The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-12-17
Equal Opportunities for
Americas Youth Advocat-
ed by Security League
BETTER METHODS,
BETTER TEACHERS
prove the Rural Schools and Give
Teaches More Pay-Other Work
Done by the League.

Done by the League.
NEW YORK, Dee 1.-THE Nation
al Security league, perhaps the priuci- |
pal pro American propaganda agency
developed in this country during the
war, has begun nationwide campaign
for the equalization of educational OPP
portunity throughout the country with
out attempting to centraliZc control of
methods and without SO much as at
tempting TO lay finger upon the dol
lar of the taxpayer.
Taught in the rigorous school of ex-
pericncc with reference TO effective
methods, the league will. during the
coming year or two. apply its energy
to the exploitation of idealism in edr-
eational methods. 4 start was made
in the work last summer, when the
league induced scores of the most emf
ncnt educators to visit summer normal
schools in various sections Of the coun-
nv The results were so encouraging
that the league, believing the ending
II the war opens 4 new vista, will
vigorously prosecute the work by much
the same methods that won the sup
port of patriotic and philanthropically
inclined persons in the last year and
half.
Robert NJ. McElrov, educational di
rector of the league, said yesterday:
"The most fundamental problem of
| America today is how to make real
hose ancient educational pretences III
which America has 50 long gloried:
First. equal opportunity and. second,
Universal education.
| "Local option. sectional nullifiea-
ion and accident of birth, the aeei-
dent of poverty-these four vital foes
| nave been allowed to ravage the sheep
| fold from the dawn of our history. We
thave never had n national system OF
! education We have never had any
considerable or powerful body whose
business it was 10 think of education
! II terms of this great federal expert
mcnt which we are performing. not for
| our cnefit alone, but for the benefit
| # al nations which have looked and
| are looking TO us for light
! vi a Hul4'lltO AtFliH stii't bitIN W
haze held aloft upon our national ban
ncr The proud motto, z free govern
mCnt cannot succeed except upon the
| basis of an educated electorate. For
! I hundred years and more we have al
lowed each community, on its own mo
ton and by negative action, or by in
action, to decide whether that funda.
mental condition OF national success
shall be fulfilled or shall be neglected.
We have attempted recruiting for
hghcr education to some extent in the
high schools. We should now begin
lower down, planning to save for high
er education the enormous mass of ma
tcrial which we lose because We have
made no plans for recruiting il.
'''rhc child trained to think locally
will lie not IN asset but liability as
we face our new world problems
- In making real our right to equali-
tv Of education we must write this
law
No child may be deprived Of
the right to compulsory, equal educa
ton on account of race. color. place
Of residence, the will of parents, the
will of city, county or state. That
would mean that the child born in this
back country of South Carolina must
90 to elementary schools as good a,
those which exist in New York City on
Boston and must have the way to high
or education open in proportion TO his
talents.
At present the career of a rura
school teacher is not in fact q career
i is in general hating place between
, two stages. It is slIockinglv under
, paid position, occupied commonly b,
Young girls without training or fitness
/; for the work while they wait TO dis
cover whether they are to become ma
tro9s or must face life alone as spin
SterS. One fifth of our children arc be
ing taught by men and women with
out professional training. Or. Finne
: gan reports that even in New Yorl
State there are 5000 rural teacher
who have no educational advantage
beyond the elementary school eou,ses
: and no professional training whatever
1.-THE National Security league is en-
deavoring to give to the teachers o
the country definite help in under
standing the causes and issues of tn
war for peace and the problem
which We must meet as nation am
S as. individuals. Last summer there wa
sent TO considerably more than hun
/ dred thousand teachers tho Handboo
6 Of the War. with suggestions for tn
use of this material in classes
,. In another field the National S.
a. cnfity league recently has pubhshe
H. several little pamphlets in the 'Consti
m tuition Series 200 600 of which hay
c been donated ut the request of d
y Arthur Loveioy, to the Y NJ G. A. ear
- Torment classes. The league is no,
!. preparing to send these same brocl
al ures TO teachers. with accompanying
Ia suggestions as 10 The material whic
~ can be used with success in classes Z
e. adults, or in high school classes, or i
L the various school grades.
u The league also will plan course
of popular lectures on the Declaratio