Milford chronicle., 1919-10-17
CAN ALLOW BOYS TO MISS
SCHOOL UNDER new Law
POWER IS GIVEN TO PERMIT PUPILS
WHEN NECESSARY TO WORK
ON FARMS.
- milminrlon EYenIng Jonrnal.

,coman from Dover has been down
bero and mas indicted three or four
farmers and a widow because they
kent their boys az home 20 cut corn
Ii was either keep their boys home or
iose their corn. Looks like lot oil
rich men were trying TO break up the
farmers and then step in and buy
their land cheap.
The above assertion was made 70
your correspondent by an opponent Oh
fhe new school code. He even assert
ed he had talked with one OF the farm
ers who had been indicted Ine
storv with variations. is in general
circulation. Farmers are being told
that farmers in some other section or
school district are being compelled 10
send their BOYS 20 school or be hned.
Rut il Is impossible to get those telling
these tales TO specify who is the farm
or who has been fined or against whom
charges have been preferred.
Failing to get any definite informa-
fion from those circulating the story,
your correspondent telephoned TO
County superintendent Holloway al
Dover and asked IL any charges had
been preferred by any school author
ftv against any farmer. Mr.. Holloway
said there was no ground for any such
statement
Il is hard for the opponents OF the
school law 20 give up their most pop
ular argument against the laW-name-
lv'the assertion that 10 compels farm
ers 10 send their boys TO school IRON
Aurust / TO- June ] or suffer fine and
Imprisonment That was the tayOrite
~ nrnnm IFS
enemies made their first drive
against TO- To was the most telling
argument with the masses. 1t was
the argument most Gsed by the enc
mics OF the law when they were ar
ranging their mas meetings month
0r six weeks ago. preparatory TO in
vadng Dover and creating rumble
outside the doors of the Delaware Su-
premen Court Although none OF the
direful things then prophesied have
come about although no farmer has
been indicted or fined or jailed. the
enemies of the law are trying desper-
ately TO keep alive among the farmers
p a fear of the law and prejudice against
II upon the ground that over in the
, next county the law is being used tc
, ruin farmers whose only Offense is
, keeping children out Of school few
days 10 help save the crops
With the inconsistency that is char
, acteristic Of the small politician who Is
! all things to all men, the same mer
who denOunce the school law as al
! outrage because of its compulsory at
e tendance feature are also denOuncinl
Y the State Board of Education for max
: ing exemptions from the law until No
: vember /, in cases where its enforce
q ment would work a hardship To quot,
! a Milford opponent Of the law:
= "The law says children must go Il
school $50 days, but Mr.. dupont wal
down here the other night and said thu
5 State Board had decided not to enforce
a the law. What right has Mr.. duPon
d to do that? Where in the law does i
n say that if Mr.. dupont doesn't want Il
:, enforce the law he doesn't have to
n Tell me that If he can suspend tn
law to please some people doesn't tina
prove that a few men are running thi
. whole thing TO suit themselves and
few of their friends?'
Here again the opponents of the Law
convict themselves either of ignoranc
II Of the law or of misrepresentation o
IT, The new school law makes pro
u visions for a certain number of schOC
!, days and for the attendance of child
= rem But IL also contains this clause
ie "PrOVided, that the County Superin
tendents of Schools and the Superin
tendentS Of Schools Of special schOC
Iy districts. or persons duly authorize
re by such Superintendents of Schools
may excuse, subject 10 the rules an
regulations OF the State Board OF Ed
j., uca.iOn. eases OF necessary and legi
: absence Of pupils enrolled in the pull
lie schools
In other words the new school La
is to be enforced with reason, justic
T. and common sense. The vitality of a
Df law and any law depends upon il
just and reasonable enforcement Tn
draft law during the recent war calle
a all men between certain ages to ente
n. the army. But il also gave TO thos
- officials charged with it's enforcement
the power to make reasonable eXemI
tions. which the draft officials dil
As conditions changed from time
~ time, the exemption rules were mod
y fed by the draft officials.
10 So it is with the school law. 1t sci
a up a general standard of school
NE4AAEA1t AtA6AAA VI ANA AAAf eAANhAeAAAN
and other educational detail. But
- also confers upon the school author
ties the power to make rules and res
= ulations in the application and aperi
II ton of the law which will enforce II
10 law according 10 common sense an
fairness. Among other powers it gay
the school authorities right to eXcui
er necessary absence of pupils, just I
n the draft officials excused certain me
.ls from military service. But such actiC
he does not suspend the school law al
more than exemptions during the dra
suspended the draft law. To get e
empted from the draft, each indiyidu
re had to make application and sho
m cause. To get exempted from q
ng compulsory school attendance featu
IN OF the school law a parent or guar
ne ian, under the State Boards rulin
must file an application showing caus
There is no suspension or nome
q. f0rcement of the law about such a
= tion.
= What makes the opponents OF q
sh law mad Is that the State Board
en- Education didn't act "stiffnecked" al
ms autocratic and try to apply the ID
without common sense or fair play
any regard TO justice. In their ang
on disappointment these enemies now a
as cuse the State Board of not enforci
- the law.
'n In this connection It is INTEREST,"
" to note that p S. dupont, vice cha
lat man Of the State Board of Educate
is the sole target OF the critics Of I
State Board Of Education. WhateN
70 the State Board does which arou'