New-York tribune., 1906-11-12
HOW THE UNITED STATES FACED ITS EDUCl.
TI0NAL PROBLEM.


A. the ogenns o. as Of the ATmstsad grgs.
Ambassador delivered the following address:
Dundee confers a fresh honor upon me to-
night in this splendid audience and in the priv
ilege OF opening this course of lectures. The
solid foundation on which Lord Vansittart has
established the course enhances the honor So
do the educational efforts that preceded its es-
tablishment, and does the renown of this
great Scotch city for which 1t is conducted.
When this duty was proposed TO me / was told
that the thoughts of the community were turned
toward broadening of university work to meet
the wants of the broader age in which we live;
and that therefore this opening address might
properly discuss the demands for more prac-
tical training that form one phase of your ever
widening educational problem But the whole
question OF education under this government is
at this moment in the political melting pot It
Is, therefore. question from which any dis
Greet representative Of another government
fees, as from the plague. I was next advised
that something about educational affairs In my
own country would be q topic Of special local
interest, and this perhaps may venture
upon without offence
Yet even here IT would be easy to be misun-
derstood. The conditions with US not the
same. In fact, several of them unlike
British conditions as to make 1t probable that
what seems TO suit the one country might be
found quite unsuitable for the other. Far be It
from me therefore TO dream of holding up our
experience for imitation for Instruction.
Still. intelligent people, intent any perplexing
subject. are always interested and sometimes
helped IN noting how other people have had to
zeal with somewhat similar subjects. And So
without further preface apology, respond
TO the authoritative intimations have received
by inviting your attention TO the way in which
the United States has faced it's educational
problem.
Let us begin by stating the elements of its
problem -'0
First then. a new and vast country Develop
Ils az tno outset with painful sowness, later
with startling rapidity. under a self governing
,,,, . people. Next. important character
What the tstics among this people derived from
american the land which first ruled them-a
vroo'em venenent attachment to the personal
"as' rights of Britons and belief which
never admits question, a belief
Whlch may fairly call Scottish, in the impera-
I'VE ho outy or giving the best possible education to
Next, growing tendency toward universal
Suffrage. creating political necessity for the
nearest practicable approach 10 universal in
telligence.
=, Next, habit OF thought fervidly religious at
the outset, but diverging into many forms of
Iehslon; strenuous therefore at once In a de-
mand for religious freedom and in hostility to
an esta bshed church.
And finally a continent to be conquered from
It's primitive widness and savagery to the uses
of civilized man. a task sometimes shortening
the years parents could spare their children for
education. and impressing what education
they did get new and very practical bent in
oroer TO promote these material conquests
through scientific means
We hear occasionally about the Science of
hIstory-more, IN fact. at times than some of
US believe. But, given these elements Of the
, problem, may we'll imagine
row This that the philosophio student might
rrooiem on such data almost construct the
wight Be history of educational evolution
expected in the United States from first
to Work Out. principles and without reference
TO the records. Thus:-It would
be clear that at the outset every religious sect
would start private schools. and would try 70
sweep into them not only the children of its
own faith but all others it could lay its hand on.
1t would be equally clear that wherever IL
could 1t would load the support Of these schools
" hnIA ray
would thus arise public schools (by which an
American always means tax-supported schools),
giving sectarian instruction
But when different sects nearly or quite ball
ancing each other in influence disputed the
control in new and unconventional community
Where there were no roads through these novel
perplexities any more than through their forests,
and where they had to blaze their trails for
themselves, it IS clear that this sectarian in
structon would IN the end be so modified as 10
include only tenets common to all, and would
tend In fact to become less doctrtnal and more
ethfcal-a teaching merely OF morals and of
duties to each other.
In course of time many of the churches would
be dissatisfied with this and would revert 10
private schools at their own cost and under
their own exclusive control The burden Of
supporting these would be considerable that
they would object to being taxed also for the
support of public schools for other peoples
children.
But In a country controlled by popular suf-
frage and among people passionately convinced
that the success of their government depended
on the widest Qlf1uSlOn or intelligence. 1t Is evil
dent that a system OF free public schools sup
ported by public taxation. when once started,
could never be abandoned 1t would be thought
q necessary measure of self-defence in the gov
ernment to educate all the rising generation for
the duties of citizenship, the poorest OF them
as we'll as the richest. and the Pagan no less
than the Puritan. The public school system,
free TO all and supported by public taxation,
would inevitably become therefore fixed feat
ure OF public policy.
Now with the two systems IN force. It would
he ohNyfOJ ha Jyhp mi TUQG
would grow the faster; and equally obvious that
those who paid for their own and taxed for
the other would wish to limit far as possible
the scope and consequently the cost OF the one
they didn't use. Two rival theories as to taxing
everybody for the education of the rising gen.
Grafton would thus develop: one, that such taxa
ton was only necessary and 1ustifable far
enough 70 ft them for the common duties Of
citizenship; and the other that 1t was also 70 the
public interest to At them for anything. Heavy
taxpayers would naturally lead In the first; those
who felt less the burden Of taxation, or paid no
taxes. in the second. AS heavy taxpayers are
never in the majority. and as the readiness 70
vote burdens on others Is apt to be more marked
in those who do not bear like burdens them
selves, IL would be natural TO expect the ten
dency in the long run in democratic govern
ment to be found In favor of the most liberal
appropriations and the widest scope for the
studies
The first class would hold that only reading.
writing and arithmetic were necessary. with
perhaps the history of the country and the nat
ure of its government. To tax them Tor teach
ing other peoples children more than that,
Latin or algebra or chemistry they would re-
gard as robbery. But the second class, those
depending on the free public schools rather than
on the sectarian schools for the education OF
their children. would wish IL carried as far as
the children seemed capable of receiving and
profting by It. They would easily persuade
themselves. too. of the sound public policy and
Justice of this, since they would argue that the
more the child knew and the more It's Judgment
was developed. the better and moro useful mem
Der of self-governing community IT would
make
Thus could be easily foreseen struggle be-
tween those who wished TO limit the free public
school system to primary education and those
who wished to carry at through secondary
q cnlIa0as nd NrlivArSiflaa