The Washington herald., 1907-06-16

/ This Is commencement month in the
United States. and our great army o;
/ school children and college students Is
ready for the Joys Of vacation. The word
/ army when used in connection with
/ American school children is not an ex
/ travagance Of speech We have in ous
/ common schools almost as many pupils
as there are people in Spain. New York
/ City alone has 10000 school children.
which is equal 20 the entire population
Of South American republic like Para
quay. There are $500 school children
in one New York district. a half-mile
square. over 20 per cent Of the population
/ Of the United States is in our common
schools, while In Russia the number is
/ Just a trihe over per cent. Our growth
/ in educational matters is shown by the
/ fact that in lSGO the average entire school
| ing for an American child was only 81
days; now il is nearly 1.lo0 DAYS. We 20
/ In for education 20 the extent that our
common schools alone cost US several
millions dollars a day during each en-
/ tire school year
| The average American fervently en-
! braces his rights as free citizen Of
great republic, and he knows that the
/ surest road TO personal and national IN
dependence les through education. With
/ Daniel Webster. ne recognizes education
as "a wise and liberal system OF police,
/ by which property and life and the peace
! Of society are secured" He may not be
| familiar with Kant. but he has a like be-
/ lief that "the parent who sends his son
4 into the world uneducated defrauds the
/ community Of a useful citizen. and be-
I Queaths % 10 q nuisance" He knows that
! q good citizen is one who reads. observes.
! weighs, discusses. and thereby proves his
/ ability 90 share in the governing infu-
! ences of his country.
Results Of IlIiteracy.
He knows that the productive capacity
Of a citizen IS always IN direct ratio 20
his training. and that from 1000 ilHterates
the jails and penitentiaries draw eight
/ times as many criminals as from 1900
/ who can read and write. II he is q poor
man, this average American will deny
himself much 10 send his children TO
/ school He may sometimes get distorted
ideas about It's powers but he is eager 20
get its advantages. II he is rich and Of a
/ philanthropIc turn Of mind, he gives 70
schools. colleges. and libraries with a llb-
erallty that has dazzled foreign 0n-l0ok-
ers. giving IN the past thirty-four years
over Si00moc00 If he is only an immi-
grant a citizen IN embryo he can often
be seen interviewing the nearest school
teacher in regard 20 the advantages for
/ his children before he has found a lodging
or uuDacled his bundles
/ Germanv's belief in popular education
came. il is said as "a result Of the Ma
p0Ie0nic wars France dates hers from
the disaster Of lSll. but the United States
points TO no s5uguinary fields nor ma
tlonal humiliation as the beginning of
! hers. l. came with the LAYING OF the ma
/ TONS corner stone. and has been adhered
I 20 with Anglo-Sazon tonaclty ever since.
prompted by the belief that i'm universal
/ intelligence lies the first principle OF
democracy. The handful of settlers at
jamestown, when they were the only
/ English colony IN the New World laid
plans and levied taxes for the support Of
a grammar school. Hampton. Va. claims
10 have the first free school established in
America.
Begun In New York.
The present popular system of education
was born in New York and the New
England States. The early Dutch and
Puritan settlers came from countries that
were strong for popular education. and
taught that ignorance ~as a project OF
that old deiuder. Satan" The Dutch West
India Company installed Adam Roelaud-
son as instructor 10 the youth OF New
Amsterdam in 1888. In 1895 Boston voted
a school fund. and Salem. Plymouth. and
Cambridge all established free schools be
fore 1850 By 1888 New Jersey had "a
permanent school fund, PENIS charter
required the government Of his colony to
erect and aid schools, and early in her
history Connecticut reported that "one-
fourth OF the annual revenue Of this
colony is laid out In maintaining free
schools for the education Of our children
While the general system Of education
is under State control. the national gov
ernment PLAYS no unimportant part. II
has no authority bat unbounded influence
The Bureau Of Education was created
under the Department Of the Interior in
1851. and has since been a great clearing
horse for educational matters relating to
this and other countries. Thousands Of
voluntary contributors send in valuable
information which tireless men and
women collect. verify. and tabUlate ready
for distribution among the people Of this
and other lands.
land for EduputfonuI Jses
As early as 17S7 the national govern
ment began giving lands for educational
uses In the new States carved from the
/ Northwest Territory. the government re-
. served the sixteenth section in every
township for an educational fund. Two
years later the two other townships were
added for a university. and in lStS the
thirty-sixth section was added 20 the
sixteenth for the common schools This
plan has been followed I'm the case Of
every State that has been admitted since
1877. with the exception Of Texas. West
/ Virginia, and Maine. In 1852 Congress
granted q. 900 acres Of land for each SEN
/ ator and Representative for the estah-
/ Hshment OF an agricultural college In
each state. and I'm 1890 made an annual
/ appropriation of $4,000 for each State and
/ Territory for education. In the cause Of
education Congress has already given
lands equal to the combined areas Of
| the New England States. New York. New
Jersey. Delaware, and Maryland. The
cash value Of this munifcent gift is over
/ S30000o,Go0 The national government has
given fourteen States the swamp lands
/ in their confines for augmentng their
I educational funds.
/ over Slo0000,000 Is spent annually in
teachers wages in the United states pub
lie schools, yet as a class teachers are
more poorly paid than any other workers.
The average wage in some States is far
less than that Of a messenger boy or