The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1902-02-20
COMPULSORY EDUCATION LAW

W
House File No. 40 now before the
Iowa General Assembly and believe
that the bill should become a law.
1t provides for at least twelve weeks
attendance each year on the part of
every child in proper physical and
mental condition from Z to IA years
of age, inclusive, unless the child
lives more than two miles from any
school by the nearest travelled road
or is excused for sufficient reason by
auv court of record.
The school attended must be pub
lie, private, or parochial school or
their equivalent in which the COM
mon branches of reading, writing,
spelling, arithmetic, grammar, geo.
graphy, physiology and United States
history are taught. Persons violating
the provisions of the section are
deemed guilty of d rnisdemeanor and
upon conviction thereof are to pay a
fine Of not less than (s3) nor more
than (s2O) for each offense. Duties
OF school boards, teachers and truant
officers are all specified andprovided
for.
We have always felt that the state
should look after and protect the in
terests of neglected children.
Some parents are so indifferent as
to permit their children to grow up
with no school training whatever.
The children lacking in judgment and
discretion, are satisfied to remain
away from school until they pass the
school age, when as rule they are
condemned to life of ignorance of
those intellectual enjoyments belong
ing to civilized and enlightened con-
ditions of life. And this, it may be
said, through no fault of their own,
The state or society pays and pro-
vides for the education of all, then
all, it would seem, are entitled to the
benefits of this provision.
We would plead not alone for the
protection of society against ignor-
ance and its train of evils but our
plea is for each individual child who
should be given at least a chance with
the more favored as common school
education affords.
The old arguments against compul-
sorry attendance laws-that they are
undemocratic, ETC., are more specious
than reasonable and will not bear
close scrutiny. The only real hard
ship of such law arises in tthose
cases where the labor of the child is
considered desirable or necessary in
support of the family, yet this OBJ
lection should have but little weight
when the rights and future welfare OF
the child are considered, and espec-
tally in state so well prepared to
care for all its poor and.unfortunate
as is Iowa. Most of the children be-
tween and IA years of age who fail
to attend school in this state, fail be-
cause of the indifference of the par
ents or through their weakness in en-
forcing parental authority. In such
cases the state should surely come to
the rescue and save the child from
the life of idleness and viciousness
that otherwise most likely awaits
him. We are not discussing thai
phase of the.question now but exper-
ience long since taught that habits o.
industry and steadiness of purpose
are most surely fostered in every
good school. Success there meant
work, application and for this reason
if no other, every child should be SEN
to school.
Compulsory attendance is workinl
all right in some of the best statei
and is lowering the percent of Hitter
acy. When enforced, as we under
stand the law is to-day in Ohio, 1
creates a wholesome respect for Law
on the part of the young street Aral
that will prove blessing to him al
the days of his life. There are chill
dren on the streets of Oskaloosa VIII,
have no good excuse for being out o
school. They are simply out and the,
don't care who knows It; for, as mat
ters stand In Iowa, no one who
thoughtful about such matters ha