The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-12-15
SCHOOL
FACILITIES, SAYS
SECRETARY LANE
Head Of Interior Department
National Cam
paign for Betterment of Ru-
raj Education.

speaks OF Young America, u 10000
600 school boys and girls As the chief
resource Of the nation. and asks. Are
we doing all possible 10 develop this
resource TITS report continues:
II there IL any one OF our i%nstitu-
lions In which the American people
take ~undisguiscd pride aud Of which
they feel Justified IN boast,ng. 10 Is the
public school system. Tor this Is the
greatest OF American Inventions and
the most successful social enterprise
yet undertaken by any people, The
United States maintains a bureau Of
education ia this department, which
upon a small Appropriation. c~ollates
as best Il a the nsures and facts.
which most inadequately tell the story
OF me growth and use Of this most
brilliantly conceived piece OF govern
mental machinery.
The American people are not indif-
ferent 90 their schools. quite other
wise. They pay for their support al
most as much as they do Tor the sup.
port OF the entire federal government
In round numbers. three-quarters OF a
billion dollars a year. which keeps an
army OF 600. 600 teachers at work.
Education is indeed our foremos, IN
dustry, from whatever poiat OF view
II MAY be gained. Yet ] am assured
that 10 has made less progress than any
Of our other industries during the past
thirty years. With all the marvellous
record OF what the mind OF Is quick
people may produce 10 make life hap
pier and nature more serviceable. how
little can be shown AS Wi contribution
TO the methods OF improving the mind
and skill OF h young We have
gone To Europc-to Italy. switzerland,
Germany M Denmark ch!efy-for
the new methods with which we have
experimental. and Japan has found a
way To Instruct through the eyes and
hands that will make the0e very prac-
teal people still more distinguished.
Yet here and there under rare lead
ership may be found In this country
the most striking proofs OF what can
be done To tlc our schools TO ur life.
The hope Is eventually to make the
school what Il should be, and easily
may be made to be. the very heart OF
the communicated club and COOP
%crative center as well AS school.
There would seem TO be nothing
visionary IN such a hope. To effect
this evolution there is needed pri-
marily leadership. and this the gov
eminent must give II il Is to realize
lis desire FOR a people VINO ar" both
skilled and happy. The spirit OF our
people is against O. pater1ul govern
ment. We do not take with blindness
TO an authority hat is mandatory.
There D. "a sound belief that a people
who make their own way are In the
end ripper and OF stronger fiber thai
those who accept what iH not the re-
suit of common determination. But
this spirit Of intense iudiyidualisu
does not make Us Independent OF OF
Indifferent 10 useful methods ana help.
fuI standards. And 10 o. these that we
can reveal. II Is these that we should
find and place In service. rather than
force the disconnected schools of th'
land 60 feel their way out or mud
die through We may not command
but We may show how Thia i'
democracy's substitute for absolutisn
IN the effort to- secure efficiency Fol
such policy OF helpfulncs, there O.
abundant precedent, not only ln the
action Of congress In making minol
Appropriations for the work OF th'
bureau OF education % precisely thesi
lines. but the activities ot other de
Ipartmcnts. The country be- dotted viii
experimental farms which prove sol
values and the farmer Of today D
learning from the government hoy
great and all embracing must he Tn
knowledge necessary to the carrying
on OF his worN, for he must know o
chemistry. mechanics. markets am
finance. transportation, and a world %
things which his father or gr~audtathe
would have laughed 40 as d mills "a
"a doctriualre education uutwithstand
ing the early example of the wise am
many-sided farmer who WIS The thlr
7. president of This country.
4 I have said ia a previous report tina
lthe bureau of education should cithe
bee abolished or put 20 serious hig
purpose. j believe the latter 90 be IA
wise. in fact the necessary. C0ursl
There Is "a real use FOR IL. A. iu n
, bureau OF mines, We seek 10 a y th
lives Of miners by educati1- them
the use OF explosives and h~fe-saNiu
]lappamtis and hy instructing opei
lators In safe methods az buldin
Itheir vast underground workshops.
would erect the bureau OF educ'
; Iuoual methods n standards,
which would be gathered the riI
fruit Of an educational g. pertinent
upon which the SCHOOLS OF the 'ohl
try could draw. This is a wide coui
iry. and there rs need for % nation
clearing house where be center'
land exchanged the results OF the mo
remote experiment.
Why Not "a Rural school Campaigi
There Is no Disgusting the faot IN
we have "a most difficult problem in u
AITnited States-and I can not belize
ID Is ours alone-in the rural con
munlty. a majority Of Gus school chill
gen are Ia rural schools. The quel
%nrlseg. Are our rural schools dolT
their part IN making life boz the coui
try desirable? An ambitious peup
y viii go where education can be had q
their children There is no sense
talking of the charms of country u
mud the Independence and dignity
producing from the soil if the scho
at command b. no more modern than
4 wooden pillow. The ol~d-fashionci on
roomcd schuoihouse, which holds
or 90 u%ngraded pupils, having but
! single teacher who NOW nothing Do
books. b. aot "a mOdcr1 .nstitutio
! though great men nave issued from