The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-01-07
BY DAVID LAWRENCE,

By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Special Despatch to The Reformer.
.t. Copyright 1920
WASHINGTON, Jan. President
Elect Harding has asked his friends in
the senate and the house who are inter
csted in establishing either a department
Of public welfare or department OF
education, tn get together and harmon
ize their views if possible in a single
lh oposal that he can support.
The inside story of the conflicting
interests and influences that have come
TO the front in connection with the new
department extends back into the cam
paigu and involves an unfortunate mis-
understanding as to the true position
of the Catholic church which has lately
been the subject of a lively discussion
i'm the Catholic press.
The whole thing revolves about the
establishment of federal institution TO
promote and organize the educational
facilities of the United States so as to
cut down the high percentage of illit-
clacy 10 AmericaniZe foreigners, pro
mote physical education, including
health and sanitation and the training
Of teachers
During the last campaign several
proposals We're made for a department
OF social welfare or a department of pub
ic welfare on the theory that oppoSi-
item frull the Catholic elements would
thereby be- leSscned and on the theory
that a bureau of education could be put
into the department of welfare. But
this the League of Women Voters and
ether womcn organizations have de
clined to support and the argument Is
being made that the POLITICIANS who
are always fearful Of religious preju-
diceS among their constituents have
totally exaggerated the position of the
catholics. who while anxious to have
10 legiSltion enacted which would inter
lere in the slightest with their control
over par1chial schools, are nevertheless
represented as bling unwilling To appear
before III" public - the foes OF any ed
ucltional project that has fog its OBJ
ject the brttcrmeut of a.! Americans
without respect to race or religion.
Indeed. Cardinal Gibbons himself re-
Gently wrote Il letter 80 Is friend which
touk the position that it would be un-
fortunate indeed if the impression be
came widespread that the Catholic
church were opposed to the promotion
Of education by the federal government.
Tie real traub.c arises because of the
variety ii the prJp0>als and the fact
that details Of the Snith-TaNHeg bill,
which represents the wish of the ed
rcators 81 the country who ere back
OF the measure H. well a. the LeaEue
Of Women Voters. have not been widely
explained.
In the first place. absolutely no con-
tral Of courses Of study or management
OF schools is given in the bill. All APP
propriations are distributed by the Soy
cral states of the union 80 that what
ba Ra Ysi4l4 SB n
in each state between public and par
ochial schools will bc maintained. Fur
therm0rc, the purpose of the department
OF education would be to organize ia
ciltic5 and enroll teachers and plovid'
organizations Of which the states can
raeut Of Education will be Il clearing
house of information for state boards
of education and will at the same time
stimulate educational processes in the
states. for the truth H. some states OF
the union have been woetully lacking in
! teachers and facilities and without fed
| eral aid they would continue to permit
| illiteracy and poor schools.
/ Nevertheless. the states will be
Obliged to contribute dollar for dollar
1 with the federal government, 50 that as
| in the case of good roads and other pro
iectS the combined federal and state on
| ergy viii make for progress.
During the campaign the effort t.
| create a department of public welfare
/ won friends because it was general IL
character but several members of con
| gresS who want a department of educa'
| ton, say that every part of the ten dc
| partmentS of the government IS Eup-
posed to have for its object the public
| welfare and what is desired at present
! is department to promote education
| Here is the way Mr.. Harding eX
pressed himself during the campaign ant
it is declared by those who have seer
him recently that he hasn't changed hi.
| view: Indeed, education is so init
| matey related to every phase of human
| welfare and to the perpetuity of our FREE
institutions, that it must be considered
of primary Importance in any program
for social betterment. So important i
education to the life of the nation anC
so extensive its work that it has beer
proposed to establish a federal depart
ment of education and to conduct re
search and carry on Investigation II
the field of education, and TO encourage
and assist the states and local com
munities in the promotion of education
The federal government has established
the precedent of promoting education
1t has made liberal grants of land anC
money for the establishment and supper
of colleges of agriculture and mechanic
arts, and in more recent years has mad
! appropriations for vocational education
and household arts. Without interfer
, ing i'll any way with the contro
and management of public education, b,
the states, the federal government
could extend aid to the states for tn
promotion of physical education, TIL
Americanization of the foreign born