
the legislature was an exceedingly
moderate one, and there was no
thought on the part of those engaged
in its preparation and presentation that
any reasonable citizen Of the state
could find objection to it 1t provided,
briefly, a definite time when the attend
ance required of all children between
the ages of s and IA should begin, and
did not leave it to the discretion or
caprice of the parent as to whether the
attendance should begin with the be-
ginning of school or whether it should
be delayed to the very latest possible
moment in the year. 1t provided that
it should be the business of some par
ticular person in each school district to
ascertain whether or not children OF
the g contemplated by the law were
in attendance upon school; if they were
not, why they were not, and in cases
where it seemed necessary to begin
prosecution under the law OF parents
or guardians willfully or unreasonably
,neglecting to comply with its provi-
,SionS.
1T provided further that each child
should attend during h time required
by the law at some school in which he
should learn to read and to write in the
English tongue. 1t was not required
that he should study geography and
arithmetic or h%istoryrin English, but
that he should learn to read and write
the English tongue. 1t was a great
surprise to those charged with the care
of school legislation to find that this
law aroused active and bitter antago-
.nism on the;pa-t of some of the citizens
of the state.
cit is not believed that the directors
to,the law were numerous or that they
formed any considerable elemento of the
population of the state. but they ap-
peared speedily, they were active. they
were outspoken, they were exceedingly
determined that:the bill should not be-
come a law, they were present in force
and talked to. and in many instances
threatened the members of the leg;s-
lature. The great majority of the
friends of the bill. confident in the
sentiment of the state upon this mat
ter, made no effort to express them
selves or to bring any influence to bear
in favor of the passage of the law. So
as your committee believes, because the
enemies of the law were present and
active, while the friends of the meas
ure were absent and Inactive, tbe bill
failed to become a law.
After discussion of the measure the
educational council believes it would
be wise for the state association to take
at its present meeting q firm stand
upon the question of the enactment of
a proper compulsory attendance law, 4
law which shall make it possible to Sc