Evening star., 1913-10-31
URGES GOVERNMENT AID
N NPROMOT|NC EDUCATION
Plea for Improvement in Pub.
lie Schools Made by For
mer Senator Blair.

A plea for the Improvement of the
common school education in this country
is contained in letter addressed by
former Senator Henry W. Blair of New
Hampshire to Vice President Marshall
and presented to the Senate yesterday
afternoon. Accompan ing the letter OF
Mr.. Blair was communication from the
United States bureau of education CIV
ing statistics regarding the money now
expended in the various states for COM
mon school education.
Mr. Blair declared that the minimum
expt nditurc for common school education
be s2s per capita. He said that this
was agreed upon by the educators of the
country. In many of the states, he said
the actual expenditures for common
school education had dropped far below
this figure. He urged that the federal
government come to the assistance of the
states If the states were unable, without
ruinous taxation, TO bring the standard
of education as high as it should be.
'The nation and the state live or die
with common school education,' declared
Mr.. Blair.
Expenditures in the District.
In the figures given by the bureau OF
education 1t is shown that the expendi-
lures in the District of Columbia for
common school education are far in ex-
cess of s23 per capita. The actual ex-
penditure in the District annually is
given as $3.112 241 for common school
education. which does not include the
high school. If the District had been
co.
expenditure would have been only S1,ss1.
42i.
In his letter. Mr.. Blair said In part:
THE educators of the country agree
that SIS per capita is the least annual
expenditure which will give the American
child good-not the best-common
school education.
Besides this is the immense sum which
must be provided for the schoolhouses,
training of teachers. books, etc. which
corres pond to the plant In all business,
and commOn-school education is the most
important business carried on in this
country and will be In this world.
Expenditures in the States.
100000 expended for common schools in
this country over $1O2 2OGO.O 600 is PAID out
In states which expend more than SOS
per capita, leaving nearly S344 CO., COO
paid out In states which expend less than
$2S per capita. the lowest admissible
standard. The total of the deficiencies is
S26S.OOOOcO- To bring the deficient states
up to the standard will require S607,-
O00.O The total expenditure of the
whole country would ther be S7O9, 900 OOJ
for common schools Besides all this is
the plant
sWhere the need is greatest the ability
to bear further taxation Is the least.
Bankruptcy would follow such over
whelm -ng increase of state taxation The
evil seems to be increasing, especially in
the north.
THE nation and the state live or die
with the common school. Whenever
necessary the nation must help. or gov
ernments republican in form will perish
from the earth. The primary duty to
educate is upon the nation. for in no other
way can the republican form of govern
ment to preserved to itself or guaranteed
to the state. In the presence of this tre-
unendous problem, of what consequence
are tariffs or wars:
THE common school must be spread
throughout the world AZ the supreme
gospel of free institutions. Univt rsal
common school education is the only in
stitution which can make all nations fit
for self-government, thus overthrowing
tyranny OF both soul and body in every
form and impregnably establishing the
liberties OF mankind