The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-02-21

lent than OF any Otnor highly civilized
country. And there must be a reason
FOR this. too. The whole lack of judg-
ment is caused by the age long tao
tics of the oxploiter to keep the mass
mind i'm ignorance and subsection, and
in the United states the public school
system as conducted by the exploit
ing class has served the purpose
especially we'll This impairing influ-
ence of our school system can be
demonstrated by measuring the meth
DDS and discipline in vogue with the
laws underlying true education. But
concrete facts known to every active
worker in the socialist movement will
carry more weight.
American Converts
OF the converts to socialism in the
United States-t the following facts are
true with regard to the influence of
the public school system. The more
schooling a person has had the more
difficult he is TO convert. The small
percentage of high school graduates
and smaller percentage of university
students who join us proves this, also
the few we get from those who took
courses in the sciences or agriculture.
It is even difficult to convert a COM
mon school graduate unless our pro-
paganda is augmented by severe in
dustrial surroundings. or by the
means of livelihood being such as to
require correct observation, knowl-
edge and judgment Of the way which
surrounding phenomena depend upon
each other. Self-conyerts who come to
us because Of unrestricted rational
thinking consist either of those who
have attended schools little or those
whose minds have been too rebellious-
ly strong and great to be forced into
the narrow discipline and stereotyped
mold aimed at in the schools. These
self-educated and especially the last
named converts to socialism are
found in the front ranks of our move
ment. Then we hear so much about
so many damned foreigners" being
in the socialist party. They join our
party because of the same quality of
mind that makes them successful
craftsmen, farmers and business men,
where American-bred citizens fail
they have more accurate Judgment,
thanks to the fact that they never at
tended American schools. Besides the
large and varied doses of political
buncombe the American people have
swallowed az aeted upon proves
conclusively they are deficient
in ratioi1aIes;sss0 1T.
The fact is. lack of judgment
by people in general is our greatest
obstacle to overcome, while it is the
stock in trade of the exploiter.
Capture the Schools
1t is now time for us to go a step
further We must prevent or counter
act the result of the exploiter's tao
tics and thus open a wider receptivity
for the truth of our philosophy We
must capture the public schools or
force such real reform in the system
as will give fuller and more natural
and rational development to our chill
dren, until such time as we can take
control and revolutionize the whole
system.
Our educational system today is
patch work of fads and so-called re-
forms upon the worn out fabric of
ancient conventional custom. We So
cialists stand for revolution of the
system. We propose a brand new gar
ment constructed in modern enlight-
eminent and modelled to conform to
the demands upon the individual and
upon society that they may live in
harmony with manifest tendencies.
This educational revolution cannot
come until the producing class is in
control of the schools. Every outpost
should be captured and socialists
should be elected to school boards
wherever possible. Every district
with a local should have socialist can
didates. We must close in on them
on March l. In two years more we
must capture county and state admin
istrations. Then the force OF labor
can act in the interests of real educa-
ton by changing the course of study
and raising the standards of teachers
and school life In the meantime So
cialist boards can improve the sani-
tarv and comfort conditions of school
life in their respective districts; they
can provide the necessary equipment
for good school work; including IL
braries and may install equipment for
manual and domestic training, school
gardens. etc; they can see that com
pulsory attendance and child labor
laws are enforced; and they can hire
broad and progressive teachers Who
at least have a definite philosophy Of
life and give them freedom 10 depart
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