The last stand of oligarchical and anti-social seclusion is perpetuation of this purely individualistic notion of intelligence. Very many men have lived and died and been great, even leaders of their age, without any acquaintance with letters. The knowledge which illiterates acquire is probably on the whole more personal, direct, environmental and probably a much larger proportion of it practical. Moreover, they escape much eyestrain and mental excitement, and, other things being equal, are probably more active and less sedentary. It is possible, despite the stigma our bepedagogued age puts upon this disability, for those who are under it not only to lead a useful, happy, virtuous life, but to be really well educated in many other ways.
Illiterates escape certain temptations, such as vacuous and vicious reading.
Perhaps we are prone to put too high a value both upon the ability required to attain this art and the discipline involved in doing so, as well as the culture value that comes to the citizen with his average of only six grades of schooling by the acquisition of this art. This method, of course, limits the vocabulary to learned words, while any child with a knowledge of phonics can read words he has never seen before. In spite of its name, the interest of the NEA's leaders in education falls far below their interest in achieving radical political and social ends. Their goal is to control Congress, the fifty state legislatures, the Democrat Party, the curriculum in all the schools, public and private, and the entire teaching profession. Another basic principle must be found and accepted.