Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1915-12-15
CIVIC LEAGUE MEETS
HEARS TWO ADDRESSES
DR.. Malibie Talks On Compulsory
Education--Mr. Melvin Makes
Stirring Address.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.
The Civic League to be Represented
Next Tuesday at Court House On
Legislative Preparedness.


With compulsory education its key
note, the Civic League meeting last
evening was featured by two stirring
addresses, one by DIR. William t. Malt
bic, of Baltimore who had been in
vited here for the specific occasion.
The other address was Mr.. George T.
Melvins, of this city, TO whose efforts
the Civic League owes its inception
The regular routine business was
suspended by the president, Miss Kath-
arine Walton. after the opening ex-
ercises of prayer, and at the unani-
nous request of those present The
secretary Miss Louise Linthicum. read
a letter from DR.. Garner, Superintend-
ent of County Schools, in which the
Doctor stated the Boards attitude in
. the matter of compulsory education, to
which that official body, the letter said
is favorable.
Mrs. George T. Feldmeyer,a delegate
to the Federation of Women's Clubs
from the Annapolis Civic League, read
her report, giving extracts from speech
es made at that Federation bearing
upon better civic government and rem
edies for existing evil conditions.
Mrs. Thomas j Linthicum made a
motion that the League be represented
on Tuesday next at the meeting call
ed by Standardized Frank NJ. Duvall at
the Court House to confer with tax
payers, and county and city officials
on legislative preparedness.
The motion was carried and to this
end there will be a meeting at Miss
Walton's, Francis street on Monday
evening, December 20, at O'Clock, of
all the officials of the Civic League, all
chairmen of different committees to
talk over the necessary plans of work
to be outlined and presented to the
meeting for consideration and contem-
plated legislative action on Tuesday.
DR. MaItbie, who came by invitation
of the Civic League, to present the
needs of compulsory education in this
county, which the law does not cover
presented q fOrceful argument along
this line He said that if parents do
their children free, and the benefits
that accrue from the Safe, then the
State must compel parents to educate
their children. and to give them the
advantages for which the State arpro-
PIRATES money. He quoted from Prof
essor Hand, School Inspector of South
Carolina. who said:
THE State has no right to levy and
collect taxes for a specific purpose
then to permit that purpose to be
defeated at the hands of Indifferent OF
selfish parents. For the State. under
the mandates of the law.to collect taxes
for the education of its children and
fail to give the education to the legal
beneficiaries is a moral crime. if not a
statutory one.
I'm this connection one hears much
about the sacred rights and persona
privileges of the parent who neglects
or refuses TO send his child to school
Has the helpless child no sacred
rights? Has the State not some priv
ileges? The tendency to shift from,
the home those functions which prop
erly belong there is regrettable. One
of those functions is to train the chill
dren for their duties and responsible
tiles in the social organism. Society
itself is imperiled whenever its mem
bers are unfit. One of the essentials
of unfitness is what we call education
Dr. Maltbie's address was received
with favor and discussion followed.
Mr. .M,alyin's Address.
The following is an address deliv-
cred before the Women's Civic League
of Annapolis yesterday evening by
Mr. George T. Melvin:
Madame President. Ladies and Gen.
|, tlemen:
This question of public school at
tendance is a real one. For wears
have expected the time to come when
the fathers and mothers of the State
would awake to its importance. and
when public sentiment would mass il.
self behind compulsory attendance
law that would remedy the glaring
evils and avert the menace of non-at-
tendance. Twelve years ago Baltimore
City and Allegany county began the
effort in Maryland to enforce attend
/ ance. The original statute applied
| only to children between eight and
twelve years of age. Four years age
the optional" act of 1912 was passed
extending the age limit to fourteen
and applying to those counties "where
the Board of County School Commits
sioners shall approve the same" and
appoint attendance officers for its en-
forcement, with the exception of six
which are specifically exempted Eight
counties have adopted the law and are
in some measure, enforcing attendance
Doubtless it was unfortunate that
the word compulsory at first was used
in the school attendance problem
Compulsory did not hit right with
{ the prevailing public opinion. II was
new thing to county people that they
were TO be compelled by law TO send
their children to school. 1t ran coun-
ter TO the ideas of right and liberty Of
many Marylanders, and prevented the