Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-08-02
More For Schools Than For War.

1
| The address OF Miss Blake, The new
| treasurer % the nationa! educational
tasSocia ion, a the annual convention
of that body at San Francisco The
other Gay contained a vigorous ar
| re ignNent OF our government for It's
enormous military expenditures and
some sharp ANNA diversions upon its
! failure. on the other hand. TO provide
certain funds for educational purposes.
| 1t Has doubtless impressive and effect
ive-fo- the moment-to say that con-
| gress could vote Two 10000, 600 battle
ships q year and scornfuliy refuse $75,-
| 900 to the commissioner Of education
| for vitally needed research work. But.
| apart from such details as that we
have never had $50. 100000 battle
snip nor one costing half thar sum. it
must be asked IL the general impress
sion which it is apparent thus sought
10 convey is correct
II is true that this country is spend
ing large sums each year for it's army
and navy and for the pensioners Of its
I; former wars. Il is also true that the
I total of these sums has also increased
. in recent years. But ii certainly is not
true that we are appropriating only a
( small fraction OF that amour, for
i, schools or that We are spending more
/ for war than for education. The con-
! trary is true. The latest complete
/ statistics OF hand are those for 1903.
In that year our expenditures for the
army were 3l1o.2s4,ss3 and for the
: ,avy s1Is.o37,09.. total for the two
! of s22s,321s $50. That was very large
sum. But in the same year our pay
rents for the maintenance Of public
schools amounted 20 S3s1.9ls.52s. or
more than sI53 900. 900 more than for
both the military services. In that
! year we paid for pensions s15:.se2.4s7.
which added TO the foregoing maker a
! grand military total Of 1882, 214.4zI or
! only s2a4s01 more than was appro-
! priated for public schools But If TO the
| figures for the public schools we add
| the 100000 600 a year OF the colleges
and universi,ies the s7.o60.o0o Of the
schools Of technology and the $1,000
. 900 Of the l.o1aer's colleges. we have
total far surrszzing all that is paid
for war AZ for the scores Of millions
expended on private schools, nigh
: schools and professional schools. of
which no account ig taken in the fore
going agures they probably amount TO
much mere than the figures OF either
the army or navy.
/ II is quite incorrect and misleading
: therefore. 20 intimate or 10 suggest In
any way that we are spending more
I, for war than for education. The bur-
I den Of nniIfarism is grievous. no
doubt But II is not after all compar-
able in magnitude with that which Is
| cheerfully borne for the sake Of educa-
ton We spend much for battleships
1 but measurably more for school
houses: much for soldiers. but more
for teachers Nor does there seem to
be any ground for fearing that the
contrary will become the case. In 1871
we spent only $500. on the average. on
each public school pupil: now we are
spending much more than twice tina,
amount the figures for 1905. since
when there has been large increase
| being s11sS In 1870 we spent only
ss339s 500 on public schools: and In
1903 We spent s3s1.a1s.52s. At that
rate the soldier is not likely to outstrir
the schoolmaster