Peter Corr age 9 of Seattle, Wash., or s question:

Why do we have to go to school?

Lets pretend we are living back in early Colonial days. Very few children go to school. Those who do go to little rooms where a lady teaches them how to read and write, Their parents pay for this. A few children are taught to read and write by their parents. Many never learn a thing. For these children do not have to go to school. Suppose one of these boys gets a letter from a friend. He has to ask someone to read what it says aloud to him. He can never write and answer or even sign his name.

The Early Colonial children are as curious about the world as you are. But they have no classes to tell them fascinating facts about history, georgraphy or science. If Andy had been answering their questions in the paper, it would not have helped. For very few young people could have read what he wrote,

And this was not the worst of it. You know how the family finds chores for you to do when school is out. In olden days, children were expected to go to work for their keep. Boys of twelve and even nine were sent to work for the butcher, the baker or the candlestick maker. And it was often hard work. Many of the grow‑ups thought it was better to have the young ones busily working than running around with nothing to do and most likely getting into trouble.

How times have changed And it all began back there in those tough, Early Colonial Days. Some parents thought that every person, rich and poor alike should have a chance to learn. This education should begin with the young ones before they learned things the wrong way. Other grown‑ups argued with this idea, Some parents claimed that it was necessary for their young boys to earn money for the rest of the family, Some tradesmen said they needed young children to work in their shops. But the sensible grown‑ups won all the arguments.

Laws were passed which said that all the children, not just some of them, must go to school. Tax money was set aside to pay for the schools. And that is one reason why you have to go to a school. , is the law. If you do not go to not go to school you and your parents will be in trouble with the law. It says that you must go either to a public school for free or to a school selected and paid for by your parents: But go to school you must and their are no two ways about it.

Andy knows of course, that you would be very upset if there were suddenly no more schools. You would not want to be an Early Colonial boy. But, when somebody says that you've just got to do something, you want to know why: That's only natural; But you would not argue if somebody told you that you have just got to put your clothes on every day. You know very well that you would feel very out‑of‑place if you did not: Well, if you never went to school you would also feel very out‑of‑place. You would grow up without knowing all the things that other people know and without being able to do all the things that other people learned to do in school.