Evening star., 1912-07-15
AMERICAS GREAT ENDOWMENTS.
THE GENERAL EDUCATION BOARD.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

II the Carnegie Foundation for the Ad-
vancement of Teaching helps the cause
Of higher education by giving its retire
ment pay to institutions rather than to
men, and thereby being able to insist that
certain standards shall be maintained. the
general education board makes its efforts
to improve educational conditions as wide
as the field of education itself. 1t starts
with the elementary school IN the rural
district, and comes on UP to the biggest
university in the land.
Like all the other philanthropies OF Mr..
Rockefeller. 1t strives to make use entirely
Of existing agencies and to encourage
self-help. When 1t announces to a cer-
tain college that 1t will give sJO0.OOO to its
endowment fund If the college raises a
like amount the condition nearly always
is met. with the result that the college
not only has twice as much endowment
as a consequence Of the offer. but has
developed a spirit Of self-help II never had
before. The board aims to DO all It's
work in the cause of education in such a
way that whenever the work 1t Is doing
ceases, the community will carry 1t for
ward.
X
Three general lines Of activity are pur-
sued by the general education board. the
first OF which is
Three General the promotion
Lines Of Activity. Sa,m,ne in the
southern states. When 1t first began its
work 1t took up q study Of educational
conditions in that section. 1t found that
the training q child was getting in the
elementary schools had little reference to
any development OF its future efficiency
as q tiller of the soil. 1t found that six
Of every seven children of the south live
in the rural districts, and that but very
little Of the practical knowledge OF sue
cessful farming, gathered at the cost of
millions OF dollars by state and federal
agricultural departments, had filtered
down to these people. and that the farm
ers' bulletins they occasionally received
were all but meaningless to them. The
conclusion was that the courses OF study
must be changed; that city school
course In country school never made q
successful farmer.
The problem to which the board ad-
dressed itself was one of training the
farmer SO that after awhile he could
achieve his economic independence and
It decided to write the Information In the
soil and to invite the farmers to read 1t
there, written In terms of better crops,
greater profits and better living-terms
which could be easily understood and
terms full Of human appeal.
X X
At this juncture the board sent a num-
ber Of experts to Texas. where the late
Seaman a.
Demonstration Farms Knapp of the
in South Get Impetus. states De-
rartment of Agriculture was showing the
people how to turn the boil weevil from
a curse into blessing, and how to grow
better cotton than before. in spite of its
presence. The result of the report OF
the experts was a decision to ask the
Department OF Agriculture to accept its
cooperation in establishing demonstra-
ton farms throughout the south. where
the people could see with their own eyes
and help with their own hands in grow
ing better crops. A farmer might be in
vited to let the demonstrator take his
farm for a season and operate 1t for him,
in order to show him and his neighbors
just what that particular farm could do.
Then q series of fields on different farms
might be cropped for a year or two to
show just what results are possible. But
everywhere the principle is the same
showing the farmer on his own soil what
are the possibilities of good farming. AS
rapidly as competent men can be found
to take charge of this demonstration work
1t Is being extended. and the ultimate
hope Is that no farmer will be outside OF
the zone OF influence of this rema rka BILE
propaganda. 1t is the belief of the board
that the result will be an era of increased
wealth in the rural districts of the south
and eventual ability of the southern rural
community to give to its children without
outside help the kind Of education they
need.
The second line of endeavor to which
the general education board has address
ed itself is the
County High Schools est ablishment
Also Are Promoted. ~ s,s,'h n,sn p'
schools throughout the SOUTH This work
Is being carried on in connection with the
state universities. and the aim is to COM
plete the educational chain in each state,
providing adequate elementary schools
which prepare pupils for the high schools.
and adequate high schools which gradu-
ate their students into the universities.
To this end the board has made appro-
priations for the salaries and travelling
expenses of corps of travelling pro-
fessors of secondary education, whose
duty it is to travel over their respective
states In search of localities where high
schools ought to be esta blished, and there
to lead in campaign for the tablish-
ment Of such schools. 1t is estimated as
result of this movement that more
than a thousand high schools in the south
pie have raised more than $5.OOOO0O for
their construction and equipment. Presi-
dent Eliot, after travelling through the
south, has pronounced il the most val
uable piece of constructive educational
work now going on in the United States.
The third line of endeavor in which the
board is engaging is that of assisting in
stitutions of high
Helps to Broaden er education-col-
College Influence sit,es1to sites at0 . sx,end
and make more efficient the work they
are doing. It does this almost wholly
through endowments. A school which is
desirous Of extending its influence first
decides how much money it will need to
carry out its purposes. and then makes
application to the board for help.
The board thereupon investigates the
educational and financial strength Of the
institution, determines fits Importance as
state in which 1t is located. ,and II the
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