The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-11

demobilization. In the interim we are making great strides in education. The men are very keen and there are at least seven classes going on in each battalion of this brigade"
 t Colonel Lord Corell, M. C., deputy dirctor of the educational scheme in
 the British army, tells of one private
 whose interest in the classes was so
 great that though he was billeted six
 miles from Lille (the nearest place
 where these were being held) he
 walked that distance twice every day
 rather than lose the opportunity of at tendance-an eXertion taken on in ad-
 dition to the various military duties
 which were his to perform "N
 ready" adds Lord Corell, "of such
 things during the revival of learning
 at the close of the Middle Ages, but I
 venture to thin kthat five or six years
 ago no one would have believed it pCs-
 sible for an Englshman. All that we
 have done and all that we are trying
 to do is to meet this new manifesto
 tion, evidence of which can be seen
 everywhere"
 Another story is told of an officer who had been down to visit his unit lin order
 10 near and investigate any causes for
 complaint. He addressed the men and ended up by saying that he was willing
 to listen to any personal grievance pro- Vloed It was not private grouse"
 there was one main "grumble" brought
 to him and that was that through cer- tain difficulties of organization there had been no educational lectures in that unit
 And his experience among the men led
 hlm to remark that in his opinion there was an absolute hunger for knowledge
 which was very significant"
 MT. H. A. l.. Fisher, president of the British board of education, speaking at hot shape of adult education has ever been attempted on the same scale in the whole history of the world"
 Throughout, the work has had three ob- 1ects, namely, to maintain contentment, to broaden and quicken intelligence and to give men practical help in the work they intend to undertake after the war The last object has necessitated great variety of subjects being included in the curriculum and especially since the ces- sation of fighting. In June last, instruc- ton was going on in 57 subjects, but a report up to date announces that that
 number has already risen to over 16o Now, too, with the formation of the army of occupation, the scheme may be said to be entering upon it's second phase, where it may also be capable of greater
 and easier organization. There will be British army of nearly million men on the Rhine for some time, and the ma Jority of them are very young. Indeed the big proportion of the male youth of this land will be in the army of occupa-
 tion and it becomes a question of carry ing on their education not merely for
 their sake. but also in the interests of efficiency for the nation.
 That English universities have been ac- tually founded at Bonn and Cologne
 points to the fact that the directors of
 this great scheme are prepared to at
 tack the problem of the young soldiers education in a systematic and efficient
 style. It may be mentioned also that
 the facilities for study apply equally to officers as men and both have taken ad-
 vantage of them.
 As more definite returns of what has
 been done have come to hand, it has been proved as we'll that the army has suc- ceeded in giving education to many who up to the time of enlistment had con trived to miss the school board officer and grow up ignorant even of the three Rs Such men as had been employed on canals for instance and others who had run away very early to sea were found to belong to this class and have since had reason to bless the effort of the authori- ties.
 Certainly when the history of the great war comes to be written, an account of this remarkable educational enthusiasm cannot be ignored. It is beyond doubt one of the wonders of the age that out of these terrible years of destruction should have arisen this constructive move ment, this desire for self f-improvement which has tsirred alike in the minds of a the men, rich and poor, those with
 many advantages before 1914 and those I with few. s l Copyright 191eo