The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-31
OTHER PEOPLES MOTIONS
Charity and Education.
, the Editor of The Journal

To the Editor of The Journal.
In a recent communication to T n j u r.
II a by d. L. Kiehle, in which he discusses
the legal status Of the normal schools, ne
urges the necessity Of some legislation to give
educational institutions a rank and dignity
to distinguish them from institutions which
are charitable and penal. Judge Collins, in
his dissenting opinion in the case OF the nor"
NAL school board, also refers to the vast gull
which should be fixed between educational
and charitable institutions Is 1t not mis-
take to class charitable and penal institu-
tons together as the antithesis of schools?
Too often the soldiers home, the poorhouse,;
the home for feeble minded and similar in
stitutions. are regarded the same as prisons
and the inmates treated as prisoners.
Robert Morris, who was the financial main
stay. of this country in the war OF indie
pendence was left by the American people
to die in a debtors prison. Public sentiment
has not changed much since his time. II
he lived now we would send him to the poor
house and inform him that the place was In
the same class as penal institutions:
II education is the right Of every person
who needs it why should it not also be the
right of every one to be cared for when he
can no longer care for himself, whether the
disability be physical mental? To ac-
knowledge The equal rights Of all law bid
ing citizens in a government for all the peo-
pie does not require that we lower our re-
spect for the dignity of public schools, but
rather that we should have more respect for
charitable institutions. II the word charity
Is odious when applied to schools 1t is the
same when applied to any institution where
personal rights should be respected. The
word charity need not be regarded as neces-
sarily offensive. ST. Paul (the apostle) wrote
quite sermon about charity, and he re-
garded it as superior to education. The mod
ern idea seems to be: knowledge is the
climax of virtues and must not. be contain
mated with charity, Some one will prob
ably explain to me that charity does not mean
what it used to mean, and that may excuse
the apostle. .y...,. -t...
Mr. kiehle cites the:class distinctions in the
schools of England and GERMANY, and that
this has followed U.s.. to America like the
curse of Cain. We should certainly be sur
prsed if the class distinctions which prevail
in Europe could be kept out .of the schools
no matter what the schools are called The
snobbery of Europe has followed US here.
We have no stars and garters and titles Of
| nobility conferred by our government, and
so secret societies of all kinds are used to
satisfy the longing for exclusiyeness and
titles and regafa We have all kinds Of
CARNATIONS Imaginable except The Noble Or
der of White Men. We claim to be demo-
| cratic people, but the people do not try to
conceal their yearnng for aristocratic pre-
tensions.
| The same feeling which prevails in other
| social conditions must find its way into the
schools. The numerous private seminarics
and academies throughout the country are
| supported by those who do not want to as
| sociate with the common people. People in
| the country towns recommend their local
high schools, but those who can afford it sead
their children elsewhere to be educated. Stu
dents from Minnesota will go to eastern UNI
yersities that are conceded to b., better
! than our own.
| If the legislature complies with the prayer
of the petition now being circulated and I'M
dertakes to tamper with the dictionary the
| new law will contain covert notice to the
veteran soldier that he never was in fight
that ranked in the same class with a foot
ball game. Would it not be better to drop
| the word charity from our legal vocabulary?
| Before we petition the legislature to define
| 1.-The honorable rank of education IN the state
of Minnesota we need a law to suppress the
hoodlums who by acts Of vandalism and per-
sonal violence disiigure and disgrace our edu-
| cational institutions
Equal Rights.