Show I 1 I 1 teach children law t has it ever occurred to anyone that instruction st in the laws ot of ones country is 0 one lit 0 ion of f the most important parts of education oil and that at present not only are children brought up lip in complete ignorance of the subject but no provision Is made for the training of the adult yet a at t every point of his experience the citizen comes into contact with the law how can he feel respect for something whose purpose he does not fully understand how can he feel interest in obeying mysterious edicts that seem to affect his liberty limit his opportunities and appear to have no connection with his private interests but to belong to th the e province of a highly trained sect who aono alone are conversant with technicalities beyond the common comprehension the movement now afoot tor for simplifying the procedure of law and making it more antell intelligible isible to lawyers themselves Is in the right direction so is the appeal of charles E hughes to the layman f asking him to take more interest in the processes of law in making it less expensive and a more certain instrument of justice but why by not begin at the very beginning from tho kindergarten upward and show the children how this mysterious process named law Is formed for their protection and comfort gle ghe them an ail understanding of its function lit in life that will make them not fear it tut but live it look to it for hep help and regard it as one of their chief re I could be explained 1 law lav Is 13 divided into three main divisions namely na niely the laws that affect a business b the family c politics or the state thre there Is common law which deals with the settlement of disputes rules of conduct wrongs done by citizens to each other this includes the law of borts torts or injuries the law of contracts and so oo on then there la Is statute law which deals I 1 with the public welfare the police and criminal courts the restraint of violence etc it if law could be stripped of its technical chras phraseology its purpose co could u id be c explained x to the tiniest child take the law lav if of contract what Is a contract but promise se for promise when a child arranges to meet another child for play at a certain time slid and place he has in effect entered in into to P a contract for that purpose if he feared a red to bind himself or when the time came did not keep to his arrangement how bow could he persuade the other ahll child to meet him again how could he be sure of having anyone to play with the tract is made in his own interest he keeps keep it in his own interest and his own interest depends on full consideration tor for I 1 the other childs interest he learns the wisdom and necessity ot of making a fair contract which the other child will wish ito I 1 to keep and then of keeping that contract no matter it if it subsequently proves inconvenient again when he steps on to his playmates toe or jostles him by accident t he Is taught to say excuse me or 1 I beg your pardon what Is this but a eplen pica of justification he Is protecting himself by evoking the law of confession and avoidance later on oil he may drive his automobile and coma come into contact with a fellow citizen he will then confess he help it and claim protection tor for the consequences or he may confess to negligence and realize he be Is more answerable sw taught responsibility he can be shown that although he did not intend to harm his neighbor his actions sometimes sometime must have answerable consequences unintentionally and seemingly through no fault of his own he breaks break a chins china vase lie he must be taught his moral responsibility of replacing it the law of liability must be explained from cari earliest lest childhood he is taught the law of god in his bible why not teach him the law of man and show him how the two are one let him study how laws begin how they are evoked and grow but they affect everyone alike let him realize the difference between legislation and litigation this will contribute not only to better law keeping but to better law making and even better lawyers it is becoming increasingly evident to the faculties in the law schools that it would bo be of the greatest benefit to get into the students mind the place and functioning of law before they come into the professional law schools just as mathematics history and english are instilled into the child I 1 from earliest years and yet are still compulsory in his first year at college may not instructions in law keeping law making tand and law enforcing become as essential part par of his whole education CONSTANCE SMEDLEY EY la in christian science monitor |