Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1920-09-29
COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE
Some Excellent Reasons Why the Law
Should Be Strictly Enforced
Editor Chronicle:

| 4NOb az iCaC Willie dSO VIII
friend at the home of woman wh(
had an interesting daughter of abou
ten years of age, and being concern
ed about her education l tried to tall
school to her, but it was no use a.
we changed the subject her mother
said, with emphasis on the "want:: >
"Well, maybe some day Mildred will
want to go to school,"
| The incident suggests to my mine
one of the most vital of all ou,
school problems - COMPULSORY
! ATTENDANCE. There are some
things in this life that simply have ia
be done; they may be hard; urxsome
distasteful and all that but they have
to be done-going to scholo is one of
them. There has been a great deal
said lately about a child's individu-
atty unfolding itself best by allow
ing it to follow its own inclinations.
Mine were always toward a good
fishing hole, and a pond with a row
ooat and good pair of oars; and
suppose on the above theory, if they
had allowed me to follow my own in
cnnatlons might now be at the head
OF some great fishing industry or
captain OF translantic liner, but the
chances are about one hundred to
nothing that Iwould have added lust
one more to the uneducated. unin.
telligent multitude.
1t is the opinion of the great
American Commonwealth that no
matter how children feel about IL.
they should be compelled to 90 to
school, The reasons are plain en-
ough: Education means enlipbten-
ment, brain power, intelligence nut
into ones work; it is like spectaclas
to poor eyes; it is a microscope 10
look into the secret and profound
principles Of life.;t IA 4 telescnne ~, ~
look far away beyond the thinps
Wnicn men with ordinary vision can
not see. Education means an intel
llgent community, wise office hold
ers and administrators and thought
1ul, efficient progressive people. 1t
means prosperity and comfortable
homes, to all of which if you add
God will give, you have happiness
for which the whole world seeketh.
The lack of education means the
missing OF all those blessings that ed
ucation brings. How often we all
nave heard men say with deep re-
gret: "Oh if l had only been made
to go to school, but l was a fool. I
thought / knew better, and refused
to go and nobody insisted on it, and
now it is too late" There comes a
time therefare in the life of every
child when that child should have
should have have only one choice,
and that to go to school; and if
there be anyone, parent or child,
who, feels that his natural freedom
is thereby coerced let him reflect
that to be free after this manner
now, means to be a slave later-the
slave of ignorance, because the ig-
norant can only be slaves, slaves to
menial tasks tasks they are COM
PEELED to perform; only the poorer
and least desirable positions in life
being open to them, they must grind
away at those undesirable tasks all
their lives because they were never
trained for anything better.
l fully understand how hard it is
for parents to give up the services
of their growing boys and girls, and |
am sorry for the man who is left |
alone in the field with everything to
10 and only one pair of hands to do |
it; but wish to tell that brother that |
IN sending his bright eyed little folks
20 school he is creating capital, pure
and simple, to which he may add this
fact that a family of we'll educated
children is the finest life insurance
| man can have. In them is not
alone an increasing intelligence and
but hearts which will ever
warm toward him and see that he is
provided for during the rest of his
lays ministering to his wants with
owing hands. These, Mr.. Editor,
re some of the thoughts that passed
through my mind when Mildred's
mother left the question of going to
chool for the child to decide.
Bpt your folks in Cumberland
;ounty have an extra reason fo f
ompulsory school attendance. Al
he school your children have off
red them this year is four months.
Why, that is to education what soup
) to dinner, is is only the first
curse, it's just the beginning. For
wenty years I went to school and ,
very year studied for nine or ten
lonths. Folks here go to school for
bout twenty months and call it an
education. Your children will in
starve on those rations. c
hey must enter life crippled, ham
icapped, unable to compete with the
etter educated world. If four q
,nntbc ara oil tho school Cumher. Q