The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-12-07
State Board Of Education Drafts
A Bill
FOR THE NEXT LEGISLATURE
Suggested By Mr.. E. Stanley Gary,
EspOused By Governor Warfield
And Adopted By the Board OF Ed
uCation.

Att''tAAA@ AAblli ~ " NASN-N I'll III L 50
adopted the draft of bill for com
pulsory education which will be
recommended to the Legislature
for adoption. Governor Warheld
presided over the meeting and
showed deep interest in the pro-
posed measure AS each section of
the draft was read over the various
members Of the board discussed
them. After the last clause had
been reached the Governor put the
motion as to its adoption by the
board, and this motion was unaui-
mously carried. The bill will be
placed in the hands Of some mem
Der Of the Senate, who is yet to
be selected, early during the SEES
sion with view to having it pass
both branches as soon as possible.
Compulsory education has already
been adopted in about 50 States
and it is said to be giving excel
lent results The difficulty in
TINS State was to prepare law
which would not be too drastic OF
too iuquisitorial. The subject Of
compulsory education for Mary
land was first proposed by Mr. L.
Stanley Gary, who some four years
ago began to make a campaign for
the adoption Of such a measure,
and the action of the State board
was very gratifying to him.
The School Board requested the
legislative committee, composed
of Messrs. John G. Roger, Clayton
PurnelI and Glenn Worthington,
to attend the coming session ofthe
Legislature with a view to helping
the passage of a bill,
The board has selected the topic
Of discussion to be held in the vari-
Gus public schools of the State on
Maryland Day, March IS. The
topic for consideration will be
"Maryland's Part in Founding the
Northwest Territory"
The proposed compulsory edu-
catioual law is as follows
SECTION I. Be it enacted, That
every parent, guardian or other
person in the counties of the State
of Maryland having control of a
child or children between the ages
of 8 and 10 years, inclusive, shall
be required to send such child or
children to a public, private, de
nominational or parochial school,
taught by competent instructor,
in which school the common school
branches as contained in the pri-
mary grades of the course of study
adopted for the public schools of
the State, shall be taught for a
period of not less than 90 school
days, unless such child or children
shall be excused from such attend
ance by the Board Of County School
Commissioners upon presentation
to said Board of County School
Commissioners by the board of
district trustees of the school dis
trlct IN which the parent, guardian
or other person resides of satisfac.
tory evidence, showing either that
the bodily or mental condition of
such child does not permit of its
attendance at school, or that the
child is being instructed at home
by person qualified, in the iudg-
ment Of the County Superintendent
of Public Education. In case the
county superintendent refuses to
excuse such child from attendance
from school an appeal may be taken
from such decision to the Board of
County School Commissioners pro-
vided said appeal shall be taken
within ten days after such refusal
Provided, that i'll case there be
no public or private school within
two miles by the nearest travelled
route to such person within the
school district, he or she shall not
be liable to the provisions of this
act.
SEC. 2 1t shall be the duty of
the principal teachers of all schools