Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-07-25
UNITED STATES NEEDS LEADERS.

/ DR.. James e. Clarke, of the Presby-
terrain College Board, acting not only
for Presbyterians, but also represent
ing other religious bodies, and the ma
tional organization known as the
council of church boards of educa-
ton, is cooperating with U. S. Com
missioner of Education, Dr. P. P.
Claxton, Secretary of War Baker and
other government officials, in cam
paign to arouse the American people
to the nations pressing need of a
trained leadership.
Perhaps the greatest mistake made
by some of the nations across the sea, "
said DR.. Clarke, has been the failure
to make provision for replacing the
trained leaders who have gone to the
front, many never to return. Large
numbers of teachers and undergrad
yates are in the trenches or lie bur-
led on fields Of battle; schools and
colleges are closed or running with
greatly reduced attendance, and now,
after three years of war, thoughtful
men are asking, What are we going
to do for trained leadership for the
future?'
''The United States must not make
this mistake, but there is grave danger
that it will be made Against such a
blunter Secretary Baker and Commits
sioner Claxton and other national
leaders are issuing earnest words of
warning. The danger is that many
undergraduates will think that con-
ditions demand curtailment of their
preparation for their lifework and
that parents will think that with
prevailing high prices and the IN
certainty of the immediate future,
they would better use money for 9TH
err purposes than the higher educa-
ton of their boys and girls. The
very opposite is true. The needs of
the nation and of the world require
that no sactifice be counted too
great in order that they may be thor
oughly prepared for the leadership
which the nation now needs and will
need more than ever when the war
is over.
Commissioner Claxton has issued
an appeal which should be needed
by every citizen, urging that the
number of students taking higher
courses should be larger than usual
in the immediate future. He says
This appeal is made on the basis OF
patriotic duty and he shows that
while there Will be an abundance of
men for ordinary purposes, there
will be a dearth OF officers. engi-
neers, and men of scientific skill in
all the industries, in transportation
and in many other places where skill
and daring are just as necessary for
success as in the trenches He
points out at some length the press
ing need of the near future for high
ly trained leaders, and shows that
young men and women never had
before them such a great opportun-
ity, provided only that they secure
adequate training.
The Honorable Newton D. Baker,
! Secretary of War, said at confer
ence of national leaders held in
Washington in May: 1.-THE nation
will be needing educated men even
more than ever before as a result Of
this war for the coming years, and
the colleges must supply them" At
the same time he mentioned the three
things which he considered most i'm
portant for the successful prosecu-
ton of the war: first, munitions;
second, food; third, educated men.
General Leonard Wood in letter
to President Hibben of Princeton
College recently advised that all
students continue their work until
such time as their services might be
needed by the government, and SIM
liar advice has been given by Adju-
tant General w. T. Johnson.
Commissioner Claxton shows that
the 100000 students in colleges, nor
NAL, technical and vocational schools
of high grade constitute only about
one-half of one per cent of the pop
ulation, and that the continuance of
this number of young people in col
lege cannot lower the productive
capacity of the country to any appre-
ciable degree. On the other hand,
the need of trained leadership is so
great that every effort should be
made to increase the percentage of
those who take training for such
leadership.