The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-26
DR.. KIEHLE'S APPEAL
CIRCULAR REQUESTING LEGISLA-
TURE TO PASS on BOARD OF
CONTROL LAW
STATUS OF THE UNIVERSITY
Ut Cannot, He Says, BE RightfuIIy
Classified With State Institu-
~ tiOns That Are Charit-
able or Penal.

There has been considerable specula-
ton as to whether or not the extra ses-
sion of the legislature would take up the
board of control law and attempt to so
revise it as to bring order out of chaos.
"A number Of state senators have held
fast to the opinion that the matter ought
to be taken up and not put off until the
regular session. Senators Daily and John
son have so expressed themselves, and
many others are of the same opinion.
Ever since the supreme court rendered its
decision, the state university people have
been eager to have the question taken up
and settled by the legislature. One of
the most earnest workers in this direc-
ton has been DR.. D. L. Kiehle, professor
of pedagogy at the state university and
for many years state superintendent of
public instruction. DR.. Kiehle has had
printed a circular entitled "ls Public Edu-
cation a State Charity?'' and thousands
of copies were yesterday sent out over
the state. The legislature will undoubt-
edly hear from these circulars before the
session is over. DR.. Kiehles appeal i'll
part is as follows:
In a recent majority decision of the
supreme court of the state of Minnesota,
it was held that, in a legal sense, the
state normal schools are charitable IN
situations, and accordingly are included
under the law which provides that a
state board of control shall be created
''for the mana gement and control of the
charitable, reformatory and penal insd-
buttons of the state
This accident of legislation, has. there
fore, raised a question of very serious
concern, namely, on what principle IS the
education of the youth of the state sup
ported?
Is it charity, or as a duty which the
state owes to itself, and with when It's
own welfare is involved?
A charity is q service rendered gratui-
tously to one who is in need, and offered
by the promptings of the spirit of phi
1anthropy, and without expectation OF
amy return in personal advantage or re
enumeration. Prompted by this spirit
we send food to the hungry; we open
almshouses and care for the he!plesSly
invalid. But, when we realize that we
are so closely related to others in inter
est and destiny that what we do for
them we do for ourselves as we'll, as
when we educate our own children, our
expenditures and sacrifices no longer be-
long to the list of charities.
The governing classes of Europe have
always refused to unite the destiny OF
neither in Germany nor in England is
the school froe from these class dis
tinctions. Yet, even these countries:
they do not attach the offensive name OF
charities" to their schools. In Ger
many the common people are educated
in q system peoples schools) by them
selves In England, until within some
thirty years (1S70), the only education
do not count in gOVernment-WaS IN cnar-
ity schools, supported by two socletIes.
one of the established church, the other
by the dissenters: The sentiment men tina, that
so strong that even the families of the
middle classes have persistenly refused
to patroniZe them.
PennsyIvania's School Act.
Tn 1890 the following article was placed
in the constitution of Pennsylvania;
1.-THE legislature shall, as soon as con-
yenientIy may be, provide by law for the
establishment of schools throughout the
be taught gratis" Naturally enough"
says DR.. Hinsdale, this clause gave rise
to a class of public schools that were
nicknamed charity schools and 'pauper'
schools, because they taught the children
of the poor gratuitusly, while requiring
the rich and the well-to-do who patron
tied them to pay tuition fees. Experience
shows that schools conducted on this ba-
sis will be despised by the rich and poor
alike. The experiment was tried in the
early years Of the common school revival
by other states than Pennsylvania, and
always with like results.
Mr.. Mann, scholar, lawyer and senator