The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-08-05
Dean Russell of the Teach
ers' College Warns Against
the Perils of UniOnism
PATRIOTISM MUST
BE TEACHERS AIM
In Organizing Teachers Would BE FOL
lowing the Professions of Law and
Medicines-Suggests Set of Codes Tor
the Teachers
the Teachers.

{ NEW YORK, Aug 5.-Dean James Z.
Russell of Teachers College Columbia,
speaking on The Organization of Teachers
at mass meeting of students III educa-
ton at the university recently, said that
if such an organization were formed every
teacher must be 100 per cent American.
The obvious outcome of the world
war" he said lis that schools more than
need is for better and more patriotic clti-
zens. More and better education is the
only certain means of getting better
citizenship
1.-THE greatest obstacles to the Amerl-
canization of our schools are the tradl-
tions affecting the employment, remunera-
ton, and qualification of teachers, The
teacher as a civil servant whose foremost
duty is the promotion of the welfare OF
the state is a new conception in Amerl-
can life Time was when the teacher was
chattel sold i'll the open market, or a
private tutor employed to give instruction
in subjects selected by parents, or an adj
herent of some church whose chief qualiti-
cation was his ability to safeguard the
tenets of his sect Now teachers are en-
ployed by boards of education of dis
trict or city under rules and regulations
only slightly limited by state laws.
"Once grant, however, that the Amerl-
, canization of our public schools calls for
l \ ~, 81. ali
used and the ends sought are not subject
TO private control or local bias, and YOU
put teachers on IA different status. Not
only is a premium put on culture, tech
nical knowledge, and professional skill
+, but it becomes n patriotic duty to realize
| the highest professional ideals in the train
ing OF American citizens The individual
| teacher will find inspiration and renewed
courage in the consciousness of marching
shoulder to shoulder with his fellows il
! the mighty army, recruited to fight tho
battles of civilization aud democracy.
THE time is past, it seems to me, wher
teachers should be dissuaded from grouI
organizations The war has made some
Z kind of an organization inevitable in thai
it has given to teachers a new objective
md to teachers new consciousness o
kind. The new patriotism founded in jus
tice and devoted to freedom must be i'm
printed on the coming generations 1t i
this sense of overwhelming responsible,
that is forcing our ablest leaders to dc
wise ways and means Of unifving the lat
mt strength Of the half million teacher
in the country.
in this effort they are but followin
at a respectful distance the example q
our oldest professions, law and medicine
which long ago set mn professional stand
srds and adopted codes of professions
ethics. They also have before them tn
example of trade unions, and some teach
ers. smartng under the injustice OF il
sufficient wages. have not -hesitated t
Egrasp the hand OF labor. The time ha
come when teachers must decide whethe
they win lead in their own way or be lie
in some other way whether they wi
set up standards worthy of a professio
or continue to be employees in a trad
III An organization of teachers, nation
twide and properly authoritative. must |
founded on principles that will he I'm
versally recognized as valid, and its COZ
duct must be above reproach. No selfs
lnotive can be allowed to interfere wit
the realization of its ideals. IF the pre-
ent world crisis makes such an organic
ton possible, it also imposes acceptan,
of professional standards"
Dean Russell suggested a set of cod
which such an organization might folio,
Every member, he said, must be 100 pc
Icent American. There should be no di
Termination against sex, grade, or school
Eequal pay for equal work by those givil
Icqual service. and every teacher shou
] lrecelve living wage. The teacher shou
teach his pupils the fundamental prin,
eIples of American life and help them
make wise choices in their affiliations, b