The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1919-07-18
The N. E. A. Meet in Milwaukee.

One of the important national meet
ings of the year is that of the teachers
of the nation. This year the meeting
was held in the metropolis of Wiscon-
sin, Milwaukee being the entertaining
city. Men of national reputation in
the field of education appeared upon
the program during the entire week.
Supt. Holt was in attendance and re-
ports that the tendency of the pro-
grams was along certain very definite
lines. The matters of chief concern
among educators seem to be those of
salaries, proper types of vocational
education and very decided extension
of physical education.
With regard to the salaries of teach
ers the interest of educators is in ad-
vocating increased schedules as pre-
ventative against the strong tendency
of the capable and able men and women
leaving the field of public school in
struction to enter others which ar
more remunerative from the standpoint
of finance. The dearth of teachers
throughout the nation, but particularly
of strong, capable teachers, is alarm
ing. The fact particularly stressed
seemed to be that American boys and
girls were deserving of the most ex-
pert and sympathetic instruction OBJ
tainable and that the laborer was
worthy of his hire. Tho the American
people are awakening to the very Sc
rious condition prevailing, the realiza-
tion was keen that further campaign
of enlightenment was necessary that
the public might become aware of its
duty toward the developing citizenship
of the land.
What may be surprising to the small
er communities of the country seemed
to be strenuously appreciated by those
who have charge of educational policy
in the industrial centers. During the
past five or six years there has been an
avowed policy on the part of big bust
ness to so control vocational education
that it shall serve big business inter-
ests. National and state legislation
making it possible to give to boys and
girls specialized types of education
which would make them better factory
''hands" has been prevalent. Those
who are interested in a democratic type
of education which shall mean that
every boy and every girl be given an
equal opportunity to progress toward
the bigger things in life are alarmed
over the tendency to create class dis
tinctions by proceeding upon the theory
that at an early age some boys are to
be determined as fit for certain trades,
while others, generally children of the
wealthy, are for the professions. Ed
ucators generally are strenuous in their
demand that education shall be cosmo-
politan in character, that the son of
the washerWoman shall be given equal
opportunity with the son of the million
aire and that he shall be given an OPP
portunity to travel the great educa-
tional highway rather than being
shunted off at the behest of the needs
of business.
The war seemed to arouse the fed
eral officials to the woeful condition ex-
listing with regard to physical educa-
ton. The appalling fact that IS per
cent of the men who were examined
for the army were rejected because of
physical defect, defects which were
remedial, the generally poor physical
condition of those who were accepted,
these things were responsible for the
plea made at Milwaukee by representa-
tives of the government for concentra-
ton upon the physical side of educa-
ton. The statement receiving the
greatest applause at the convention
was that made by government official
who had general CHARGE of the physical
activities of the A. e. F. in France
when he said, SIT is the right of every
American boy and every American CIR
to receive one hour of physical educa-
ton every day of the school year"