Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1918-12-21
UNWlSE
Demands of National Educational
Association and American
Federation of Labor.
Capitalization of School System in
State Hands Fraught
With Danger.
Ignores Work Done Generously With
No Expense Whatever to
Government.
soOIAMsTIC IN PRINCIPLE

Under the heading "Guard the
Schools" we recently directed at
tention to the danger threatening
our parochial school system as wei
as higher institutions OF learning
We spoke of a two-fold source oil
danger menacing the rights of par
ents and the freedom of education
the one being hostile legislation OF
individual States, the other the
movement directed toward the es-
tablishment of Federal control OF
the entire school system of the
country. Clear-sighted Americans
look upon this movement, advocated
by the National Educational AS
ISOLATION, and recently endorsed in
the resolutions of the American
Federation of Labor and promoted
by the feverish activity of the
Bureau of Education, as an unwise
plan, fraught with grave perils to
the spirit of American liberty. The
National Educational Association
opens its war platform for the
schools with the following rather
pompous declaration, which ignores
all the work done so generously
with no expense to the Government
by the many private agencies of
education, and especially by the
thousands of Catholic schools of all
grades for a million and a half of
present pupils who nave proved
their patriotism in glorious deeds,
and whose former pupils have
earned we'll deserved praise for
their staunch loyalty:
AT this fatal hour in the life
of our nation the association reaf-
firms its faith in the American
common school system as the only
safe and sure foundation for a
democracy either in peace or in
war. 1t asserts it's belief that the
three-quarters of a century of free
public instruction was the main
factor in preparing our people for
that quick and right understanding
of the real meaning of this world
conflict, and in making possible that
hearty concord of thought and
action which placed the material
and human resources of the repub-
lie on the side of righteousness.
humanity and civilization. With
peculiar satisfaction the association
points to the fact that 100000
teachers and 22,000,000 pupils have
supported loyalty every plan and
purpose of President Wilson and
Congress in their masterful leader
ship in honorable warfare for a
just cause and a decisive victory"
Taking this statement on its own
merits, one can not but wonder why
the resolutions of the N. E.. A. and
also those of the American Fedora
ton of Labor are printed in the
official publication School Life, pub
lished by the Department of the
Interior Bureau of Education, while
this same publication completely
ignores the work of private school
systems. The Catholic Educational
Association held a very successful
meeting in July in the city of San
Francisco. Among their staunch
resolutions we read the following:
"The Catholic Educational AS
ISOLATION of the United States gives
support to the Chief
Executive of our country, President
Wilson, in this supreme moment of
trial. 1t pledges answering fidelity
and devotion to him IN the prosecu-
ton of the war for the complete
attainment of the high aims and
moral ideals set forth by him."
1t always appears to be in bad
taste for one to claim the exclusive
credit for a certain achievement
when there are. others who have
worked industriously and with
marked success in the same line.
Does not this bad taste manifest
itself especially in claims referring
to the sphere of education, above
all in our country, where all enjoy
civil, religious and also educational
freedom? Can one think of the
pronounceemnt of the NJ E. A. and
its publication in the above men
toned bulletin in any other light?
But the resolutions of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor go further
in their un-American demands. The
Labor Federation wants not only
the establishment of a Federal de-
partment of education, headed by a
Cabinet officer, a minimum school
leaving age of sixteen years, the ex-
tension of free text books to all
schools, an increase of revenues for
eAAC PuDAAS oShOOAos Dul even lu6
expansion of both State and Federal
facilities, so that we
will be Increasingly dependent on
private endowments in the educa-
tional field. Evidently in order to
pool their strength, the A. F. L.
endorsed the resolutions offered by
Charles b. Stillman, of the Ameri-
can Federation of Teachers, viz,
that the President and Executive
Council of the American Federation
Of Labor be instructed by this con-
vention to take measures to secure
the creation of a Federal depart
ment of education headed by
officer"
The whole matter deserves to be
viewed also from wider angle. If
this principle of stopping private
activities can be applied to educa-
ton it can be carried out with re-
gard to all activities. Then we
shall have not only a most unjust
State monopoly of schools, but the
full development of despotic Social
ism. a Capitalization and paternal-
ism that will be the grave of all