The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-08
Compulsory Education.
Editor. Of The Times -Dispatcn:

.. L
sir,-At late educational meeting
held in Stanton, and addressed by Mr..
Page and Professor Thornton, leaflet
on compulsory education, taken from
The Times Dispatch and written by
Major Dooley, was distributed. Tho
writer's argument In brief IS this: The
state has q right to compel and does
compel the property holders to provide
schools for large body Of their fellow
citizens who are too poor to educate
their children, not for the childrens sake.
but for the body polite. which would
suffer II the children were not educated.
But a large Majority Of the children do
not 20 to these schools. Therefore. says
Major Dooey the State should compel
them to go, for the same reason that IT
compels tho wealthy to provide the
schools. viz, for the public veal.
think state Major Doolcy's argument
fairly. The whole force OF the argument
rests upon the assumption that the
schools provided by the state are ade-
auate and ut to accomplish their pur-
poses.
Now are these schools q mean the
country schools. for these are the ones
which the parents IN large measure re-
fuse to patronize) TT and adequate? I
am right sure that all OF those who are
In position to know are agreed that
they are not. * uOIl y u!iue1 Iahc ~ seA1
why not; that Is not relevant here but
that they are not tho schools to accom-
plish the purposes that Major Dooley
claims for them, Is generally admitted.
Then, surely, there should be no COM
pulsion, nay, there should be no per-
suasion even to use them. A school
may be so poor that It Is useless or
worse to use 1t. and many think this OF
tho rural schools in Virginia. The aver
H.. ,ol, Nal n.
field schools" Of Virginia IN ante-bellum
times. And the best proof OF this I
find In the fact that our fellow-citzens
of Virginia OF the rural districts do not
use them. cannot think so III OF them
as to believe that they would not pat
ronizc good schools If they had them IN
reach. Make the country schools then
good schools, and mean by this, schools
that will give what is called plain
English education" by teachers OF suot,
learning and character as VIII win the
respect OF the pupils and parents; and,
take my word for it, you will find that
the average Vlrginian In the country
viii know q good school when he sees
it, and will use 1t for all 1t is worth.
Major Dooleys plan is: Make the chill
dren go to tho schools whether they are
good or bad. Is 1t not better to make
the schools good first. and then sec II
$500 II
lest we excite spirit Of revolt and eis-
like to system which ought to pc
blessing, but may, like other good things,
IL nlisused, provo q curse.
Don't say to these YirGinlans, our
fellow countrymon OF the country, the
bone and slnew of1the Commonwealth,
"You've got to come UP to tho rack,
fodder or no fodder;' nor say Of them
as the commssary general said OF the
soldiers In tho Spanish war; when they
would not cat the "embalmed" beef:
DIN en-, they shall eat It," The
yirginians OF the present day are very
much like the Yirginians Of 70 and 81,
They don't like to be forced into any
thing, and never have been forced into
anything, except the present Union"
and they clicked" 80 ficrcely against
that that Lincoln and his party were
very sick OF tho job before they got
through with It., No. human nature IS
much tho same everywhere. and men
who are worthy Of the name should be
'humored and not drove" as tho ple-
man said to Tom Pinch about the meat
pie, which Tom was trying TO force into
his pocket.
Respectfully yours, N +.
BERKELEY MINOR, z