Sta,-In his letter on the above subject, Mr. M. E. Odell said that at the Conference of the Association for Freedom in Education recently held at Bruges, representatives of 13 different countries unanimously agreed that the right and duty to educate the child rested exclusively on the parents.
This assertion is in strict conformity with principles of sound ethics and sociology. The State has neither the right to control education, nor the duty to impart it. The parents' right is inalienable, and the State can assure itself of law-abiding citizens by promoting and fostering education. It has as much right to compel a child to go to school, or to impose a set force of education on the individual, as it has to decide at what time the child Shall get up in the morning.
The responsibility of the State is to furnish opportunity for learning, and even to compel the parents not to neglect their duties to their children. More than this it cannot do without violating the rights of individuals and families.
E. Bonello 53 Victoria Avenue, Sliema, Malta, G.C.