United labor bulletin., 1910-09-08
EDUCATION AND SOCIAL REFORM.
(Rv the Rev Charles StelZle.)


The spirit of social unrest is not con-
fined to the poverty The people
of the slums and of the low-class tene-
ment are cropping blindly for relief, but
there is a growing and an Intelligent
movement among the great middle class,
consisting largely of the better type OF
artisans and the semi-professional peo-
pie This is largely due to the unusual
opportunities for education in this gener-
alton.
In medieval times and in the early
renaissance only those who were expect
ed to become members of the leisure
class received an education. The orig
inal scheme of education implied nothing
more than rather shallow culture given
to small ruling class made up OF the
official, military and ecclesiastical satel-
lites of the ruler, and 1t was intended
more for ornament than for use. On the
other hand there was the large unedu-
Gated class whose function it was to re-
main in ignorance and to obey. Since
the introduction of education for the
common people, both the curriculum in
the schools and the general purpose OF
education have undergone decided
change Educators awoke to the fact
that it was necessary to prepare children
for the practical duties of life and while
our public school system is by no means
ideal in this respect, 1t has enlarged the
opportunity of the masses in their reach
ing for better things.
There are 100000 pupils enrolled in
the common schools of the United
States, and over 100000 teachers. About
20 per cent, therefore, of the population
of the United States is in the common
school. To this number must be added
approximately 100000 in the high
schools and academies, 175,O00 in the
universities and colleges, 10000 in the
professional schools, $4,000 in the nor
NAL schools and 100000 in the city even
ing schools, besides the large number
who are in special and private schools
of various kinds.
The public school is the great leveller
of the nation. 1t is here that the chill
dren of the rich and the poor learn their
first lessons in democracy. While there
is an aristocracy in some of the colleges
and universities, contrary to the spirit
of brotherhood, this feeling is rapidly
passing away. Never before has there
Teen so much attention given to the dis
cussion of social questions, both in the
regular and special courses of our insti-
tutions of learning Some professors
have gone to extremes in this direction;
not only do they themselves give lee
lures which may be regarded as decid-
edly heretical. but social agitators of the
most radical type are invited to address
the students. However, on the whole,
these lectures are resulting in a better
understanding of the problems of the
masses by the classes
1t is due to this wider knowledge of
the problems of the poor that has caused
cur student life to become more inter-
ested in the cause of the people. Wit
ness the large number of college men
and women who are voluntarily living in
the settlements of our great cities, rep.
resenting their chapters and fraternities,
bringing to these problems all of the fine
devotion of youth, and the understand.
ing of broadened mind. 1t is to this
leadership that much of the social un-
rest of the times is due. For, seeing the
poor suffering those things which they,
themselves, feel must be beyond endur-
ance, they are seeking to give them not
only broader outlook upon life, but by
personal friendship and intelligent direc-
ion. they are showing the people how
they may be delivered from the limita-
tions of poverty.