Pueblo chieftain., 1921-02-15
UNEDUCATED AMERICA

total OF 100000 IN the land OF tho free
who were no morn qualified 10 cNrrCl-H
tho right OF the franChiscsthAn 80 man
Australian bushmcn. Tho Surgeon
Generals report showed that OF the
men called TO service between the age
OF Il and 81, nearly - per cent wcr1
practically iilitcratc. This means that
fourth Of tho young manhood OF tho
country. which il It's main reliance W
peace and In war, b. To all iutcnts and
purposes In a state OF harharism. Eu--
mcr Secretary ot the Interior Lane ca-
Inmates that the annual cost OF filter
aey To- the United Statcs is $50. o.. 90.
The Director ~ the Bureau OF Mine
states that II all OF the miners could
read and speak English thousand
lives a year would be saved
fiiitoracy Nation WIDE
Tho committee cmphaticaiiy refute-
the idea that illitorscy Is confined to
the South. and 10 out-of-thc- c-way sec
tons. II shows ihat while Georgia has
5000 illitcratcs, New York has isO .o1o,
and that Pennsylvania has more than
Alabama Neither does the idea hold
good that the iilitcratcs arc chiefly
negroes. There arc milton moro
Whlto illitcrat"s than colorcd.
or the 100000 forciEn-boru in the
United States, tho committee says tim.
100000 cannot read or write English,
and that 100000 cannot read or write
any language.
Tho committee SAYS that EcttlnE an
education in tho United States t7
largely a matter OF luck. that the op-
portuuiy 8 H. not equal
'ln the South a large proportion OF
the negro children mover scc tho inside
of schoolhousc.' It aFsrrts. Tn the
North thcrr is hardly n city that has
ADEQUATE school facilities for all ila
children"
The committee finds that in physical
education our schools have failed oven
worse than In mental education.
Tho Provost Marshal Generals re-
port revealed the startling fact that
moro than one-third OF tho mon Ok
amtnod for military service in tho late
war were disqualified by reason ~
physical disability" IL reports 1T al
go sintcd That % per cent NJ trosH
young mon could hiiNc qualified had
they been taught the simplest rules ~
hygiene and hculth. II was iEnoraurT,
gross ignorance, that In tho vast ma
loritN OF cases was the cause OF ttcir
Incompetence
The committee finds that American
teachers arc utterly incompetent. thai
10000 Of them are less than ~ ynarH
old. that 5000 NJ 'hcm have no oiucH
iion beyond the eight grade, that 900 ~
OF them have less than a high school
education, and that 1n0.OdO uf them
have no professional training what
over. 1t finds that the aycrure sal
lhrS paid teachers In this country "is
less than the wages paid scrub-womcn
or ditCh disEcrs."
The measure by which the congress
men hope to nmeliorate these cond
tions creates a department ot cduc1-
tion WITH cabinet officer at it's head.
1t apTropriatcs 800 600 .oHa OF Federal
money TO he given tho statos on the
condition that they raise an equal
amount. This monev ig to bc1 used In
Ing immigrants, In pavInE bsttcr--sl-
aries 10 teachers, iu promoting phy-
seal education, in training teachers
The administration Of tho funds Is IN
he in tho hands of the states Much
Difference is paid to right OF tho statos
to manage their own affairs, They arc
merely to bo offered encouragement
guidance and money.