ANT COMMUNITIES 



practicable? Certainly, our American Republic is well 

 impregnated with the germ of that theory. Its essential 

 spirit largely controls the subject of education. True, 

 we have not yet reached the high stage of ant govern- 

 ment, in which the whole aim and activities of the com- 

 monwealth pivot upon and move around the rearing 

 and care of the young. But, at least, it is a ruling theory 

 of our people that organized society owes every child a 

 common-school education. At a tender age our children 

 are separated from their homes for a part of the day, 

 and placed by the State by legal compulsion, if need be 

 -where they get training and instruction without re- 

 gard of social distinctions. 



Herein is the common meeting-ground of all classes at 

 the most impressionable period of life, and the main- 

 tenance of the true democracy of our republic depends 

 largely upon that fact. We carry the principle so far 

 that we not only provide school-houses, teachers, school 

 apparatus, fuel, light, and janitor service, but we supply 

 text-books for the scholars. In many sections their 

 car-fare to and from school is paid; or, as in a district 

 school hard by the writer's country home, a big omnibus 

 goes the rounds o' mornings and gathers up the pupils, 

 and again at evening calls for and distributes them to 

 their homes. 



We dare not have it otherwise. Government must 

 continue to be responsible for the education of its young 

 citizens. For, however willing, individual families are 

 not able to do this unaided by the State. Even the 

 wealthy must submit to something like the same law. 

 Said a multi-millionaire to the writer: "We shall go to 

 Southern Italy to spend the winter. We might as well 

 close our house. To-morrow our son goes to (naming a 



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