The Co-operative news. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1917-1918, 1918-03-14

TEN has ruled without crfectual
challenge Even in Germany,
where much has been done to
counter-act the grosser evils Of
capitalism the birth rate is fall
ing. 1t is only in countries Ike
Russia and Poland, where the
caritalistic system has not yet
been set going, that the birth
rate keeps up to the same figure
ms it showed in the United States
before we passed out Of the per-
iod of small farming into indus
trial exploitation. The effect Of
this disastrous transition has
been to bring our birth rate
down perilously close TO our death
rate, and it is still falling. Men
like Theodore Roosevelt may
amuse themselves by preaching
against this ominous sociological
fact. but their sermons, lovely
reading tho they make, will eff
feet nothing. IL is our institu-
tons that are destroying US and
the destruction will go on until
they are rebuilt from corner stone
to roof. The human race is liv-
ing, or rather dying, under eco
nomic conditions which forbid il
to breed. Like any other animal
, species in the same situation II
can not survive. II is per-
tinent question whether we have
the intelligence and fortitude to
root out the evils that are killing
US. or whether we shall tamely
submit to them until some more
vigorous human stock supplants
US in the lands we have proved
ourselves unfit to posses.
Educational Reconstruction
Since the schools build our
psychology. will begin with
them. AS we think so we are.
What our minds are made by
schooling our lives become in the
world Of action and matter. As
long as We are taught to think
ourselves slaves and fools, so
long shall we be slaves and fools.
As long as money and privilege
make themselves the gods Of the
schoolroom, SO long will they be
the gods Of the world and, like
silva. they reign to destroy. The
first step in reconstructing the
schools, high and low, is to make
them democratic. Our colleges
and universities are organized
automatically, each of them be-
ing "owned" by a board of re-
gents or trustees, who appoint
petty satrap, or president, to
execute their sovereign will and
tyrannize over the teachers. In
the actual government Of our ed
ucational institutions. the teach
ers have less voice than the work
men in the government of the
shop where they earn their bread.
Teachers are discharged without
mercy when their ideas fail to
please their autocratic masters
and, having no efficient union,
they are without redress of any
kind except feeble complaints in
"A few newspapers. Public schools
of lower grade are governed au-
tocratically by board of directors
The teachers have even less to
say about their own destiny and
the welfare of their pupils than
college professors. American
youth spend eight, twelve or six
teen of the most plastic years of
their lives in this atmosphere of
intense autocracy. Is il any wonder
that they come out Of it devout
worshipers Of the system that has
formed them The Jesuit Faith
ers only asked for the first seven
years Of a child's life in order to
mold it everlastingly as they de
sired, Our system has the first
sixteen years. This autocratic
educational system is signfi-
cant comment on democracy in
Tho IIniInl GlnIn. r. rnnn,,