Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09
COMPULSORY EDUCATION
Duty of the State to Compel Attend
ance Of Children at School.
From the Columbus State.

oilSc VI at SCHOOL.
From the Columbus State
Nearly every great people In modern
times have found it advisable. and many
OF them have considered it imperative that
education should be made compulsory
Even In ancient times, Rome found that
IL was only through the announcement
and promotion of education that she could
maintain her political ascendency and her
rank In civilization. In Greece II was due
to the wide Influence of the popular educa-
tionaI methods adopted by the phiIoso-
pners, and the natural aptitude for learn
ing and an enlightened curiosity on the
part or the Athenians. that the Greek
stood at the forefront of the world If the
average citizen of Athens had not in this
peasant way obtained the best sort OF a
practical education, the state would Doubt
less have made education compulsory so
culture. sym
In this age. when there is little direct
incentive to education and so much in
centive to the life of business, and where
TOO there Is so much temptation on tia
part OF parents to put the child to work
to tighten their own labors, 1t has been
round that the state must protect the child
ana, through Its proper training. protect
Itself For the surest safeguard of a state
Is the education of its citizens Unless
the state interposes in behalf of the chill
dren OF the poorer people. It Is likely that
their education will be neglected, for the
necessary sacrifices will not always be
willingly made, If made at all For these
general reasons, modern states, like Prus-
STA, france and others, have resorted to
compulsory education, with the most salts
Factory and, Indeed, marvellous results
1t has often been urged that the state
has no right to compel tho parents to send
their children to school. We use the word
state" in the sense of sovereign whether
1t be a country or one of the United
States. The arguments generally brought
against compulsory education are: that-it
Is paternalism," and that 1t is too great
an Interference with the rights of the
parent IL these contentious are sound,
then 1t must be held that society cannot
take. measures to protect itself, cannot in
other words, govern itself; and that the
parent has the right to permit his children
to grow UP as menaces to the state and
to society.
Compulsory education cannot be con-
sfdered 'paternalism" any more than II
can be regarded as democracy or socialism.
The government does not stand in the re-
lation of a parent to the people; II is the
people. II cannot, therefore when It acts
with the consent of the people. be pater-
nal. for 1t Is merely carrying out Its own
will The people, In democracy like ours,
is great family; and in this great family
the children should be properly trained.
properly educated, properly reared. The
inforced education of children could be
considered ''paternal" only in case of the
states usurpiug an authority not dele
sdtcu ~ ny Tie ptOpic lHCOusu lHeIf
representatives.
The argument of interference with the
rights of the parent must stand or fan
upon the contention that the parent has no
right to raise children in ignorance. 1t Is
his duty, to the child and TO society to see
that 1t Is educated. And II he falls. then
1t becomes imperative that society. for its
own security, shall furnish the means for
the education Of the children of the state.
and make education compulsory.
The strongest argument In favor OF COM
pulsory education IS that only through
such system can the children of the state
be properly educated. The contention that
education is the best security OF the state
is, perhaps, universally admitted; and II
general education could be obtained in any
other than by a. compulsory system. 1t
would be as well. But II has been demon
strated that unless there Is compulsory
education there will not be general educa-
ton Of any sort. In the thiniy populated
districts or among the poorer classes there
are no schools and no means TO build,
equip, or conduct them; and even IL there
were abundant schools, all parents could
not be depended on to keep their children
at school Many OF them would keep them
at work on the farms or in the factories
until too late to get an education, with the
result that they would grow up in Hitter
acy and with dulled moral senses. The
state must interpoSe. for its own saliva
ton, and educate IT'S children