Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-02-22
JOHNS LETTER.
He WANTS TO KNOW WHAT FREE HIGH
SCHOOLS ARE FOR. ANYWAY.

Note by the editor.-In the commune tion be
low, John" IL quoting from the statue as amend.
ed by the last legislature aud now In force. The
Buck neh free high school referred to was run
In isss under the seetion a. Il then stood. which
did nos contain the terms secondary schools"
or organization OF candidates." those having
been inserted by the last legislature. The gen
ernl principle however. Il capable Of discussion.
Il should also be noted that the decision In the
Buckncld case was based to some extent on
grounds OF public policy. The tax having been
actually assessed and paid the school having been
run. and the stipend received from the state, nm
anomalous condition Of affairs and dire con.
fusion would have resulted II the tax hal been
declared Illegal.
| was looking over the school laws
the other day, and took note OF what
course of study the free high schools
shall embrace, and II Is plain TO me as
words can make Il. that there are limit
atoms, restrictions. Section 81 reads
thus: 1.-The course OF study In the free
high schools shall embrace the ordinary
English academic studies which are
taught In secondary schools, etc. What
IL the definition of secondary / always
supposed that II doesn't mean primary.
The law doesn't say that free high
schools shall embrace such studies as
are taught In the primary schools-the
q, b, abs, and kindred studies; but per-
hsps II may be the spirit and Intention
OF the law. Word was brought home To
that effect from the new court house not
long since. suppose that no one will
contend that the babe at the breast, who
IL taking his first lessons In the funda-
mental principles OF dairying, Is "in
It."
Now, Brother r. l. when You get 10
Augusta, Il Is to be hoped that you will
do your darnedest to have the laws so
framed and worded that the most beef
witted lawyer may understand, and 40
that the wayfaring man, though = fool,
need not err In the Interpretation there
OF. See TO Il that the spirit and the let.
ter are near neighbors and agree. |
would suggest that wehs,er's dictionary
be- 40 amended that primary aud second
airy shall have the same Specification so
that Il may be good easy reading for the
legal experts. As 1t now stands, dlf-
ferent versions are given BY different
judges, and consequently different de.
cisions are reached, which fact renders
us skeptlcal rs To their infallibility. We
hesitate TO put our trust In princes"
We learn by the decision that the
vote OF the corporation has no binding
foIce-thst IL there was crookedness In
| the getting, the act OF spending when
the act was finished took out all the
crooks and kinks, making IL SO sraight n
transaction that there Is no redress, no
going back OF the returns" so TO speak.
IL We have been correctly Informed, that
Ia knuf fha ai1a ~ IN
Looking further along in section 81,
this shows up: "Such schools
.hsll be free to all the youth 10 such
town or towns who have such attain
ments Rs shall tit them TO attend such
schools with profit, and the superintend-
ent or experimenting school committee,
having supervision thereof, shall make
such examination OF candidates for ad-
mission to said schools as they consider
necessary" Why examine at all II II IL 10
be IA some claim. Even with the light
OF the late decision shining In our face
se would hesitate as supervisor, TO ad-
init primary scholar among the scad-
demicians until he could spell cat back
wards.
JOHN