The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-06

rrNCLE SAM'S alert troopers will U not be caught mapping by the Mexicans along the border. A story comes from field headquarters to Co., lumbus, N. M., which tells how re- cruit sentry, alarmed by the pert whistle of mocking bird, reused de- tachment of sleeping soldiers who de- ployed ready for battle.
 The detachment was stationed at a water hole. All were asleep except
 the outposts. Uncle Sam's Men A sentry post Not Caught Mapping ed in clump
 of cottonwood and willows suddenly cried out, "Halt! Who goes there" Then came fusll- Jade of shots and every member of the detachment rushed to the spot. "Someone in the bushes," the sentry whispered. "He whistled softly three times and I fired. Heard nothing since"
 The soldiers drew up in battle form ation and expected every moment to be attacked. Again the soft whistle was heard and one of the men, with sharper eyes than the rest, saw saucy mocking bird perched on limb and thrilling merrily in the light of the moon, as if wars alarms did not exist for him.
 A few minutes later the soldiers were asleep again, but that exclta- ble sentry's ears probably tingled for the rest of his watch. His comrades expressed their opinion of him freely and profanely.
 4 LTHOUGH the subjects to be A discussed by distinguished spe- cialists before the various depart ments of the National Education as- sociation have a wide and broad range from kindergarten psychology to
 justification d Education and the most complex Humanitarianism probelms of soci-
 ology-there is no programme assignment for the ex- uloitation of Dr. Flexner's revolution ary views on school and college cur ricula.
 Dr. Flexner, as representative of the educational section of the Rocke- feller Foundation, strives for original ity rather than constructive progress along reasonable lines. According to his advanced notions he would abolish the teaching of ancient history, belles lettres, and even "book" grammar, and would have education confined to such studies as would fit in with vocational efficiency.
 His remarks published few months ago were not taken seriously by edu- cators, and perhaps the learned doc tor himself was not wholly serious when he proposed his iconoclastic plan. No profession has been more alive to the necessity of modernizing its methods or adapting it's activities to meet twentieth century conditions than that of the teacher. But the time must never come when true culture is sacrificed for utilitarianism. With Dr. Flexner's scheme carried out to it's last analysis it would not be long before Philistinism ran riot and sentiment, religion, poetry, art and all the other humanizing values would go to the spiritual scrap heap. The world will always need both the utilitarian and the beautiful, and there is no reason why one should ever be abandoned for the other.
 But if the Rockefeller board devel- ops ''eccentric thinkers" now and then, the general work of the foundation has been not only altruistic but beneficent in the highest degree. Had nothing more been achieved than scientific re- search for the purpose of combating malaria, hook worm, yellow fever and other diseases, the Rockefeller Foun- dation would have made humanity its everlasting debtor. But it is taking a new stride that will still further raise it in the worlds estimation.
 The recent announcement that the