EXPERIENCE DEPARTM
How Does the Trnancy Law Work la
Yonr Schools?    Give Suggestions;
1st Premium.—Throngh the faot of the
trnancy offlce having sought me, I am
servirffe as suoh officer in onr little city
The law though right in spirit has many
defects. It should apply to children between the ages of seven and 15. Incorri-
gibles should be amenable within the
same age limits. It should define, especially in what portion of the school term
the attendance should be due, and I am
pursuaded that that should be during the
first 12 weeks. If the child attends, even
through compulsion, at the beginning of
the term, he will most likely attend voluntarily for the remainder. As the law
now stands it allows the parent to avoid
the penalties of the law during the earl-
, ler weeks of the term, induce promises
whioh he may afterwards violate to yield
his compliance later in the term. A child
who hesitatingly deoeives his parent or
guardian, by assuming to attend sohool
when he is at the same time playing truant should be considered incorrigible
and made amenable to the parental home.
As the law now is all the penalty lalls
npon the helpless parent or guardian. I
have several cases of this kind in mind,
and frankly oonfess my weakness in indulging the helpless violator of the law,
as it now is. But the most unfortunate
feature of the law ls that it creates additional and expensive office-, and I will
add ineffioient and needless ones. The
duty of the enforcement of such laws
shonld have been assigned to the present
school officials, the trustees in their several townships and the boards ot school
officers In the towns and oities. They
have the school enumeration, they know
their teachers and their pupils; they are
in touoh and harmony with all matters
pertaining to the school interests, and
conld easily see that the law was faithfully lived np to, and that too, with comparatively little expense to the tax payer
In our county there are bnt two truanoy
officers, myself within the little city of
Greencastle, and the other, though living
within onr city, having the remainder of
the county. It is bnt little short of farcical to think of one man, and he unknown to a majority of the teachers and
sohool officials thronghout the oounty,
faithfully exeonting such a law. He cannot do so and frankly acknowledges the
faot. But with all these defects, I am of
the opinion that the general knowledge
of the existence of the law, its moral effects have been good and that the attendance in sohool is already larger in oonse-
queues.   W. H. R.
2d Premium.—Some persons are always looking for tronble and something
to complain of. They are very sensative
as to what they are pleased to dominate
the abridgement of personal liberties
and individnal rights. This olass of oitl-
zens see in the compnlsory educational
law, omens of great danger. They complain that when a father oannot keep his
Child out of sohool a few days to assist in
corn gathering, or other farm work, his
rights as an Amerioan citizen are not
only abridged but destroyed. He forgets
that for generations the financial Interests of the oountry have been heavily
taxed to support our great free sohool
system that has done so mnch to blot out
illiteracy in onr State and Nation. If
the moneyed interests of the country are
to be taxed to support the publio schools-
then the masses must be compelled to
make the best possible use of them. The
Interests of soolety demand this, the interests of the State and Nation need it,
and the individual members of society at
large mnst have it. But the question is,
"has the law in this State been effeotive."
Onr State superintendent of schools reports that the attendenoe of pupils in
thla State has been  inoreased 30,000 that
oan be traoed directly to the compulsory
law. Isn't this enough? Thirty thousand people picked up on the streets and
along the streams and given an education by compulsion! They may not appreciate it now, but in time most of them
will. Bnt let ns see how it works in a
local way. The general attendance in
our county has been considerably increased, and our single truant officer has
had but little to do. No effort has as yet
been made to punish the offenders of the
law, but every effort ls being put forth
to make the offenders see the error of
their ways and peaceably submit and ac-
oept the law and obey its commands. In
our own distriot we have a family with
three children of proper ago to go to
school, the oldest 16, and not one of them
ever saw the inside of a school-honse, although living in sight of a good graded
school! The father was not informed of
tbe limits of the law and as a consequence we have the 16 year old young
lady and her two younger sisters in our
chart olass, trying to learn their A-B-C's.
One school district only a short distance
from us, has an enumeration of about 35
pupils of sohool age, yet the average
daily attendance for years has rarely exceeded 10, mostly furnished by two or
three families. This year the dogs got
out of the oabin doors and the children
regularly file out and fill the little
school house as it was never filled before.
