Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-17
phone Will Garry Your This Page For Tomorrow


There are millions Of immigrants IN the
country who can neither speak nor read
English and mnay Negro children never
pee the inside of q sehooIroOm ThOtnands
Of schools are closed because no teachers
can be obtained for the miserable salaries
offered
This disturbing picture of education
in America in contained in the report Of
the House Committee on Education on
the Towner Bill, and abundant proof
in contained in the hearings which were
held in connection with che bill
This report IL surely one Of the most
startling indictments of our civilization
which has eyer issued from Capitol Hill.
The Representatives and Senators arc
always investigating something and re-
porting about IL, but usually their ind
ings are not too critical or pessHnstic
Like all good Americans, they hav; gen
rally proceeded on the assumption that
whatever little shortcomings Il might
have, this nation II nevertheless the hnest
and most enlightened on the FAC" oi the
earth
But since the war new spirit seems ~
be abroad in the country Frequently You
encounter Americans who seem 70 thJnk
that the Amcricn horn has been blown long
enough They seem 70 think that boasting
is no longer IN order They are inclined
rather ~ make critical estimate pf th'
country. u take account Of Its faults and
To find those faults grIevo1s. number oi
books have been written since the var
which practically reverse the tradltiona
attitude Of the American toward hts cotin-
try Instead of calling It the gre atest on
earth, those writer's point out that i IS
tagging behind all other civilizations
IN many Of the actlvities which maze
civilization IN literature, IN art, IN edu-
cation, n respect for Individual r1ghts
IN the intelligent enjoyment ot ME
3Arr. Esd or CIVILIZATIONS
Now this critical spirit seems n have
goftcp into tie COnRressrncn, or ~ least
i ~, he Committee on Fducation
/ These statistics put us n the ninth
+ plsce among the nations, il says, -
i regard ~ our status in education, with
most ~ the civilized world ahead u us
+ Nor do the Congreesmen blink the zig
rifcaree ~ the facts which they uneaTth
They recognize that ~ democracy y an
abs,Ii4v urlear the voters are intelligent
enough ~ know what they are voflrs
about What, then, u 4 democracy n
which large fraction n he popula'lor
i lHi'erate and 4 still larger one densely
ignoranf2
IN free country its safety j. jeopar-
dized The report Tnodestlv admIts
when .ss voters cannot read he ballots
they caat and orly know how n vote q
they arc told
Here briefly are eone of the facts whicF
brought the Cougeesrnen to his tranf
of mind
According n fhe Cenrls IF 1920 there
were in this country 3 $40 600 persons
II Years Of age Or older who could not
read Or write. and the committee does
not believe that non dItiora havr mproy"f
since then. H. addition ~ these there wer'
3 500 600 peyarsna who could not -ead q
write English making total r 40HpF
in tho lard * he free who we're ~ Tnor'
qualified 70 exercise the right q the iran
rhisa than 30 many Australian h'lsrjnfn
The surgeon general report showe1ths' 3
~ the men called % service between -
epes IF 81 and 81. rearlv p per cent were
practically .lhterte. This mears that
fourth of the Young manhood q ~
country. which Il Its man reliance n peac'
and IN war. is - All Intents and purpose
u state ofsharbarlsn Former Secretar
Of the Interior Lane estImates 'hat n
annual cost 7f lIltrerecv 70 ne llte'
states ) Ss25. .0O0. 900. The director 2
the Bl.re..e /: Mines states that ! Al. Z
the mirrors or.4 read and SPEAK r.rgii-i
thousand ives 8 reaT ~oaic r saved
TLIrrERAcY ~ArTo@ T1DE-
The committee ernphaueallr -eiute
the ,1ee thar .llIteracv Is confined q fni
south. and 70 out-0f-the- section
II shows that while Georgia las - 80
llIiterates. New York mas 100000. alC
thaiTeUnsyIvAnla has moro of -aeIn ms.
Alabama. Neither does the idea hol'
good that the iliiterates are chlty Ne
goes. There are million more "hlt'
i.llterates nan col0red,
Of the 1900. 600 ioTei gn-born n -
United States. the committee >ts ma
5000. 600 cannot read or NTlte tngIlsn
and hat 2.000, 600 cannot read or VIII
any language.
The committee says that getung 81
education in the United States Is largely
matter of luck that the opportunity
not equal
In the South large proportion Of n
Negro children never soc the inside oi
schoolhouse, il asserts. In The Nort
there IS hardly 3 city that has adequat
school facilities for 81 its children.
The committee finds that n pnyslcs
+ education our schools nave lalteu eve
worse than IN mental education.
The Provost Marshal GenerlS re
port revealed the startling fact that NOR
than one-third Of the men examined 70
military service in the late war wer
disqualified by reason Of physical Us
ability, it reports. 1T also stated tha
30 per cent Of these yoGng men could haV
qualified had they been taught the slmples
rules Of hygiene and health. Il was lg
norance. gross ignorance, that II the vas
majority Of cases WAS the caUSe Of thel
Incompetence.
The committee finds that America
teachers are utterly incompetent. tbs
10000 Of them are less than 20 years old
that 10000 of them have no eductlo
beyond the eighth grade, that 10000
Of them have less than hlgh-Schot
education, and that 100000 Of them hav
no professional training whatever.
finds that the averge salary paid teacher
IN this country rs less then the wages
paid scrub women or ditch dlggels.
Mrs. Elsie wentEel Falls DOMnStair
Mrs. Elsie Wentzel. 46 years old, l02