Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-06
STUDENTS TOLDOF
RUSSIAN PUPILS
ARE TAUGHT TO SPY ON CON-
PANI0NS
Histories Are Censored and the Word
Liberty" Cut Out of All School
Books-They Become
Nlhilists

With their words Of farewell yet un-
spoken the senior A class of the Los
Angeles high school was made to real
ize more fully the advantages of the
education they have received by a
comparison with the educational facil-
tiles of Russia. Leon Album, a Rus
sian journalist, who is travelling all
over the United States, writing and
lecturing on his native land, addressed
the class yesterday afternoon.
The lecture before the high school
students followed a week of investiga-
ton by the journalist of the schools
methods of instruction. What he saw
convinced him that the local school
was doing splendid work. and in a
brief address he compared their ad-
vantages with those of his native
country.
He said: You Americans are taught
from the moment you enter school how
to be patriotic and to love your coun-
try, your flag and your teachers. In
Russia we ore taught from the mo-
ment we enter school how to be spies.
to hate everybody, and to fear only
the czar. his flag and his teachers, be-
cause they are appointed by the goy1
ernment.
"In your school you receive a practi-
cal education. In the Russian schools
we are compelled to receive a classical
education, the program of which is
copied from Germany or France, the
same program our grandfather, Peter
the Great, made in 1904, whether it be
adapted to the needs of the pupil or
not.
Taught to Tell Lies
You Americans are taught freedom
and how to tell the truth. In Russia
we are taught to tell lies and are kept
in darkness by those who should lead
us to the light Our histories are care
fully censored books from which the
government blue pencil has stricken
out every allusion to individual lib
erty, and even the word liberty. The
Russian pupil leaves his home to go
to school, taking in a basket rye
bread, sauer kraut and herring. Here
you have your bright, CHEEKY lunch
house, the best in the country, where
you can buy warm meals and eat them
without being under the watchful gaze
of a policeman.
you come from your happy homes,
and go back when you are through
free men and women. The Russian
pupil leaves his home forever and
marches from the school to Siberia, a
Nihilist; for 30 per cent Of the stu
dents who get an education leave their
schools cursing the power that binds
them down.
"Of the 130,000000 people in Russia
olny 3,500,000 receive an education. The
Russian peasants are passionately fond
of an education and they bend every
energy to have one of their children
educated in Switzerland, or one of the
European countries. When the student
returns to his home he is far beyond
his less fortunate brothers and sisters.
But the crowning difference in the
educational systems of the two coun-
tries comes at the close of the course.
When you have completed your course
the teacher enters your record of
scholarship and behavior In Russia
the record is made out on behavior
and scholarship. If student has been
a good SCHOLARLY which the teacher
means one who has spied on his fell
lows and told when he has seen them
reading uncensored books or free
thought literature-he is rated highly,
regardless of scholarship; while the
more, brilliant pupil who has refused
to play the spy on his companions is
given a low grade"