Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-11
Complications Will Be Added.
Compulsory School Law.

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
/ notice that in the report of the proceed
ings of one of the citizens associations
few days since a resolution was adopted to
ask Congress to enact a law for the COM
pulsory attendance at school
1t is most unaccountable that there should
be such long continued ignorance on this
subject. Years ago editorials urging the
enactment of a compulsory law were pub
lished in the Republican, The Star and the
Post and al the request of the Women's
Christian Association (as I recall IT. bill
was introduced. by Senator ingalls, for such
a law.
Even the District authorities seemed to be
ignorant of the existence of such a law,
for when Mr.. Webb was Commissioner he
was greatly surprised when 1 called his at
tention to the existence of the law, was
also another Commissioner at a later
period; and yet a compulsory law was
acted by Congress June % 1864, and may
be found in chapter IL, page 81, of the Re-
vised Statutes of the United States relating
to the District of Columbia
The first section of that law reads as fol-
lows: rl.J
Every person In ,the District of Column
bia, having underrcontrol any child between
the ages of eight and fourteen years, Shall
annually, during the continuance of such
control, send such child to some public
school in that part of the District in which
he shall at the time reside, at least twelve
weeks, six of which shall be consecutive,
and for every neglect of such duty the
party offending shall forfeit to the use of
the school in that portion of the District in
which he resides a sum not exceeding $50,
to be recovered before any justice of the
peace of the District
Not the least attempt to enforce that law
has ever been made, either by the school or
the District authorities. Indeed, as shown,
ayiStapce have hpen unknown.
or entirely ignored.
The necessity for its enforcement was
well shown in the report of Mr. O'Neill,
agent of the Humane Society, and in his
interviews published in The Star of April 6,
and in the Post of April IS 1889.
AS late as 1892, according to the police
census there were 1852 children between
six and eighteen years of age, who did not
attend school, of whom 71S7 We're white
and 5,6S5 were colored; and it is said there
are from 1900 to 10000 at the present time!
But that is not all, for in 1900 there were
$40 halliday schools with 14,25S sholars,
and in 1902 the number of halliday schools
had increased to SEQ! OF these eighty were
in the third, fourth and fifth grades, with
16G2S scholars, very nearly one-third of
the whole number, including the high and
normal schools, the whole number on Jan
uary 20, 1862, being 41,431. According to
the last report the number of halliday
schools had been reduced to 80
AS fully two-thrds of those who do at
tend never get beyond the fifth or sixth
grade, what chance have these halliday
scholars for an education to qualify them
to get a living. To them. and to the COM
munity, this is matter of vital import
ance, as all must admit.
An obvious reason for this condition of
| affairs was and still is that there are not
| enough school buildings to admit of their
attendance OF course, without sufficient
| buildings, it was useless to attempt to en-
force the law, even if it's existence was
| known.
| II y,o,,l5 therefore ceepo tbat tho oiti
| zens' associations instead of asking for the
| enactment of a compulsory school law and
| clamoring for street extensions and i'm
| proVements for the benefit of suburban
| Spectators, should give their attention to
| securing more school buildings.
| 1t is true that the support of our schools
has grown to be big item in the District
| bill the estimate of the school board this
| wear being almost 50 900 600 as reported by
| the press-very near one-fourth of the or
| binary expenses of the entire District; but
more importance than some other things
| for which the revenues are expended?
| The children must be educated while
young or not at all. On the other hand,
| some at least of the projects for which our
revenues have bees and now are being ex-
pended can wait without serious injury to
| the public. Congress should provide a
school fund for the District as it has for
the states, by the donation of over 100 O0O =
| 600 acres of the public lands for common
| schools alone719 C99000 acres for agricul-
| tural and mechanical schools, besides $25,-
| coo per annumr to each state from the pro-
ceeds Of the nublfc lands, and zoo oo0 acres
| to each state for a state university, while
to the District, it has never given an acre
of land nor q dollar of money for school
| purposes; and, prior to 1878 it never con-
| tributed a cent. for the erection of school
buildings or for the support of Inc schools,
! and that, too. while for seventy-eight years
large portion OF the scholars were the
| children of noh7fesidents who paid no taxes
and contributed nothing for the support of
t ths at ouresens although So even noW
| where in the neighborhood of 900 scholars
resluing outside of the District attend the
District schools, mostly in the higher
| grades where the tuition costs nearly three
| times as much as In the lower grades
Aside from this there are means by which,
| as / think, the expenditure on our schools
| could be better applied than at present
without injury to the community at large
| but that leave for future discussion.
| w. c. DODGE.