Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/30

 16 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

enforce the law, and a penalty of from $i to $5 is prescribed for its wilful violation, and a fine of from $3 to $20 may be imposed for wilfully making a false statement concerning a child's age. Until recently it was impossible to enforce the compulsory-education law in those cases where its enforcement was most necessary, namely, in the case of habitual or chronic truants. The truant officers might return such children to the school, but they would run away at noon or the next morning, and, of course, a truant officer could not be provided for each habitual truant. Hence arose the necessity of having a special school to which such children might be sent by the court, and be kept there until cured of the truant habit. In 1899, there- fore, the first parental- or truant-school act was passed, largely through the efforts of the woman's clubs of the state, especi- ally of Chicago. This act provides that all cities of 100,000 inhabitants or more shall, and all cities of 25,000 inhabitants and less than 100,000 may, establish parental schools. The board of education in such cities is authorized to purchase land, erect buildings, employ a superintendent and teachers, prescribe the course of instruction and methods of discipline, and supply all apparatus necessary to the proper equipment of such school. The school shall not be located near a penal institution. No religious instruction is allowed " except such as is allowed by law to be given in public schools," but the board of education may make provision so that "the children may receive reli- gious training in accordance with the belief of their parents, either by allowing religious services to be held in the institution or by arranging for the attendance at public service elsewhere." Any child of compulsory school age (between seven and four- teen years), girl or boy, who is guilty of habitual truancy or persis- tent violations of the rules of the public school, may be commit- ted to the parental school by the county, or circuit court, on peti- tion of a truant officer or any reputable citizen ; the parents or guardian must be duly notified of the proceedings about to be instituted ; the child is committed by summary jurisdiction of the court, but "no child who has ever been convicted of any offense punishable by confinement in any penal institution " can