Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1917-07-06
STUDENTS
WILL BE NEEDED

An urgent appeal to pupils to con
tinue III high school next fall as
patriotic duty has been issued by DR..
p. p. ClaXton, United States Com
missioner of Education. DR.. ClaX-
ton points out that there are in the
high schools of the United States
this year more than one and one
half millions of boys and girls, and
somewhat more than 100000 of
them will graduate this month and
next. In an ordinary year 1000
or more of these would next fall
enter college, normal school, or tech
nical 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 can give. He
says Many college presidents and
others fear that on account of our
entrance into the war few boys and
girls will enter college next fall and
that the total college attendance will
be very small. The number ought,
however, to be much larger than
usual,
THE more mature young men are,
the more serviceable they are in the
army. The selective draft will take
only those between q and 80. In
the total of 100000 people of pro-
ducticve age in the United States the
100000 students in colleges and nor
NAL schools and technical and yoca-
tional schools of high grade consti-
tute only about one-half of one per
cent. More than half of these live
in cities and can not be employed in
agricultural production except as a
few of them may find work on the
farms during the summer. Their go
ing to college will not lower the pro-
ductive capacity of the country as a
whole in any appreciate degree
"The colleges, normal schools, and
technical schools will all be open
with undiminished income from pub
lie funds and endowments, and the
expense of their maintenance will
continue. 1t 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 it that the lower classes
more than make up for this defic
iency.
This appeal Is made on the basis
of patriotic duty. If the war should
be long the country will need all the
trained men and women it can get
many more than it now has. There
will be men in abundance to fight in
the trenches but there will be
dearth of officers, engineers, and
men of scientific knowledge and skill
in all the industries, in transporta-
ton, and in many other places where
skill and daring are just as neees-
sary for success as in the trenches
The first call of the allies is for
II, 900 engineer and skilled men to
repair the railroads of France and
England; and other thousands will
be needed later. Russia will prob
ably want thousands of men to re-
pair and build her railroads. The
increase in transportation and the
tax on our own roads will call for
large numbers of men of the same
kind New Industrial plants, ship
yards, and our armies abroad will
call for highly trained men beyond
all possible supply unless our col
leges and technical schools remain
open and increase their attendance
and output.
when the war is over there will
be made upon US such demands for
men and women of knowledge and
training as have never before come
to any country. There will be equal
need for a much higher average of