If this law remains in foroe 10 years, at
least 20 pupils will have acquired the
rndlmeuts of an education in that one
district, that would otherwise have gone
through life blissfully ignorant of even
their A-B C's. We know of one manufacturing town with about 600 pupils
enumerated, whioh, owing to an indifferent foreign population has had difficulties in getting a good attendance in the
past. This yeaT the officers report that
the sohool buildings are overrun and
that only one pupil within the limit of
the law is notln regular attendance. This
has Worked some hardships where boys
assisting a widowed mother were taken
ont of factories and put to sohool, and in
instances public charity has been necessary. Yet all this is light weight arguments when oompared with a boy going
through life not knowing how to read
and write. Let the law be enforced—it is
the thing we have needed for years. If
there are lame places in the law they
will in time develope and they oan be
remedied by future legislation. ,The one
weak pciut I now see is in not starting
the ohildren at 6 instead of at 8 years.
Most pupils start to school at 6 years of
age, and those who are compelled to start
at 8 must drop in with pupils two years
younger than themselves, which is always discouraging to say the least. These
are views of one who was once,
_^____ A Teachrr,
3d Premium —The cumpulsory attendance law works famously in the surrounding dlstriots. The average attendance is two-thirds better tban usual; the
reason for this is that on every day when
the weather was favorable the children
were kept at home. In this way the distriot school education is not completed
for many yeara if ever, but the opinion of
many is, that now each student will be
able to pass a creditable examination in
one-half the time. If a acholar i- ever ab.
sent his education is like a chain with a
missing link; so being absent shonld be
avoided as muoh as possible, and by this
law will be, bnt it is a very good law for
those who live in oities of villages, but
for the country it is almost impossible to
go throngh dashing rains or heavy
storms, as some have no conveyance by
whioh they oan be taken. It is a very
poor way for small pupils to go along a
highway through dashing rains or snow
storms.
Some suggest a large carriage to take
each from his home to the sohool house-
but how to raise fnnds seems to be a ques
tion of interest. The schools conld do
without the truant offloers, as the teachers will have to make a report to this officer so he can report to the trustee. It
would be as easy for the teacher to make
the report direetly to the trustee. It
would be as easy for the teaoher to make
the report directly to the trustee. This
law is thonght by almost every one to be
one of the best laws of the State.
Some think it could be made more complete by extending the ye«rs from eight
to 18, instead of from eight lo 14. When
one reaches this age they should be in
school if not able to gradnate, I. G.
As to your query oonoerning the compulsory eduoation law I think it is well
worth what it costs to support the trnant
officer, as I know of quite a nnmber in
this township that wouldn't have gone
to sohool, but sinoe they have started
they seem satisfied to go right along.
' A Trustee.
The "hope ot our country" rests in our
publio schools. There should be no reason why the compulsory law shonld not
receive the hearty indorsement of every
citizen. When we take a glance about
us we see numbers of young men and women who were reared in the age of publio schools and had every.opportunity to
become educated to the limit of the publio schools; but, instead, ..re not far beyond the ability to read and write ordinarily well, if that far. Who is in fault?
Is it the young man? Not altogether. It
wa- the lack of the force to compel him
(o attend school. It was principa ly the
parent's or guardian's fault. It will not
be many years nntil we will see the effect of the law, even greater than now.
The law is bringing out many children
who havo, heretofore been spending their
time in idleness, and is crmpelling the
parents to send their children regularly
as they (those between the age of eight
and 14) must attend 12 oonseoutive weeks,
or the parent or guardian must suffer a
fine. It is estimated that iu the State this
law is adding to the daily attendanoe
abont 25,000 pupils. This shows how it
works. Within Hendiioks oounty the
law is being enforced to the limit, with
much good. A strict enforcement of the
law is our principal suggestion. It may
be our neighbors ohildren that are within the compulsory age, and wish to be exouse., but it is the duty of every one to
obey, and the duty of the trustee and truant offloer to see that the law is obeyed.
Hendrioks Co. J. P. Stout.
The compulsory attendance law is doing a great amonnt of good in a quiet way
in our community. It seemed at first that
the patrons of our country schools did
not well understand the law. I know of
several instances where pupils became
offended at their teaohers and gathered
up their books and went home; but when
the trnant officer visited their parents
and explained his duty the children were
sent to sohool again. Sometimes the parents oould not Bpare their children until
near the middle of the term; *>thers would
have for an excuse that they had not the
ready means to supply their children
with olothes and books; bnt this fall the
sohools here in the conntry opened with
a good attendance, and as far as I Know
are all progressing finely. One great
benefit of this law to the schools will be
to seonre a regular attendance. The
olasses oan be kept well graded and progress more rapidly. Another is that if the
law is properly enforced, ln 10 years from
to-day onr grand old State will not have
the number of illiterates on her records
that she has at the present time, In making any changes in the law I would make
the limit five months nntil the age of 14
and then three months eaoh year until
they graduate in the common sohool
branches, let that be at any age until 21
years. Onr common sohools now give
diplomas to all who finish the course at
the end ot eaoh term. Mrs. E. H.
review.
