Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-11-23

In his address on idle Ideals" before
the Montana State Teachers associa-
ton, at the session on Tuesday even
ing, Chancellor Edward g. Elliott OF
the University Of Montana called at
tention to what he termed the crisis
confronting the entire public school
system, from the kindergarten through
the university. This crisis, he said, has
been produced by two menacing in
fluences, poverty of support and the
invasion Of propagandists who seek to
| utilize the schools for their own mar
row ends"
Asserting that there is a country
wide pressing problem Of inadequate
support for public education, Chancel-
lor Elliott said:
"The modern conception Of q free,
universal school is distinctly an Amer
lean Invention. Our free school sys-
TEN Is our greatest original contribu-
ton to human civilization and to civic
progress. 1t represents the chief in
strument possessed by free, self-gov-
erning peoples for the preservation of
their. own freedom and the perfection
of their institutions of government.
From it the democracy of the present
has derived it's vitality and it's vigor.
From it the Inspirations and the endur-
0nGcs OIL eIo oSmocfaCy VI IAc IutuE .
will come as from no other agency.
This fundamental American creed Of
education needs new emphasis at this
time, when the course of events clear
" indicates a widening of the gap be-
tween our theory and our practices.
By no process of reasoning can the
conclusion be escaped that whatever
the immediate or the remote future
holds in store for American industrial
and political life is bound up in the
success and the efficiency of the public
school system.
Must Maintain Standard
"The quality and force of our citi-
zenship at any moment is dependent
upon the degree of confidence which
the mass of the people have in their
own institutions of government. We
cannot afford. whatever be the effort
and the sacrifice, TO permit any grade
of the public school to be diminished
in its effectiveness. Any other course
means the desertion of the faith of our
fathers. Even in this hour of mate
rial encouragement and distress, we of
all peoples should crusade against any
attempt to establish any moratorium
for education. The unemployment of
our educational ideals, In the existing
economic stress, would be more dam
aging to our prosperity than is the
present unemployment of human
workers in productive industry Any
thing less than the best public schools
means something less than the neces-
sary for our coming citizenship.
Notwithstanding this far flung phil
osophy Of civic life, we of the schools
must be- mindful of the murmurs Of
critical discomfort regarding the pres
ent cost of schools. Whatever may be
the temporary persuasions for social
ed retrenchment, it Is unadulterated
nonsense for anyone to assert that we
do not possess the ability to support
without interruption proper program
Of public education.
Builders are Needed
"At the same time we Of No-fa-a
should not be blind to the tragic fact
that the material foundations ii ne
prosperity and progress of this great
state Of ours have been temporarily
weakened; and give ourselves with pur-
poseful intent to the tasks of Cooper
ating with every agency that is honest
ly and sincerely striving to bring about
a working adjustment in public finances
during this perod Of pressure and of
encouragement. Builders. not battlers,
are now needed in the state. And the
builders need the facts with which to
carry on an intelligent campaign of
education for education: such cam
paign that does not forget that men