Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-01-07
NATIONS WEALTH
AID IT'S POWER
IS EDUCATION
Natural Resources Worthless
Without Education-Com-
parison of IIIiterate and
Educated Workers
BY JESSE w. ARMIsTEAD

for general culture and as pfepa-
! ration for participation in good cit
| zenship, and most of them are will
| ing to contribute out of the public
! funds to the support of the schools
| for these ends when they feel that
| the people are able to do so without
! too much sacrifice of what they call
the necessities of life and too heavy
a drain on their material prosperity,
Not many people are aware of the
close relationship between education
and the production of wealth, and
fewer still understand fully the eX-
tent to which the wealth and the
wealth-producing capacity of any peo-
pie depend on the quantity and quail
ity of educational training. The
people themselves and their legisla-
tive representatives need TO be
shown that no other form of invest
ment yields quite as large dividends
in material wealth as do investments
in education, and that poverty is
not TO be given as a reason for with
holding the means of education, but
rather as a reason for supplying
them in larger proportion.
In q manuscript prepared by Dr.
A. c. Ellis, of the University OF
Texas, in the early part of 1917, for
use by the bureau of education, at
Washington, the professor points out
in terms that the people can under
education promotes industrial eff
cheney and increases material wealth.
He says:
THE most valuable result of right
education is the broadening, deepen
ing and refining of human life. This
dollars and cents than truth, self
sacrifice and love can be made out
of pork and potatoes. While the
higher things of the soul are price
less rewards which true education
brings, they are not it's only results.
The material and measurable rewards
of education should be made plain
to those whose votes must determine
the support of our educational sys-
tenn"
National Wealth and Power
Speaking of national wealth and
power as determined by education,
DR.. Ellis says: THE concrete evil
dence of the effect of education In
increasing industrial efficiency is
overwhelming, whether considered
from the national standpoint or from
that Of the individual citizen. For
example, now else account for the
fact that a nation like Germany, with
limited natural resources, but with
excellent public schools, grew in
wealth and power so much more
rapidly than her neighbor, Russia.
which has n vigorous and talented
national stock and vastly better re-
sources, but poor educational facili-
tieS?"
That the phenomenal industrial
success OF Germany before the great
war was the result of her thorough
educational system is generally adj
mi Il ,IoI
Germany was able to put four times
as much value into it's manufactured
articles as the United States. Though
her people lacked the peculiar in
VentlVe ingenuity and artistic tenn
permanent which have been the sole
fields of industry, yet amidst pow
erty of natural resources there
emerged, in one generation, an in
dustrial nation which stood forth, be-
fore. the war, as a marvel of eco
nomIc development"
Devastated Russia is today a liv-
ing example Of the need of educa-
ton on the part of Il people, as a
whole. The proved ability of Japan
in the highly technical and compli-
Gated art of modern warfare" may
be attributed to her wonderful edu-
cational development. Kuropatk:n
stated that, the costly failures of
Russia in the war with Japan were
due to the ignorance of her brave
but untutored army, and to the edu-
cation Of the JAPANESE He said:
THE defects of our soldiers-both
regulars and reseryists-were the de-
fects of the population as whole
The peasants were imperfectly de
velopcd intellectually, and they made
soldiers who had the same failing"
Earning Capacity Of Education
industrial efficiency and national
wealth are natural results OF ade-
quate provision for education. Wher-
ever there is q lack of the neces-
sary school system, like in Spain,
Russia, Turkey and Mexico, there
also will be found the story of pow
erty, revolution and misery. Gwen
in the United States" says DR.. Ellis,
sit has been shown that the earning
capacities of the citizens of several
states are in direct proportion to
the efficiency of their school sys-
TENS" He gives figures from DR..
Charles w. Dabney, who investf-
gated this matter. showing that the
average schooling in 1898 and 1899
! tc the citizens of Massachusetts was
United States. as a whole, IA years.
The daily production of the citizens
of Ma ssachusatts was IS cents and
that of the United States as a whole
s. cents. Taking the figures from
the census bureau report of 1910,
capacity of $46G per year, against
Whole. In 1S9s-99 Massachusetts
spent 1855 per pupil.
Of course, it would be unfair to
attribute all this difference in pro-
ductive capacity to differences in the
educational systems in the several
states, says Or. Ellis. 1.-THE effect of
climate, and many other factors,
must be considered before the exact
share played by education could be
determined. Yet the unbiased OBJ
server must recognize that educa-
sees that among all variety of races,
and accompanied by all kinds of con-
ditions of climate, natural resources,
geographical location, economic and
social environments, in every case
amass wealth, while uneducated peo-