Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1920-07-23
FRIDAY. july %. tS2e
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The .larin~ ur OGlahon'a i,v dpwA
in the r:tnk of States in the efficiency
OF its public school " The recent }c-
port of the Russell Sage Foundation
after an exhaustive survey If the ,ii
cational situation in all the States Of
the nation, has had one good effect,
if no more; it has provoked Il discus
sion as to the why's and whercfore>
Of the matter. If it reused consider
able resentment, so much the better,
dor the facts cannot be denied and re-
sentiment to the report must ncccssa-
rily beget resentment to the conditions
which made such report possible;
and when conditions are resented they
are in fair way to be changed.
In this day and age of the world
there is no excuse for poor or ineffi-
cient public schools, nor is there any
excuse for gross illiteracy on the part
of any individual endowed with an in
tellect that anywhere near approaches
the average. Poor schools are GER
tainly one of the causes of illiteracy.
but not the only cause. Indifference
on the part of the parents is often
the more direct cause, and this cause
is one that an up-tO-datc and eff
cient system will to Il big extent over
come. No one disputes the fact that
it is the duty of the State to provide
adequate school facilities, but people
too often forget that the duty of the
State is only the aggregate duties Of
the citizens of the State. Once let
the people realize this and the "bet-
ter schools" problem is as good as
solved.
1t is said that "anyone can lead a
horse to water but that no one can
make him drink" Like most prov
erbs that is only partly true, for any
one who has had much to do with
horses has probably on more than one
occasion forced sick horse to drink
a concoction that the animal strenu-
ously objected to swallowing. As
with horses, so with men, individuals
sometimes have to be forced to ac-
cept that which is for their own good,
especially during the earlier years of
their lives. The safety Of the State
demands an educated citizenship and
it is not only the duty Of the State
to provide the means Of obtaining an
education but it is also the duty of
the State to see that the opportunity
provided is taken advantage Of.
Probably one of the leading reas-
ons that educational matters in not
only Oklahoma but in many of tbs
States of the Union, have not received
the attention that their Importance
demands is because the average citi-
zen, with a common school education
or better takes it for granted that
everyone is amply provided for in the
way of educational training-He prob
ably seldom comes in contact with
y person who cannot read and write if
the person is old enough to be expect
ed to do so; and yet the illiteracy in
enlightened America is staggering
when viewed in the aggregate, while
partial illiteracy is so common as to
excite no remark.
Perhaps it may be little balm to
the wounded feelings Of our citizens
to know that illiteracy among the
younger generation is not at all pc.
culiar to Oklahoma, although that fact
should not be considered as any en-
cuse for it's existence here.
From recent report of the
Chief Of the Childrcn's Bureau of the
United States Department of Labor
the following facts may be Cleaned
"Of 1896 children between four.
teen and sixteen years old, to whom
certificates were issued, more thar
one-fourth could not write their names
legibly. Nearly 10 per cent had neve,
gone beyond the first grade. and con
siderably more than half were in thu
fourth grade or lower when they left
school. Only about per cent wer,
in the eighth grade, and about one il
a hundred had reached high school.
"These children were native Ameri
cans. OF the whole number, onl!
twenty-four were foreign-bon. TIL,
responsibility for their neglect. tn
report points out, is not merely loca
one. The United States is now offer
ing to the States financial assistanc
and expert advice in providing for tn
vocational education of children.
similar national policy might wei
be followed in regard to elementar
education"
Oklahoma is not alone in her neg
lect of educational matters. but tina
should act rather as spur than other
wise to efforts to better the Stat
educational system and the first thin
on the program of betterment is t
zee that the amendment permittin
of a higher tax rate for school pur
poses, which is to be voted on thi
fall, is made part of the Constitu
ton of the State. That will not b
all fhat will ha uecaSSarv h,,t IL Wi