Evening star., 1960-08-16
Aid for Education

Ala for EduC0tI0n
If tax funds are ever used
in support of private or So
called independent" schools,
our public schools will be en-
dangered And if public
schools are endangered, our
national unity will suffer.
Public schools are a unifylng
force especially in a country
such as ours which is made
up Of so many diverse ethnic,
religious and racial types.
That old argument that the
independent schools are
easing the tax burden is ap-
parently brought up to try to
make public school advocates
feel guilty. Well, If people
want to spend their own
money sending their children
to private schools, that's
then business. The public
schools. supported by every
ones tax money. are always
open to them. BY seeking ad-
ditional public funds for
these public schools. and
public schools only. we are
attempting to insure that
they will be adequate to ed
ucate any child who wishes
to attend. Any necessary tax
increase to help public
schools is all right with me.
But let's don't burden the
taxpayers by making them
support private schools. After
all, why should the general
public be asked to support
schools that may exist only
to cater to someone's indi-
vidual religious, racial, or So
cial tastes?
American fair play" insists
on public schools which are
open to all and which leave
sectarian religious teaching
to the churches and social
instruction to the parents.
Violet V. Palmer.
Arguments that private and
church schools should be sup
ported by tax funds, &C
cording to one strategem or
another. and that if they are
not given such support this
is discrimination" against
them, generally overlook the
major issue at stake here.
That issue is the control of
education. We know that in
totalitarian lands the state
controls and carefully regi-
mentS education. In other
lands the church controls
education and uses it as a
protection and insurance of
its own concerns. But in a
free. democratic country like
the United States. education
is controlled neither by the
government nor by the
church but by the people. If
there is anything anywhere
in the world democratically
controlled it is education in
the United States. 1t is con-
trolled by the people acting
through their duly chosen
representatives in local COM
munitles. Education is con-
trolled by the people and
must continue to be con-
trolled by them in the in
terest of freedom.
Now this is a free coun-
try and any private persons
who desire to start a school
may do so. This is one of
their freedoms. But such a
freedom carries no mandate
on the public treasury. If a
man is dissatisfied with the
police. he is free to hire a
private bodyguard, but he is
not free to charge the ex-
pense to the state. Police pro-
lection is a public function
and we do not intend to hire
it out to private groups.
The same thing is true
in a sense with education. In
a free country like ours it
is the responsibility of the
people and they have no in
tention of parceling it out to
private or church groups
This would, of course, be the
inevitable result of granting
private educational opera
tions public funds, either di-
rectly or indirectly. All plan.
to subSidize church or private
education from public funds
must founder at this point
If we are to keep America
strong, unified and free, we
must resist all propaganda
for separate schools" with
a resultant defamation of oul
culture. and insist on one
great publicly controlled edu'
cational system supported
with tax funds, but not deny
ing the right of private
groups to have their owr
schools at their own ex'
pense.
Ernestine Matthews.