Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-11-07

there were dVV,VVV Undertakes SuUJeCL
to draft. BY examining the census
report we noted further that there are
5 Y million illiterates in the country
over ten years of age, Az million ov-
Fer twenty. Further Secreta.. Lanes
report shows that 10 per cent Of our
country people cannot read the bulle-
tins Of agriculture, the newspapers or
theif Bibles.
Furthermore, The November bulle-
tin Of the N. e. A. finds that averag-
ing the amount of education of. all
our 1O0, 1000, 900 people and averaging
the proportion of ourS6O0.0O0 teach
{ ers, we are, on the average, a nation
of sixth grade IS taught by eleventh
graders. One hundred thousand of
iour teachers, one-sixth, are from sew
enteen to nineteen years old. b.
The next revelation of the war was
that there were many companies of
foreigners, whose men could not UNI
derstand h simplest order in Eng
..lish..S From this we find that we have
4 thirteen and a half million foreign
born citizens. among them 1,650, 900
%illiterates and 1000, 900 who cannot,
speak English.
Again in the first 2,4O0o,0 900 men
there were found 100000 men not
physically fit, fer general military
duty. That, it may be said, is ,a~bet-
ter showing; than the other nations
made. The thing we teachers must
note, however, that a vast proportion
of this physical disability was from
~preventable causes.
! 1t was further found that our edu-
cation sd far as it worked was our
salvation. In competitive tests in the
officers training camps from IS to
IS per cent of the officers selected
were college men. The Allies would
have been helpless against the Ger
mans but for our chemists.
: Rem1nrn Der, all the time, fellow
chemists and engineers, are. products
of the grades and the high school as
well as of the college. And now we
understand the nations Interest in the
bill before congress proposing aid to
the schools to the extent of $500, 000.-
600 a year against i%lliteracy, for teach
er training, for Americanization, for
physical and health education and for
the equalization of educational ad-
%vantages.
And what do we find in our state?
Actual illiteracy is low. under 2 per
cent. But that is 2 per cent too
much. Let us as a convention pledge
perintendcnts in their campaign to
abolish illiteracy in the state by 1924.
There is a place where we're not
doing our job and the results here
must be improved or they will endan-
- ger the advancement of the state. Not
half of our children. 46zper cent, are
getting through the eighth grade. In
the country, only 80 per cent are get
ting through the eighth grade, and OF
the boys in the country, not quite one
in four With that record are we to
be any better as a state on h average
than sixth graders? This question is
especially TO be asked when we realize
that 70 per cent'of our children are
/ in the country.
: our. children are completing the
course. In the country 4 per CEN
;. and OF the boys in the country only
three In a hundred. The bill in. con.
gress proposes $4,000. 900 a year 70,
equaliEin8: educational advantages
That, let us realize as teachers, IL
: one of the coming needs in our state
? We. too have the problem intl edu'
cation grown out of foreign settle.
, ments in the state. We must take the
attitude that it is no crime. 10 be for
eign. Let us emphasize first with for,
eign. parents the handicap. they will
l put on their children. by not making
!. ! them learn English. This wrong /:
more easily shown to them than thu
wrong to citizenship. Let US use con
siderate methods and be patient. A
the same time. We must stand as ont
nlan for the vital principle that on,
language. English. must be ullimatel.
the teaching language of all oui
/. iyschools. s. lG ~ tSs
We are doing rather well in our leg
,islation toWard health education. TIL
war revealed one weakness in TIN
American. character, at present,
weakness hidden. in e measure. b.
the great virtue of bravery But of
ficers point out that many, man.
American lives were needlessly lost b,
our men failing to pay strict atten
ton to orders.
The recent mob in Omaha was le,
by high school boys and girls. TIL
recent mob in Grand Forks seems II
have been made up largely of boy
of little more than high school age
Here is a point that must be takel
into account in our high school train
ing. I need hardly emphasize tn
use of the flag and the other factor
that make for loyalty. II we Civ
service to the state and to the cominj
n citizens of the state, thew in turf
.5ll,Will take care ofFthe schools.
MAY DRlLLsFOR OIL