Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 December 1908 — E. L. Hollingsworth Fined $5. [ARTICLE]

E. L. Hollingsworth Fined $5.

The case filed some time agoaganst Emmet L. Hoillingsworth, cashier of the First National Bank, alleging a violation of the truancy law, in keeping his son Emmet, 10 years of age, out of school, was brought to trial Tuesday. Mr. Hollingsworth explained that his son was taking arithmetic in school and other training at home, going to school a half hour each day, but the court, Squire S. C. Irwin being the justice, decided that he was guilty of a technical violation of the truancy law, and assessed the minimum fine c f >5 and costs, amounting to >16.95. It is possible that Mr. Hollingsworth w.ll appeal the case. There can be no question that the law was framed especially to get at cases where parents are either indifferent about ttelr children or are willing to sacrifice their education for the money they can earn during the tender years when the •’compulsory educational law wishes to compel them to attend school. Certainly the law nor the officers enforcing it can not distinguish between people, but there are innumerable instances of law violation in Rensselaer where the officers seem to have gotten over the thing with- ' out causing arrests and we can not help but think that in the case of Mr. Hollingsworth there was an evidence of persecution. Last year Mrs. Hollingsworth was in very poor health and the Hollingsworth home was closed here in J order that she might seek health in Michigan. Emmet accompanied her there and attended school there, 1 and was promoted from the sth to the 6th grade. When he re-entered 1 the school here this fall he was placed in the 6th grade, and after a month’s trial was demoted. Five 1 days elapsed before the teacher war

notified that he was being kept out of school on account of his nervous condition, and then Mr. Hollingsworth was notified that the boy must be i reinstated. The parents had been and have since then been giving the boy school work at hom.e and his education is in no manner being neglected. But Truant Officer Sands brought the action and secured the conviction. Mr. Hollingsworth will probably not appeal the case. He did not even employ council He te ievea the matter to be persecution and he rather expects to simply pay the fine and let it drop. Candidly, the Republican thinks that there should be evidence of a parent’s intentional violation of the law or criminal neglect of a child’s education before an arrest is made, although a conviction on a technical point might be secured without proving the intent.