Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1919-08-29
FRIDAY. AUGUST 20. 1919.
SENSE IN THE CENSUS.
BY Senator ]. I. France,
Of Maryland.
Reprinted from the August, 1919
issue OF HearSis.

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heroic action and TO clearer sociai
vision. To what definite ends shall.
we now direct these new-awakeuee
capabilities, and BY what means
achieve them? With us, in the
work OF the world rebuilding, we
find many men with many motives
To the well-intrenched reaetionarles
in business and in government there
comes. OF course, the deep desire
that reconsti uction may mean
merely the restoration OF past con
ditions. These backward lockers
hunger for the high-sayored flesh
pots OF the old Egypt from which
this nation has forever fled.
The extreme radicals, on the
other hand, without well-considered
plan or definite aim, seek by sud
den revolution the destruction OF
all that is, in the vain hope that, out
of the ashes of an utter ruin, may
by some chance, spring forth-like
the tabled Phenix-some novel
social scheme of permanent equal
ity and perfect liberty for all.
1T is right" Edmund Burke
once said, that there should be 8
clamor whenever there is an abuse.
The fire bell at midnight disturbs
your sleep but keeps you from be.
ing burned in your bed.
With this the reactionary dis
agrees. He dislikes clamor because
he thrives on abuses. Consequently
he resists all change, defends the
existing conditions and seeks to dis
credit or prosecute those who de
mand reform. He hates free speech
because it disturbs and hurts him
He is not enthusiastic about plans
to improve our educational system
because in his heart he believes that
thought, like talk, is somewhat dan
gerous in too-great quantities.
The truly liberal and progressive
man, on the contrary, defends free
speech and universal education he
cause he knows and truly trusts the
motives Of the masses. The bitter
battleafor a better world fought on
the crimsoned banks of the immor-
tai Marine must still be carried on
In every forum, reactionary and
liberal must contend until the cause
OF progress and equal opportunity
shall have won final victory.
Your blind and comfortable re-
dictionary viii not hesitate 10 tell
YOU that these ,intolerable condiy
tons. against which the liberals
have declared so relentless a war,
are all imaginary, that the liberals,
like Don Quixote, tilt at windmills,
and thai ii America every one now
has his equal chance.
Free government IS the highest
product OF emancipated minds. Let
us examine, therefore, our educa-
tional system. Liberty and illit-
eracy cannot long dwell together.
The superior education OF the
classes means the easier exploita-
ton of the masses. The Bourbons
naturally prefer that children labor
rather than learn. The American
IDEAL OF equal opportunities to all
IS certainly not being realized vi
less all are being adequately edu-
,ated. The child of today is not
into the life of tomorrow
With an equal chance unless he be
furnished with training in body and
mind adequate not only to fit him
Tor useful citizenship, but to pre-
pare him practically for the battle
If life.
Yet the last census figures show
hat forty-four out of every one.
hundred OF our American children
10 not attend school; that the av
erage length of the school year for
The whole country is only one hun
dred and sixty days, and that III
forty States the school year lasts.
but one hundred days, They indi
cate moreover that seventy-six per
cent Of our school children are I'm
der fifteen years of age, and that
onlv one out OF FIVE continues his
education after reaching fifteen.
Is it any wonder, then, that our
latest Army records seem TO indi-
cate that out OF every one hundred
nineteen adults are illiterate and
that among the men called TO the
colors practically twenty-five out Of
every hundred are so ignorant as to
be unable to intelligently read the
or to write letter
home?
Think what this means Twenty
FIVE ont of every hundred adults in
our country are so lamentably I'M
informed as to be finder for the
fiame tor revolution or easy prey
for the exploiters' plans.
Or, taking the matter from an
other angle, let Us consider the
Of bodies needlessly
crippled and weakened and the
millions Of lives destroyed by our
neglect of rational methods for
health protection. Hall million
men are injured annually in indus
try-and one-half of these without
excuse. Typhoid, tuberculosis and
other preventable diseases cost us
each year more than a billion and
half oi dollars alone. One-third Of
the men first drafted for our armies
were found to be physically unfit
en- ment+l admin Gration and mad
equate employment systems, al
most a quarter Of car working peo-