The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-09-18
The Socialists and the Public Schools

s@@83@9@@@33393.9.339333s9 )
eve can't find any statement as to
the average wages of the section
hands or construction gangs. Wonder
why'd
26. A coal dealer buys coal at
$2S7 ton. He pays $O,67 ton
freight and S0.7S for delivery and sells
the coal for $525 a ton. How much
profit does he make per ton?
(Prepare answer. About twice as
much as the miner gets for digging
it,
81. A clerk in a store receives $50
a month for ~ hours day If he
worked only hours a day how much
would he receive if he were paid ac-
cording to the number of hours?
(Oh, kids, let's be coal dealers
There's more in it,
All the above examples are from the
present arithmetic being used in the
seventh grade, and the eventual result
upon the young mind ought to be APP
parent.
A New Method.
One of the latest examples of the
capitalist method of teaching is
exemplified in the new course of
agriculture now being taken up in
high schools all over the land. Ad-
ditional and expensive teachers are
provided, many of them beardless
youths just out of agricultural col
leges, and all are of necessity well up
in chemistry analysis of the soil, rota-
ton of crops, diseases and remedies,
etc. They can all show, with great
enthusiasm, how you can make two
blades of grass grow where one grew
before, or how you can get 100 bush
els OF corn here you would only get
/ Is or 20 before, but every blessed one
of them is as dumb as a Puget Sound
clam when it comes to giving any hint
how anyone who has availed them
selves of their teachings can be sure
of getting any more returns from the
big crops than they have been get
ting from the little ones. But per-
haps that isn't their fault. Economics
seems to be a rare course for thorough
attention in the capitalist schools.
The sum total result of the present
agricultural teachings in the public
schools is to simply speed up the
tiller of the soil so that he will pro-
duce a still greater surplus for the
ruling class to steal. There is no
record anywhere in any country; I'M
der any condition, small or great pro-
duction, gold or silver money, high or
low tariff, or anything else, whether
American, English, Russian, Chink or
Jap, where the workers ever received
in return for their labors any more
than sufficient of the wealth they pro-
duce than will enable them to barely
exist as long as they can continue to
work. Even the statistics gathered
and issued by the capitalist class it.
SELF through the Bureau of Labor,
proves this statement.
Socialists Would Teach the Truth
Not Misead Pupils.
So, therefore, the Socialist, who had
to know the truths of economics and
sociology in order to be Socialist, is
determined that the schools shall
hereafter teach the truth in regard
to all things and shall no longer be
used to keep a robber class seated
upon our lacks. Thus they are rally
ing to the election of school teachers
and the employment of Socialist teach
ers. Not, as charged, to teach so
cialism," but to teach the facts OF
history, uncolored and unwarped by
the material interests of any class,
and to teach thetruths of political
economy and sociology as these
truths are established.
For who has a greater right to con
troll the schools than the working
class? To read the capitalist press or