Regulations and Laws.—When the school officers, acting for the people of the district, state formally what may and what may not be done by teachers and pupils, the formal expressions of governing will are called rules and regulations. Similar expressions by the town, village, city, or county authorities are called ordinances or by-laws. But when the state expresses its will through the regular channels, the formal expression is called a law.

The Three Branches of Government.—After a law is made it needs to be carried into effect. Incidentally questions will come up as to its meaning and application. Government, then, has three great functions or powers with regard to law.

In our government, and to a greater or less extent in all free countries, these powers are vested in three distinct sets of persons. If one person or group of persons could make the laws, interpret them, and enforce obedience to them as interpreted, the power of such person or persons would be unlimited, and unlimited power begets tyranny. One of the purposes of a constitution is to limit the power of the government within its proper sphere, and to prevent misuse of authority; and this organization of the government in three departments, each acting independently so far as may be, and acting as a check upon the others, is one of the modes of limitation.

The law-making, the law-interpreting, and the law-enforcing branches are called respectively the legislative, the judicial, and the executive branches.