maintained by an employer, to acquire such minimum knowledge. Failing to obey this law, the minor is subject to a fine of not exceeding five dollars. Guardians or persons in control of the minor who cause him to fail to secure such minimum education are subject to a fine of not more than twenty dollars, and whoever attempts to induce such minor to absent himself from school or employs him without providing for him the minimum education, is subject to a fine of not less than fifty dollars. Employers may satisfy the requirements of the Act by maintaining schools."

Several states have limited compulsory attendance to the ages of fourteen, fifteen or sixteen. The States of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and New York, have extended such compulsory attendance requirements in respect to a minimum knowledge of English, to persons up to twenty-one years. The States of Maine, Colorado and Ohio, are now considering the extension of compulsory attendance in like manner. Illiterate minors may be compelled to secure a minimum ability to understand, read, write, and speak the English language in these states. There is a general consensus of opinion that every person reaching the voting age in New York State at least should have the minimum ability to use our language to exercise intelligently the right of franchise. The responsibility for carrying out the intent of the Legislature in this respect has been placed upon the educational authorities. Test cases have been brought in New York State to establish the constitutionality of the law, to determine procedure and to develop ways and means by which the intent and purpose of the law shall be carried out. It must be recognized, however, that public educational authorities are already burdened with responsibility. in securing conformity to the general compulsory attendance law for children in the state, and that the new educational requirements for minors places added burdens upon the public educational agencies for which adequate provisions must yet be made.

This Committee approves the compulsory attendance law for minors up to the age of 21 and urges the Department of Education and the other school authorities of the state to do their utmost to see that the intent of this law is fulfilled. This is an imperative necessity in New York State where it is estimated that possibly 400,000 persons in the state are illiterate not only in English but even in their own language.

ages.

In every state of the United States there is legislation provided for the compulsory school attendance of children between certain In the majority of states all children between the ages of seven and fourteen years inclusive are required to attend, for the full term, a public or other authorized school unless entitled to some specific exemption. Children between fourteen and sixteen years of age, unless they have graduated from the grammar schools or are engaged in some regular, useful and gainful employment, are compelled to attend part-time schools or extension classes. In Virginia the age limit is particularly low, making school attendance compulsory only for children between the ages of eight and twelve years, while in several other states all children between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one years, who have not completed an education at least equivalent to the standard fifth grade of grammar school, are required to attend night school or continuation school for at least eight hours a week for the full school session. Some of the more progressive states, notably Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have not only provided for the establishment of night classes in vocational training, citizenship, Americanization, etc., but also in order to encourage extension classes, make reimbursement up to seventy-five to one hundred percent of the cost to all boards successfully operating a school of this kind.

More than half the states have compulsory attendance for minors below fourteen years of age, and compulsory part-time attendance for minors between fourteen and sixteen years of age. The states requiring such attendance are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia.

The states which require attendance of minors only up to the age of fourteen years are Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, and Texas.

Virginia requires the attendance between the ages of eight and twelve years and North Dakota between eight and fifteen years. The states making attendance compulsory up to eighteen years, are Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Nevada. A few, as previously pointed out, provide compulsory attendance for minors over sixteen years of age and up to twenty-one years. These states are Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

The Assistant Director of Attendance of the New York City Public Schools stated to this Committee that it has been impossible thus far to enforce the law requiring instruction in English for minors between sixteen and twenty-one years, but he believes that it should be enforced.

Many states provide for the establishment of continuation schools upon the request of a specified number of residents or at the discretion of the local board, which are free, but not compulsory to persons above the standard school age.

Massachusetts has a comprehensive program for the education of persons over twenty-one years of age. A state commissioner has been appointed in Mississippi under a state law for the purpose of investigating illiteracy throughout the state, making recommendations and taking such measures as will in his opinion contribute to the elimination of illiteracy in the state, while Iowa. shows recognition of the special needs of that state by organizing special schools for miners in the great mining camps, similar to those organized throughout New York State in factories and other industries.

CHAPTER VI
Appropriations

The universal handicaps to Americanization work, as reported to the Committee, are lack of competent teachers, and lack of sufficient funds, the former, of course, depending largely upon the latter for rectification. While the appropriation for citizenship training in New York State should be decided entirely upon the exigencies of the situation, still it is of interest to compare it with the appropriations of some of the other states. Although its funds for immigrant education exceed those in other states in actual amount, the per capita allowance for this work is still far too low even to carry on the work under present programs, to say nothing of raising the standards for teachers.

Arizona has no public funds for Americanization although private funds are contributed for some citizenship training work. A bill was presented to the Legislature calling for an appropriation for 1919, but it was defeated because of a compulsory clause which it carried. This was especially disappointing, in view of the fact that they had an appropriation of $25,000 for 1918. The State of Texas also failed to pass a bill for an appropriation, leaving the state without funds for this work.

Wyoming is doing what it can on a "small appropriation." North Dakota has $7,000 as state aid for evening schools, out of which must come whatever is spent upon adult immigrants. The New Jersey budget for 1918 shows an expenditure of $9,639.59 for citizenship training.

Delaware succeeded in getting $15,000 a year for 1919 and 1920, but it was after a struggle dating back to 1916 when Wilmington asked the local Board of Education for $1,500 to con tinue Americanization classes which had already been established and run on public subscription. Delaware therefore recommends that where public funds are not forthcoming for Americanization work, the enterprise should be underwritten. For, while public moneys are the logical funds for the education of the adult foreignborn, experiments can rarely be enacted into law or official policy until their wisdom is demonstrated; and therefore private funds for these experiments are often the most direct means to secure ultimately public support and public funds.

Minnesota, Ohio and Utah have an appropriation of $25,000 each, and each claims that the amount is inadequate. This is particularly unfortunate in the case of Utah where the funds were appropriated to carry out special legislation providing for the compulsory education of non-English-speaking adults up to the age of forty-five. These sums may not cover even so much work as would at first appear, if we may assume that their problems are similar to those of Connecticut. Connecticut has $25,000 a year for two years for Americanization work, but $11,000 of this amount must be expended each year for "office and departmental expenses," leaving only $14,000 for "local assistance." The evening school appropriation in Connecticut is more satisfactory, however. They have $4.00 for each pupil in average attendance for 75 sessions, as against $2.25 for last year.

It is the opinion of the Committee that local public educational authorities should have adequate resources for the establishment and development of evening schools and for such other extension education for adults as may be necessary and that local school districts should be permitted to receive such financial cooperation from local groups wishing to assist the respective boards of education in developing adequate educational facilities, as they may wish to offer. State aid should be provided where it is deemed advisable and possible with the funds placed at the disposal of the Board of Regents, especially for efforts in the field of adult education.

The President of the Board of Education of New York City believes that the machinery of the present system is adequate to handle the problem of Americanization, and that the only thing lacking is appropriation. He suggests that the State appropriate $1,000,000 for Americanization work in the City of New York. He believes that while most of the immigrants are concentrated in New York City, the training and educating of them should not be a local financial burden and that the State would thus be justified in making adequate appropriation to handle the situation properly. For 1920 the State of New York contributed $30 000 for Americanization work in New York City, which is hardly enough to take care of one assembly district. The Board of Education is spending $300,000 in Americanization work, which it knows to be inadequate.

The Committee urges the passage of such legislative appropriation as may be needed this year and in subsequent years to pro