The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-06-03
PUPILS TO
c0hT|AUE IN SCHOOL

patriotic duty has been issued by Or
Il II. r. CiaAton. Unite States commits
Dtcner of education. Dr. Claxtor
II points out that there are in tho high
Il schools of the United States this yeal
q more than one and one-haf millions
ct boys and girls, and somewhat more
n than zoe. geo of them viii graduate
4 this month and next In an ordinary
year $4,000 or more of these woult
/ next fall enter college, normal school
II or technical school to be prepared
\ for such service TO society. state and
nation as can be rendered only by
those who have received education
beyond that which the high schools
Il can give. He saws: MANY college
presidents and others fear that on &C
\ count of our entranae into the war
few boys and girls will enter college
next fail and that the total college at
& tendance viii Toe very small. Tbs
number ought however, TO be much
larger than usual
THE more mature young men arc.
the more serviceable they are In the
. army The selective draft will take
only those between twenty-one and
thirty In the total Of so. 600, coo peo-
pie of productive age in the United
States the $50 goo students in col
leges and normal schools and techn,-
cal and vocationa schools Of high
GRADE constitute only about one
half OF one per cent More than half
OF these live in cities and cannot nc
employed IN agricultural production
J. except as a few Of them may find
work on the farms during the sum-
Iner Their going TO college win not
lower the productive capacity of the
country as a whole in any appreciahle
degree The colleges. normal schools.
and technical schools Will all he open
with undiminished income from pub
lie funds and endowments. and the
expense of their maintenance Will
continue. II Is quite probable that
MANY Of the older students will not
return next fall and the higher classes
Will be smaller than Usual, The
graduates from the high schools
should see to 1t that The lower classes
more than make UP for this def
Cheney
This appeal is made on the basis
Of patriotic duty. II the war should
be long the country will need all the
trained men and women II can get
many more than 1t now has. There
will be men IN abundance to fight IN
the trenches. but there viii be
dearth Of officers. engineers and men
AZ scientific knowledge and skill In
al the Industries, in transportation.
41t6 in many either places where skill
ard daring are just as necessary for
success as in the trenches The first
call of the allies is for 12, 600 en-
glncers and skilled men TO repair the
railroads Of France and England,
and utnnr thousands will he needed
later Russia viii protahly want
Thousands OF men 70 repair and build
her railroads. The increase IL trans
rVr,v q ftor I'D iva t3N nVf
roads will caN for large numbers Of
men OF the same kind. New industrial
plants. shipyards ard our armies
abroad will call for highly trained men
beyond all possible supply unless our
colleges and technical schools remain
open and increase their attendance
and output.
when the war is over there Will
he made upon us such demands for
rsien and women of knowledge and
training as have never before come
tn any country. There will be equal
mead for much higher average of
general intelligence for citizenship /!
than has been necessary until now. /
The world will have TO be rebuilt and /
American college men and women |
must assume a large part Of the task. |
Hi ALI edsifarHatioiIs3 a4faslT VIE 1rltI91 I
play more important part than we
Ei&bE III int fidHRt Z III sfArA We must }
fced-sur own II. 4 4asttial population :
and large part Of the population If
Western and Central Europe We ,
must read 4sS: -sgef4a&t sisti=a and SO t
ciAl and civic life and Institutions. |
We must extend our foreign COM
mefeer We must increase our pro- |
duction 10 pay our large war debts (
and To carry on all the enterprises
for the general welfare which have |
been begun but many Of which will /
he retarded as the war continues
China and Russia with theTr new I
democracies and their new develop /
ments which Will come as a result will |
need and ask our help In many ways. |
England. France Italy and the CEN
trial powers will all be going through
a process of reconstruction and we
should he ready TO give them gem
erousiy every possible way. Their
colleges and universities are now al
most empty. Their older students
their recent graduates, aud their
younger professors are fighting and
dying IN the trenches. or are already II
dead. as are many Of their older
scientific and literary men. artists 4
and others whose work Is necessary !
Cor the enlargement nj the cultural
ard spiritual life and for all that Il
makes for higher civilization For
many years after the war is over
some of the countries VIII he unable
to support their colleges and univer-
sites as they have supported them
In the past America must come TO
the rescue. We must he ready to /
. ssarne all the responsibilities and
perform thoroughly and we'll ail the
duties that viii come 10 us in the
new and more closely related world
which will rise out Of the ruins OF
.he Old world Which Is now pressing
, way in the destruction Of the war
TO what extent and how we'll NO may
be able TO do this viii depend upon L
you young man and women who are
this year graduating from our high l
schcois and upon those who Will fol
low in the next few years to a larger /
legree than upon any other Ike num-
Der of people
|lf11l1F nnI1u 0nIn1tATrN