Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-12

to return to the agricultural work. Care
should be taken, however he said,
that the government is selling farms
to these men, limit the size and impose
restrictions to prevent their being aggre-
gated into great estates.
LESS E rENsIvE THAN STRIKE.
Turning to the question of cost, Sec
retary Lane said this would be ''as much
as we wish to spend less than many
strike has cost this country"
s'Would it be unreasonable to ask
for as much as we will spend this year for
pensions to the veterans and their de-
pendents of wars that ended 20 and so
wears ago?" he asked would it be un-
reasonable to ask that we spend In the
next two years on these veterans OF the
great war as much as it cost us to con-
duct that war for a single week? Would
a people that gave out of hand, out of
noble sense of charity to quasi public
organizations, S500000,000 for the enter
tainment and care of these boys hesi-
tate to buy the bonds of this country
for a like amount to provide peace work,
home work, and homes for these same
bows?
1--WE have spent largely for this war
and largely we must spend for many
Wears 10 CbEllt- we w tapipi'hHt
that we NAV meet our debts; this must
be the national policy But to stop growth
is not economy. To stand paralyzed
in the presence of a debt is to become
its victim England is planning in the
hundreds of millions of pounds sterling
for housing and land schemes. Canada
with less than 1000, 900 people is offer
ing to each man 100 acres OF land and
s.. 800 with which to prove IT. Surely
the United States, which has escaped
with so slight n comparative loss IN lie,
will not do less.
There can be no sure: insurance for
the nation than IN put its men upon the
soil, and there can be no wiser investment
that a nation can make than to add to
It's territory by taking from desert and
waters and dcsolatlon land that IS now
useless.
2O0,O00,000 IDLE ACRES N T. 3
Mr.. Lane declared that in the United
States thare arc more than 0O,000OO0
acres of waste land which can be made
into farms.
Appropriations OF only few millions
are needed to start said the Secretary. A
bill for this purpose already IS pending IN
Congress. and President Wilson endorsed
some legislation of the kind in his address
at the opening Of the present session.
The development need not be confined
~ States containing government land,
said Mr. Lane. citing eases of large un-
used tracts near eastern cities which would
supply markets with farm produce
Turning IL the question Of providing
fuller education through the public schools
particularly for the toreIgn-Dorn-Sec-
retary Lane said:
Our war experience has taught ms,
among other things, the value Of strong
national spirit, the vital Importance OF
national ideals. the impotence OF ignorance
the dependence Of this modern world
upon skilled men and organizing ability,
the need for and the possibilities that lie
in the extension OF cooperative effort OF
all kinds.
EDUCATION LEADS TO UNITY
There can he neither national unity IN
ideals or in purpose unless there rs
some common method of communication
through which may be conveyed the
thought OF the nation. All Americans must
be taught to read and write and think IN
one language: this is primary condition
To that growth which al nations expect Of
US and which we demand Of ourselves
The educational problem extends be
vond the State 10 the Federal government,
Mr. Lane said. adding that i the Federal
government would make the same Kind Of
an offer to the States for the education Of
iihtcrates that it makes for the conStruc-
tion Of roads Tin FIVE years there would
be few. If any, who could not read end
write in this country.
In concluding his report on the subject
OF education Mr. Lane said
II should like 10 see the day when every
child learned a trade while al school
trained MS mind and his hand together
lifted labor into art by the application OF
thought