The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-05-29
NOTHING MUST
PREVENT EDUCATION
Continued from page 81

| Continued from page 3.)
education, their preparation for life
from the hands Of immature ana un,
trained teachers, boys and girls tina,
will constitute at least 90 per cent o.
the next generation of voters. OF the
10000, 900 boys and girls, 1000 oO(
are taught by teachers with education
limited to or 8 years. Seven million
by teachers hardly more than boys
and girls themselves, and ten million
by teachers without special prepare,
ton, and with an inadequate general
preparation:
We do hold in high regard our Am
erican public school system. No sys,-
tenn of private schools compare with
it. want that clearly understood. No
foreign land has system based on
SO broad conception of education
But we may as well acknowledge its
faults and failings.
What shall we say of the general
education provided in our land when
five and half million people over III
years of age cannot read or write in
any language, and four and a halt
million are over the age OF 20 years !
How we'll are we working out our
great conception of education for all
when 100000 drafted men had their
value to the army minimized because
they could not read, nor could they un.
derstand the English language. Shall
we not question the possible efficacy
of our education when to reach mil
lions of citizens, news must be pub
lished in several foreign languages?
What of the fact that tens OF
thousands of native born Americans
learn American history in another
language than that of our country?
We speak of our high taxes for
schools. And no country so literally
supports it's schools. Yet we do we'll
to recall that we spend more for chew
ing gum than for text books. More for
autos than for all education secondary
and elementary. In Texas-the fig
ures happened to come to me, seven
and one-half times as much for alco-
hol and tobacco as for education, in
a year. I warrant that the 500 auto
mobiles in Minot represent as large
an investment as all the money we
have put into our public school build
ings. A man pays his thousand dol
lars for his auto to give his children
a ride and the consequent pleasure,
but the hundred dollars tax for his
children's education looks pretty
strong.
Is education worth while-econom
ically? Well, an analysis Of Who's
Who supports the contention that it is.
1t established the fact that the uned-
ucated man to make real cOntribu-
ton to the welfare of his state and
thereby merit recognition, are about
100000, while if he has a common
school education his chances are "a
times as great; while if he is
college trained his chances are increas-
ed 800 fold.
Someone has analysed the education
Of prominent men of the nation and
thus establishes that while but per
cent of the men of the nation are COL
lege men, from this l per cent have
come SIS per cent of the presidents;
SO per cent of the members of Con-
gres; AZ per cent Of the Speakers of
the House; 81 per cent of the Vice
Presidents; 62 per cent of the Secre-
taries of State; SO per cent Of the Sec
retaries Of the Treasury; 81 per cent
of the Attorneys General; SO per cent
of the Justices of the Supreme Court.
The Federal government, thru it's
Bureau of Education, stands sponsor
for the statement that every day in
school is worth nine dollars and two
cents. This figure is based upon the
increased earning power of students
who continue their schooling as COM
pared with the earning power Of those
who stop school early.
It is further established by statistics
that there is close correlation be-
tween the average earning power Of
the citizens of state, and the amount
Of schooling given those citizens. In
Massachusetts, the average citizen re-
ceived few years ago, seven years of
schooling. In the United States % .
whole the average citizen received but
a. years, while in Tennessee the aver
age was but three years. And the av-
erage daily per capita earning power
was represented by the figures 81 in
Massachusetts,, Sc in the United States
as whole, and 38 in Tennessee.
Our educational system thru our
public schools, is an excellent one. It
Despite the handicaps of its tardy be-
SuuHAS, VIC "C0h oAu CIIOnCOuS CVue
ceptions Of its purpose, and it's eco
nomic difficulties, the public school
system has achieved tremendously.
The conceptions Of education Of the
past are worthy-there is a place for
vocational training; it is highly COM
mendable that education and religion
be regarded as of co-relative import
ance; it means much that education
shall be considered good enough for
the aristocrats of the land; and the
American conception that education
shall be the birthright Of all potential
citizens is an exalted conception. Yet,
while we must retain all that is good
in each of these ideas, we must now
enlarge our conception of education
still further, and conceive of educa-
ton not merely as something to be Of
fered to all our citizens, present and
future, but as value which must be
taken advantage of. It is Of economic