The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-12
Educational Progress
Report From U. s. Bureau of Education-Elimina;iOn
 of Male Teachers

NO one who is conversant with the educational history of the world Will rail to see evidences of a movement which can not be matched rom the records of the past,' declares Dr. Fletcher B. Dressler of the United States Bureau of Education, in a re- port on educational progress for the nIst decade of this century. The re- port has just been issued by the Bu- reau for tree distribution. Greece and Rome in the days of their great est advances knew nought of school buildings as they exist today. Far more money is invested in public school property than was required to maintain all the machinery of our Federal Government in 1910.
 But let us not boast of good works and forget those useless expenses of our so-called enlightened civilization. which all reason and scientific inves- tigation condemn as harmful enough money to duplicate all our school lars left for providing worthy play grounds for children
 In proof of the assertion that the people of the United States are mak- ing unparalleled expenditures for edu- cation, !Dr. Dressler cites statistics collected by the Bureau of Education morGn from all IH0@ sources cs for e the % common ] schools has increased from s219, ICE, ,9s9 in 1900 to $4OS, .2S9 in 1909.
 ing" Dr. Dressler continues, ''the school population has increased only in the .neighborhood of 15 per cent schools has increased more than s3
 AS indicated above, the large item in this increase is the income from local taxation. This fact adds great significance to these figures: for not only does it emphasize. as already pie to support their common schools in an immediate and direct way. but it should furnish a striking object les son to those States which are yet afraid, apparently. to trust the peo- pIe with power to tax themselves for the adequate support of their common
 These States which still persist in preventing the people from exercising the right to local taxation for school the Democratic faith so strikingly shown by these figures. Whatever qualms may arise at times on account endeavor, it is plain that the Amer ican people believe in the education of their children, and are willing to pay for it directly, out of their own As a further indication of the large increase during the decade of Ameri- Dressler notes that the total value of all school property has Increased from $55O,OOO Oo0 in d1o 0 1900 to 2oo6 the & enormous lays have also been necessitated by the increases in teachers salaries, whose monthly wage has risen about 35 percent for the men and 25 percent for the women.
 In view of the fact also that the school term has heightened from l445 days in 1900 to 1853 days in 1909, the teachers, who are paid by the month. have had a further actual increase in salary, and at the same time have been able to increase their education al effectiveness in this particular alone by some eight per cent.
 Among the deplorable factors in the educational trend is the relative eli imitation of men teachers from the public schools. This elimination "has been going on steadily nda and rapidly 2f tqlfy century the proportion dropped from thirty men in each 100 teachers to only about 21 in the hundred, de- crease of nearly 30 percent in ten years. Discussing these figures. pr. DressIer said there is no doubt that a matter as the teaching of
 girls so largely to women; but the facts are known and have been for many years. and yet the hoped for change does not come"
 Another regrettable circumstance in our educational development is the slight attention given to those finer poetry, music, and art" Especially is this true of instruction in music. ..The American people, pPnaa say says dT: Dr. ing pictures seem to suit their desires better than music. In some way the people should be taught to hear the significant things of life as well as to see them.''
 pr. DressIer also takes up the ur- gent need and almost universal de- mand for vocational training. Tn this connection he saws: "We must not give up our endeavor to create in this country high standards of general culture but we must make our edu- cationa1 work furctinn more efficient Iv in the common duties of life. Our big problem is that of creating a dem ocracv which will not be limited largely to mediocrity."