El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-19
HALF billion
IN YEAR FOR
EDUCATION
Growing Population of Ma
ton Makes Greater Facil-
tiles Imperative.
AMERICA LEADS ALL
NATIONS OF EARTH
(By Frederick j. Haskino

Washington, d. c.. Aug. 19.-Within
the past year considerably oer half a
billion dollars have been expended in
the United States upon educa ton in its
various forms. The value of property
devoted to education purposes not in
Guiding public library building,
amounts to fully two billion dollars.
The interest on the money thus in
vested would give an annual income
amounting to $4,000, 900. These figures
include only the valuation of property
belonging to regularly established in
situations of learning, namely; the
public schools, universities, colleges
and technical schools. the private
schools of various kinds below the col
lege grade ana the professional school
including theology. medicine. law,
pharmacy, dentistry and pedagogy.
Demand for Facilities Grows.
Each year the growing population Of
the nation increases the demand for
educational facilities, and the buildings
erected and the new institutions be-
ing opened keep rapid pace with this
growth Despite the oft made criticism
of Americas -educa tiona1 system or
the lack of it, very little considera-
ton viii show that the two billion
American dollars invested in permanent
educational facilities are paying a
prosperity to the whole nation. There
is no other country in the world to-
day which compares with the United
States, either in the equipment of it's
educational plant or the annual ex-
penditure to promote its efficiency.
While the national government does
not attempt to exercise direct author
ity over any of the schools Of the
country, 1T has a potent suggestive au-
= -tL
bureau collects data of the educational
development throughout the world, and
by diffusing this information through
It's various channels continually aids
in promoting the efficiency of all class
es of educational institutions. The bu-
reau has been especially helpful In
promoting the unification of educa-
tional standards, which has been the
chief aim of American educators dur
ing the past quarter Of a century. This
unification is being attained to a graft
flying degree, especially throughout the
public schools The course of study has
now become so nearly uniform among
the different states that a child may
move from one to the other and take
up his school work without any mate
rial loss OF time.
Others Are Helping.
There are number Of volunteer or
Sdu1zdllOuS WHICH nave Deen very nelp-
full in the educational progress of the
country. Most Of these are recognized
by the government authorities and
their suggestions carefully considered
Chief among these is the National
Educational association, a very large
body composed of the prominent teach
ers Of the country and laymen inter-
ested In educational work. This organi-
cation. with its branches in the differ
ent states, by it's Investigation and
research into methods and school con-
ditions is doing more than any other
body to promote the efficiency of the
different institutions OF learning
During the past few years, the
United States has also developed a
colonial school system quite as import
ant as that Of any Of the other great
nations Of the world. The public school
always follows the American flag, so
that in the Philippines, in Porto Rico
and even on the Panama canal zone
there are, now well organized Amer
lean schools doing practically the
same work in the grades which have
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