The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-02-08
Democracy and Education"
Subject Of Address by Hollis

Subject Of Address by Hollis
A. P. Hollis, extension lecturer of
the North Dakota Agricultural college,
who was the lecturer at the Grand
Theatre Series Of Free Lectures at
Fargo took for his subject recently
democracy and Education" and on &C
count of the fact that the subject is
near and dear to the heart of every
resident of North Dakota it is printed
in full Mr.. Hollis said.
"The great problem OF democracy
is to equalize opportunities for the
rich and the poor Public education is
the most efficient instrument so far
found. It is democracy's sandpaper.
1t provides free tuition, free text
books, free medical services, and I'M
some cases free lunches and free
clothing
while it is the best instrument we
have as an equalizer of opportunities
1t Is still crude affair. In the cities,
children of the poor have to quit at
IA to go to work. Reliable sta.
tistics show that in the United States
practically all children finish the fifth
grade. After that, through sickness
and poverty, they begin to drop out
In astonishing numbers. When the
eighth grade is reached, only half
the number that started remains-or
SO per cent; while only 10 per cent
reach the high school.
wisconsin is the experiment
ground of democracy-althoug after
this year it's prestige may pass to
North Dakota. 1t is strange that
America, the greatest democracy of
the world, is the most timid to try
out new experiments in government.
European nations are so years ahead
in government innovations. This is
due to the American policy of adopt
ing constitutions, and giving power
to the courts to decree laws uncon-
stltutlonal: 1t Is not generally rec,
ognized that these ancient instru>
ments are the main safeguards to
protect two great interests-first and
very properly, the people from ty-
ranny on the part of the government
in power and second, the rights of
property. Had our patriotic fore
fathers been infallible two hundred
years ago, and could they have fore
seen the enormous accumulations of
capital and the consequent inequali-
ties of opportunity, we may safely
assume that these property articles
would have been very differently
drawn, and these ancient documents
would not have become what they
are today, the chief weapons in the
hands of big business to keep the
people from enacting laws in harm
ony with our economic evolution.
The two foremost democrats in
the United States today are w. J.
Bryan, of Nebraska, and Robert M.
LaFollette, of Wisconsin. l was iu-
vlted last fall by the state superin
tendent of industrial education in
Wisconsin,, to take part in a confer
ence OF continuation school teachers
at Milwaukee. On the program were
the two leading continuation school
men in America, Field of Boston,
and Ash, of Philadelphia. I knew that
could learn lot from such a pro-,
gram, and so l went. This is what
I learned: ~
I'm 1910, 100000 children, short
OF an eighth grade education, were
at work in shops and factories, with
the door of education shut forever
IN their faces. Some of the cities of
Wisconsin have become great manu-.
featuring centers. Milwaukee alone
has 10000 factory operators. TO
give the youth in these factories an.
other chance at the education that
was their birth right, the Wisconsin
vocational educational law was pass.
ed. Under it's operation already 30
l hnyyc nj Sr1r Il.
are getting a new baptism of know
ledge. The law appropriates $15O,OOO
Tor these schools, to be met by other
appropriations from the cities. Mil
| waukee alone meets it's share of $780,
IVY with an appropriation of $780,
O0O. Employers must permit their
youthful operators to attend these
schools minimum of four hours a
week. Some of them go a full day,
most OF them without loss of wages.
In addition to this there are evening
school pupils, made up of the older
workers, attending great evening
schools in which are taught 80
different trades.
Our own city of Fargo is to be
congratulated on it's great record
this year in democratizing education
for the masses. The papers reported
at one time during the year 23O attend.
ing the evening schools offered by the
board of education. Fargo has another
interest in the Wisconsin law, as the
state superintendent for the admins
tration of the law is W. E. Hicks, for
merly superintendent of the Fargo city
schools.
II said to Mr.. Hicks, This is all
splendid for the city children; where
does the rural boy and girl come in?
If there are five million city children
without an eighth grade education at
work In the factories of the United
States, how many farm children are
there at work who have not completed
an eighth grade education, and what is
being done for them?' Mr.. Hicks re.
piled that 80 cities in Wisconsin had
taken all the states appropriation
available and that there was nothing
left for the rural schools. I intend,
however, he said, to get a bill intro.
duced at the next session of the legis.
lature to provide for continuation
schools for farm children, and think
these ought to be established in the
consolidated schools out in the coun-
try. I fully expect to see at a very
early date in Wisconsin series of
splendid agricultural schools erected
ONf in tho opor oo,,o%,,~ a.