South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-07-31
Bernard Shaw Suggests New Forms Of War Economy p

that England should be educated" That sounds
impressive. but as a matter Of fact, IL England
is not educated, we viii not remain free, be
cause one OF the countries that Will beat her IL
Germany, which has paid great attention to
education. Ny opponents viii say that is all very
we'll when we are at peace, but for the little
time at war then we must not think
OF anything but war. They entirely forget that
the education OF the child is matter OF two
or three years, that If We break two or three
years out of the child's education, We break it
up altogether.
Education is one OF the things in which We
cannot afford TO economic for a moment. We
ought to spend great deal more money on
education. We hear that the London County
Council are cutting of S1S00000 in the matter
OF education. Because, as far as possible, men
and women should be permitted to give their
services to the national purpose OF winning the
war" VIII the national purpose Of winning the
war be served by the future generation OF tho
children who have not been educated?
AS matter of fact the war has become moro
and more a case of having our rank and file
capable of handling very intricate and delicate
machinery. There was time when, If a man
could shove a bayonet through another man
and shoot at an object fifty yards of, he was
a good soldier But at the present time we have
10 use rifles working at an enormous range
men have to handle extremely dangerous
bombs they have to handle artillery which IS
very complicated machinery. These things can
not be trusted to men who have not a great
deal more education than the soldiers OF old
had.
We must keep our education up If the war
IS going to keep pace with the destructive
powers which education gives to other powers
with whom come into contact.
What 1 have said about lOcomotion is equally
true about our roads There never was time
than the present when il absolutely
necessary to keep up the condition of
roads There is the constant military transport
in addition to the ordinary traffic, and this is
causing a great deal more damage TO the roads
II 81 - T. e.
the military and for the additional work thrown
upon the roads by the civilian population.
When go to should look after
roads better than we do in peace time; that
means spending more money on them. and not
less.
Public bodies, like the Committee on Public
Retrenchment and public men. like Cabinet
Ministers, unfortunately do not agree with me
on these subjects Take the case for education
The first thing the committee thought of was
TO reduce our expenditure on the institutional
treatment of the mentally defective The COM
mltIee tnat made that recommendation are
little sensitive on the subject of mental treat
ment. What is going to be the result? If they
would substitute the very simple plan of killing
all the mentally defective there is something
to be said and there would be some kind OF
brutal military sense in il. But we are going
to let them loose. and very likely let them 90
into the army, and even let them go into the
families Of the humber people who are work
ing. That is supposed to be economy We are
letting these people who can be treated eco
nomically in the institutions into public life
They are properly treated in institutions and
do not interfere with private life and the every
day work of the man who is doing his bit in the
civilian Industry.
Now come 10 the proposal to abolish State
supported education for school children under
five and raise the age to six. We have 29O 600
school children under five years of age Really
they kept in kindergartens and are not
exactly educated. but they are taken care of,
and this relieves their parents of great strain
at lesser expense than if they were at home
There is no good in this mischief. While the
children at school they are not wasting
the energies of their parents by worrying as
they would do If the age raised to six