Evening journal., 1897-04-02
IT WOULD Be A HARDSHIP.
THE COMPULSORY EDUCATIONAL
BILL WILL NEVER BECOME A
LAW.

Education bill for the city OF Whining
ton is destined never 20 become a law.
lt was reported favOrably i'm the Senate
yesterday by Chairman Meredith with
an amendment lowering the age of the
children and was Immediately called up
and put on it's passage.
Senator Pyle who Is member Of the
Board of Public Education of the city
OF Wilmington, was the first to open
hls guns on it. He said In the course
Of his remarks.
This may be q very commendahle |
measure from some standpoints, but IL |
Is "a serious thing when we come to con- |
template this matter went to the
chairman of the committee yesterday |
and the bill was amended so as TO |
change the ages Of the children TO be |
affected by It from to 10 years. where
as IL anected those from to IA In It's |
original form ! have great doubts |
about the propriety OF the passage of
lhis measure. It will reyolutionize
things and Is liable to fll our lookup |
with children. Further than that II Is
liable to work a great hardship to a
great many people. 1 own a little house
myself In the city and In it resides a
widow with four children. She is doing
the hest she can TO raise her children,
and she herself and her little girl are
working to-day in a paper mill. This
bill takes away from that family one
OF It's supporters and / fear the rule
viii hold good In the Lord knows how
many cases. Therefore ! doubt the pro-
prlety Of passing this measure. While
it Is very commendahle for the friends
of this bill to wish to get these children
off the street and IN the schools. there
are many poor people who are unable
TO clothe their children as they wou,a
like to to send them to school, IL Isl
pretty hard for some of these people to
comprehend the misery and suffering
which prevails i'm our city to-day. Those
who are surrounded with luxury and
wealth find It hard TO understand the
adverse circumstances in which hum
dreds OF these people are placed. They
would have the police turned loose upon
the track Of these little children, and
any of them found 20 be too poor 10 OBJ
tain the necessary clothing TO 80 to
school would be reported, and the pO-
/ licemen would be ordered TO arrest
/ them and bring them up before the Mu
nicipal Court, and the parents, no mat
ter what their circumstances, must see
to it that they go TO school or they may
be subjected to fines and ether penal
tics. / know that some of these women
arc deeply intercstd in this matter, hul
just what to do is another question.
It Is a grave question.
Mr.. Hanby-"Will the senator permit
me TO ask him what the police census
of the city showed IN this respect?"
Mr.. Pyie-"That only 23f children
out OF a population of 20, 200 are not at
| tending school. We have In the city of
/ Wilmington 1900 children, probably
more than that in the public schools.
/ / think the number amounts to $1,000
/ IN round figures, and with such a child
population as that only 23l are reported
| by the police. who made a most careful
! canvass at the instance Of the friends
Of this bill. to be not attending school.
| Now. that Is a very small percentage.
/ think we had better wait awhile or
this bill This financial wave that has
passed over this country has entailed
misery to degree that few people seem
30 realize. There are thousands of men
out of work and where they are az
work time and wages have been cut
| down One-half, and they have only
| enough left 10 keep body and soul to-
sethor This state Of affairs has filled
| our streets with tramps and prostitutes
tt is a fact. and ] am very reluctant in
deed to entail any more hardships on
the poor people OF that city"
Mr.. Hanby-"l voted for this amend
ment. but I think that the bill vii
prove q hardship If It becomes a law
have looked at Il in the same ligh
that the senator from Wilmington has
but when we come to take into consid
Grafton the police canvass of the chill
dren we find that the great cause Il
that the parents of these children whit
are out of school are unable TO bu!
clothes for them. The hard times havl
made IL such that the poor people can
not get clothing for their children 81
that they would be admitted into tn
schools. | say that If things are goinl
on right we should have some sort o
compulsory education, but as times ar
hard / voted for the amendment so tina
If the bin should pass it would be a
low as could be. If we are to take iron
the family the support Of those childrel
who are old enough to add to the in
. come Of the family how are the poo
women to look To them to help max
both ends meet going to get a living
: lt might be better for the children II
now, but there are times when the fu
ture must be left to take care Of itseli
Not q load of coal ashes is dumped o.
the lots Of Wilmington that thes
children do not go over il and gathe
every scrap of fuel in it to make a fir
p TO add to the comfort Of their miseI
= able homes. I think It would be bette
: 10 refer this bill back to the COMMITTEES
4 1t would be wrong to pass this bill a
= the present time
e Mr. Fenimore said that he though
r there should be a law which would pre-
q vent the school authorities from dis
: eliminating between the scholars VIII
: are well dressed and these who are no
! The simple fact that a child has n
Z shoes does net imply that he has n
: brains.
Senator Handy agreed with him. II
: said that many Of the children now on
OF school would be in attendance if th
teachers did not send them home be
cause Of the shabbiness of their cloth
c ing.
The bill was then recommitted an
! that is probably the last of It so far a
L this session is concerned.