Several of the trustees say that the law
is exceedingly helpfnl in seouring and
maintaining regular attendanoe, and all
agree that its moral support of schools is
exceedingly helpfnl. Tbat the vast popularity of our publio sohool work needs
bnt a little prompting by some snoh law
to seonre almost universal attendanoe.
Oar township trustees say that in rnral
districts there is scarcely any additional
expense as a rule. Perhaps a half dozen
in most schools added to the attendance
is not felt as a burden. The same buildings and machinery of the system accommodate all. '
Some are bitterly opposed to the trnant
officer and say that just a little prompting from them (the trustees) is all that is
necessary, with no expense to the oounty.
OI course this would be different in various communities.
Some trustees oharge $600 a year any
how, whioh is almost the limit and surely
do count no parts of days, and I don't
know how it could add muoh to the expense if suoh. trustees had the truanoy
work in agricultural townships added to'
their duties, The vast popularity of the
law insnres against its repeal, which
wonld be a calamity. Everyone says it
is vastly oheaper to ednoate children than
to restrain and punish criminals.
No. 92, Deo. 11—Much -ground was
plowed for wheat that was not sowed.
Who can tell ns how far south spring
wheat will pay? When should it be
sowed?   Where should we get seed?
No. 93, Deo. 18.—How are grades, oul-
verts, and cuts for pikes made with
double tracks; a gravel and a dirt road
side by side?   How do you like them?
No. 91, Deo. 25—What message does
Christmas bring to your life, social, spiritual?
No. 95, Jan. 1, '98.—Read Isaiah's most
beautiful chapter, and comment on it.
(Is. 55)
Premiums of $1, 75o and 50o will be
given to 1st, 2d and 3d best articles eaoh
week. Let copy be as praotloal as possible and forward it 10 days before publication to E. H. Collins.
Carmel.
THE INSTITUTE SEASON.
The Institutes in this State tor the
dates given will be as follows; place of
meeting and ohairman of Institnte, date
and assigned speakers.
Grange No, (?) Jefferson oounty, John
Chapman, Lancaster, Deo. 6-7.—Todd, Tan
Deman.
Vevay, Switzerland county, Mrs. S. O.
N. Pleasants, Vevay, Deo. 8-9—Todd,
Plumb.
Mt Carmel Church, Ohio oounty, Edward Winn, Rising Sun, Deo. 10-11—Todd,
Plumb.
Spencer. Owen oounty, T. A. Peden,
Spenoer, Dec. 6-7—Husselman, Bowies.
Wonhington, Greene countv, F Mo-
Dermont, Worthington, Deo. 8-9—Hussel-
_-»*-, Bowlns.
Center Point, Clay countv, George
Stearley, Stearley ville, Deo. 10-11—Husselman, Bowles.
Nerth Vernon, Jennings oounty, K. F.
Clapp, Soripio, Dec 6-7—Riley, Huston.
Osgood, Ripley county, Nicholas Smith,
Holton, Dpc 8 9—Riley, Huston.
PleasantView Grange,!, carborn oounty,
H. D. Tufts, Aurora, Deo. 1011—RUey
Huston.
Sullivan, Sullivan oounty, Geo. Goodwin, Sullivan, Deo. 6 7—MoMahan, Mrs*.
Erwin.
Shoals, Martin county, J. M. Sherfick
Shoals, Deo. 8 9—MoMahan, Mra. Erwin.
Huntlngburg, Dubois oounty, 8. H.
Stewart, Ireland, Dtc. 10-11—MoMahan,
Mrs Erwin.
West Lebanon, Warren oounty, T. J.
Farden, Secretary, West Lebanon. Deo. 6'
7—Terry, Troop.
Terre Haute, Vigo county, W. W Pugh,
Terre Haute, Deo 8 9-Terry, Bitting.
Rookville, Parke county, John Gross,
Bellmore, D«*o. 10 11—Terry, Bitting.
Boswell, Benton oounty, Dr. J M Rodman, Fowler, Deo 6 7—Jenkins, Shawver.
Vnedersburg, Fountain county, C. W.
McKinney, Newton, Dec. 8 9—Jenkins,
Shawver.
Chalmers, White oounty, Albert Goalee,
Chalmers, Deo. 10-11—Jenkins, Shawver.