The denominationalist claim to equality of treatment in education is still regarded by most people as a claim to special privileges and subsidies, to be granted, if at all, on traditional and sentimental grounds and on the grounds that denominationalism derives some vague rights from the fact that it is still ‘in possession’ in the legal sense. This confusion may be due in part to the fact that only one denomination, the Church, has stated with clarity the case for equal treatment, and that the statements have nearly all been made by clergy, who are naturally supposed to be arguing in their own interests. The following paragraphs contain a statement of the case for denominational education based solely on first principles and in such a form as to be valid for any denomination.

Education is for the sake of the child; but since the child is irresponsible, the first of all educational principles derives from the right to control the child and to control those things which exist for the sake of the child. Now the child belongs by nature to its parents first of all. By natural right the parents have control of the child until it is able to control itself. It is true that men are born citizens, and to that extent belong to the State, but parental ownership is anterior to, and takes precedence of, civil ownership. This follows necessarily from the fact that, before being a citizen, a child must exist; and existence comes not from the State, but from the parents.

Consequently the parents hold directly from Nature the right ana duty of educating their off spring, and this right is anterior to any right whatever of civil society or of the State. From this it follows that any system whereby parents are compelled to submit their children for education wholly to some authority not of their own free choice, is an unwarrantable interference with one of those fundamental liberties the protection of which is the first reason for the existence of the State and of cvil society.