Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-09-07
ILLITERAcY or AMERICA WAS
REVEALED IN THE WORK OF
MAKING OUR BIG ARMY.
CONDITION WAS A SURPRISE
utteranees of General Pershine and
Commissioner Tioert Arouse Anew
Efforts TO Have Federal Depart
ment Of Education Created.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

by Gen. John j. Pershing and by DIR.
i. Tigert. United States commissioner
OF education, have reused interest
again In the proposal TO create de-
partment OF education with a cabinet
officer at its head to be added TO the
other departments of government.
President Harding is committed TO
a department OF welfare. One of the
stumbling blocks in the way of secur-
ing the legislation to create such a
department was the efforts Of some
OF the educators TO prevent the inclu-
sion of education I'm the field of the
department OF welfare activities. Many
OF the educators wanted and still want
a separate department of education.
Gen. Leonard Wood. for several
years made a campaign for better
teachers, better pay for teachers. and
better teaching facilities a general
companion piece TO his campaign for
proper military preparedness. Hardly
a speech that he delivered for two
years bur contained some reference
TO this matter. General Wood trained
two divisions OF American soldiers for
service In France. and he had learned
at first hand some of the startling
conditions OF illiteracy which existed
In the ranks of young America.
Now General Pershing has said that
one man in every four who entered
the American army was unable TO read
or write. He added that the officers
OF the service had their hard work
much increased by the fact that many
OF their men could not read and that,
lacking the development of even pri-
mary education, they were not quickly
susceptible 10 instruction.
Tigert on Our lIIiteraey.
The words Of General Pershing have
been buttressed by the words of Doc
tor Tigert who, among other things,
has said this:
1T has been declared that America,
like Rome, will be destroyed by van
dals from within, and not from with
out, through the forces OF illiteracy.
zone man out of every four In the
American army could neither read
nor write, but there was only one IL
literate In 5000 In the German army.
No one can realize without seeing the
seemingly impenetrable terrain of the
ArgOnne forest what we owe to our
soldiers. but Ii was a crime TO send
them In as they were against men of
such llteracy. / hope that there will
never be another war. but II there is
II viii be a disgrace to the nation II
our men are not better prepared, ana
Il Is the task Of the schools 10 pre-
pare them"
Today Washington Is told that be-
fore the war the United States spent
more than any other nation on educa-
ton. and that every state In the Union
had laws requiring at least an educa.
ton OF an elementary kind. but IL is
said that the laws are not enforced
and that only half of the children
which the statutes require shall attend
school actually are there.
IL Is said now that during the war
10000 teachers gave up teaching be-
cause the American people We're I'M
willing 10 pay them enough TO live on
the average salary being $500 a year
while In one state IL was only S234. II
Is said 10 be increasingly difficult TO
get young women to enter the teach
ing profession. The other day IT was
said that the churches were having
hard work to get young men to enter
the ministry
Poor Chance for Department.
From the present outlook IL sens
probable that no department OF edu-
cation viii be established by act OF
congress, and that the bureau of edu-
cation win be included I'm the depart
ment of welfare, If II shall be created.
OF course there is today a bureau Of
education, and IL Is doing its work
with limited appropriations in the best
way IL can. There is no lack OF heart
effort. nor Of physical hard work.
1t can be said that the disclosures
made by the war that such a high
percentage OF llllteracy exists In the
United States came as a shock 10 the
law makers. The thing was impossl-
bic TO believe. and yet the records
proved the point. Prior TO the war
there was a general belief that the
United States had lower rate Of A.
literacy than any other great nation
IN the world. This was due, II was
said. TO misleading reports from the
states in the Union. reports which
were made on inadequate information.
The 100000 men who went into the
service are called the flower of our
youth. and yet II is a flower without
education as one OF its browning
beauties. II Is held In Washington
that II the war has done no other
good. 1t probably accomplished some
thing worth while because II forced
Americans TO know the true condition
concerning the rate Of iIllteracy among
the young men Of the land.
Every government which has been
invited TO participate In the forthcom-