The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-05
DIR. Davidson Tells TOpekans of
Feeling in the East.
He Says Everybody Thinks
Clash Is Sure to Come.
PREPAREDNESS is ESSENTIAL
Noted Educator Thinks That 1t
Should Begin in Schools.
Many Old Friends Heard Cham
Der of Commerce Speech.

One hundred and fifty friends of
DR.. W. M. Davidson. former Topeka
school man, assembled at the Cham
Der of Commerce this noon to meet
with him and hear his talk, supposed
ly upon an educational topic. What
they received was a war talk from
one who has just returned from the
east. which is stirred to fever heat by
the sinking of the Laconia and which
believes hostilities to be only a step
away.
81 don't know whether you expect
a man to stick to his subject here in
Topeka or not Davidson said. But
I am just from Kansas City. where
Mr.. Miles. of Wisconsin, a friend of
little Bessie Hoy and her mother who
went down with the Laconia said to
me. There never was a Sweeter or
better girl than Bessie Hoy And he
described to me the pitiful scene of
the unseaworthy lifeboat, the tossing
about on the sea for hours. the suicide
of the mother and eventually the death
of the girl
And the bodies of two American
women lie at the bottom of the salty,
unplumbed estranging sea. And so we
are going to fight. To avenge thu
intolerable wrong to innocence, and 1
thank God that we have in America
of the martyred girl who telegraphed
to Wilson asking for a chance to
avenge his sisters death under the
American flag saying that if he was
not given the opportunity by our coun-
try he would avail himself of the
chance under the flag of another coun-
try.
Washington Cautious.
L have just come from Washing
ton and New York." Davidson said.
In Washington l was in the office of
Philander p Claxton, commissioner
of education. He said to me, You can
not leave the building without a pas
AS I went out l saw the old door
keeper. He knew we well and / knew
him. I thought that I would test him
and I essayed to pass by him, but he
stopped me on the instant. Every
where is a system of espionage in
dfcating Tightening of the lines. In
New York it was the same. Even the
barber shops there is little talk in re-
spouse to the tacit order of Keep your
mouth shot At this time New York
can be placed under absolute control
in an instant so that not the faintest
suspicion of disloyalty can affect the
slightest the union which you love and
love-
This portion of Davidson's speech
received ansovation lasting some time.
Taking UP his theme, Davidson de-
elared: 4s.
T. "As Wilson says. preparedness does
not consist merely of ordering the
largest navy and the largest army We
must start as Germany did years ago;
we must start in the schools. We must
parallel our book instruction with in
struction of the hand.
I'VE must call in the schoolmaste
as did Germany. Twelve years after
Germany introduced a definite system
of vocational training in her schools
she stood among the first comm erciaI
nations of the world, whereas before
she stood at the foot. We must learn
in this one particular from Germany
Must Get Ready Now.
For years." Davidson said 1--WE
have puttered around aimlessly with
manual training in our schools. Con-
gress has passed the Smith-Hughes
bill encouraging the formation of a
definite system of vocational and in
dustrial education. We must avail
ourselves of it to the utmost, for I'M
less we do, America will be out of the
race when after the war the powers
of the world start their industrial
campaign against our easy prosperity.
Education of the book sort must
be paralTeled with education of the
hand"
Davidson was introduced by Super
intendent H. B. Wilson, who referred
, to him as one of the leaders in educa-
tional thought of the time. Following
the introduction Mr. Davidson return
; ed the compliment by calling Superin-
tendent Wilson one of the masters of
today in the art of securing efficiency
in the modern school system.