The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-06-15
PROBABLE BRITISH
ENVOY ON SCHOOL

waahingt d. G., June 14-Herbert
A. 1. Fisher, who 10 said to have been
offered the post Of British ambassador
At Warrington to succeed Earl Read
Ing, ID known widely a. a scholar, his
toriAn and linguist, but his most mem
orable public service, perhaps, has
been in his present position as min
lister Of education in the Lloyd-George
cabinet.
How he won from parliament, In
war time, q budget with which Eng
land hopes to revolutionize her educa-
tional policy. regarded as one of her
greatest reconstruction measures, is
told in the following communication
from Judsor c. Welliver:
THE organization-it can hardly
be called syutem-for public educa-
ftion In Britain was VIGOROUSLY made
quate. Many people knew that before
the war. and the wars shock aroused
the nation to action 1t sat through
two Accordingly interesting sessions
OF tho house OF commons. One was
on the day of political crisis. when
some innocent souls thought Mr..
Lloyd-George was in danger of being
driven from power and when, with
the eyes Of the world focused on West
minister, with the benches and gal
leries Of the commons packed, the
prime minister in great speech drove
his enemies from the field in utter
rout The other WAS on the day when
Mr.. Fisher. minister for education.
presented and explained In much de-
tall an ambitious but dry-as-dust pro-
gram for educational reforms.
The one occasion saw tremend-
| ously dramatic political spectacle; the
other. three hours explanation Of a
complex piece OF constructive legisla-
| ton. Yet l am not sure that Mr.
Lloyd Georges was the greater tri.
umph. To Z house OF commons that
had already voted away something
like a quarter Of the national wealth
in war appropriations. Mr.. Fisher
calmly made his demand for 5000
900 to inaugurate a complete new ed.
vocational organtzation--and was en-
| Enthusiastically applauded!
| That applause was the testimony
that Britain intended to help the mu-
milton girl who aspired to be more like
! q lady; to help the farm boy who
while digging trenches in Flanders
has learned to see life with a wider
visio nthan when blowing burrows. IL
| Kent
| like every othei British reform
the educational act carefully utilities
the longlaid foundations, avoids I'M
necessary shock to tradition, saves and
builds upon whatever has been found
/ good 1t has since become law. and
for its coordination OF all grades
i from kindergarten to university. fpr
its plans to make education compul-
sorry. practical and cultural; for Its
guarantees Of the full measure OF edu-
cational opportunity that every type
of adolescent mind may justify, II
seems fairly to justify the verdict OF
, some educators, that it is the most
complete and satisfactory educational
scheme ever devised for am nation.
IF space would permit. a digest OF
! this measure. which combines =
scheme o. universal education with
new and necessary restrictions on child
labor, would give an excellent idea OF
how the British managed. while meet
ing the demands showered on them by
a warning world. to fnd time for con-
structive reforms.
Here In America few people have
Just begun to study the amazing data
about illiteracy. our 100000 alien
Presidents. use Of foreign languages In
great communities, and the physical
idegeneracy Of great classes. which
have been made available through the
working Of the universal military
service act. Britain has studied Its
corresponding data. and has taken
measures to end disgraceful condi.
tons"