The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-02-28
aovsEh EDUCATIONAL BILL

TOrner u Of the American
" tns sS j Labor, Che American a
Federa I'M u Teachers. and the
fedel na1 Education Association.
S Sa"or is brief analysis o. inc
bill: "a hill to create a Depart
Title: r1ducation, to authorize ap-
OPERATIONS for the GGn the appro
Depa aian If money to encoulasv ,n -
priaIlOii II the promotion ana SLID t,aao ].
states ation, and for other purposes.
d eduG On establishes a Department OF
The Dl., with Secretary at lts
BdueaItJbTnIs giving Education recog-
bead tnu' the Presidents Cabinet
piton II litb Agriculture, Commerce.
slong W. wa the other Departments. At
LABOR or tho administration OF educa-
present. f fail is parceled out among
bana +han eighty different bureaus,
norea and divisions OF the several
bCaras ~ OF Government. The
Depal 80 If Education in the Depart
Bureaa the Interior was established
uent W collection of statistics and
for tneonination of information.
the al0I iii transfers the Bureau OF
LUZ to the Department OF
@s1u uc and authorizes the Presl-
Eduoa - transfer such other educa-
dent bureaus, commissions, boards,
l olai and branches a., in ms
G1lsrt should be administered by
laus nenartment of Education. 1t is
Inc TN the specific duty Of the Depart
nSae ~ encourage the states in the
n 1D"oIonment of public educational
e ass and authorizes invesuga.
and research in the fields OIL
l uvn immigrant education; pub
hh sohnol education, especially rural
~ l5ncstion; physical and health edu-
e ution and recreation; preparation
Vn a eunnly of competent teachers;
auG in ench other fields as come with
IN the provision of the Act II
nutborizes the encouragement OF
Siober and professional education.
nnd the appointment Of educational
a.tachns to foreign embassies to IN
'.stigate and report on the educational
,vAems of other countries
ma hill authorizes. the apprdprla-
4ton Of 500, 100000 annually to be
snnortioned among the states for the
ALLOWING purposes:
m encourage the states in the re-
moyal of ilIiteracy, $7,500,0OO.
To encourage the states in the
REORGANIZATION of foreigners, ST.
100000. 49,.
To encourage the states in the
oouaIization of educational oppor-
tnnities. and for the partial payment
If teachers salaries, providing Detter
Instruction. extending school terms
and otherwise providing equally GOOD
schools for all children, $5O,OOO,OOO.
To encourage the states in the
promotion of physical and health edu-
cation and recreations, $2O,OOO,OOO.
To encourage the states in proVld-
ug facilities for preparing and sup
blving better teachers, $15,O0O,OOO.
The appropriations are allotted %
the states on condition that the state
or local authority, or both, shall 1ur-
uish an equal amount for each specl-
fed purpose. The administration ana
control of education is left entirely
TO the states. and to local authorizes
the Federal Government exercising
supervision only to the extent neces-
sary to see that the several amounts
appropriated are used by the states
for the purposes specified in the Act.
The bill provides that the funds
allotted to the several states shall De
paid quarterly to the respective state
treasurers. and disbursed on the order
of the states chief educational
authority, as designated by the state
legislature.
ARGUMENTS FOR THE BILL
The war demonstrated beyond a
doubt that education is a subject or
great national Importance. The
selective draft revealed that there
we're 100000 illiterate males in Amer
lea between the ages of p and 81.
These were called out by our great
free country to defend principles they
could not understand and to uphold
with their lives a constitution they
could not read. Our American OIL
GERS labored to make them efficient
soldiers; provision must now be made
to make them efficient American citl-
zens In peace as in war, men are
valuable in proportion as they are
and Intelligent. The last
census shows that there are in this
country more than five and one-halt
million illiterates over ten years OF
age. The nation must encourage and
assist the states to remove this un-
fortunate condition which Is a menace
to our country. These ignorant mass
es lower American standards and are
exploited by greedy pro1teers and
unprincipled leaders. Anarchy and
social disorders thrive on illiteracy.
Again, it was found that more than
100000 Of those examined for mill
tary service were physically unsound.
and that a large proportion of the
defects discovered could have been
or removed by proper at
tention in youth. This great problem
deserves more consideration than it
has received in the past Here may
be found the source Of enormous econ
omlc and industrial loss, and the
cause of much poverty and misery.
The conservation of the human re-
sources of the nation is certainly as
important as the conservation of its
other resources. Our people, par
ucularly the industrial classes, are
vitality interested in the promotion of
the physical welfare of all through
physical and health education and the
encouragement of wholesome recrea-
ton.
Inc Americanization, not only of
tne more than 100000 foreign-born
IN our country, but of the many ma