Arizona republican., 1921-09-06
DepIorable Ignorance


 peporable Ignorance
 The Associated Press yesterday carried the resSt of simple test applied to than 17ooo students of American schools grammar. high school and undergraduates of colleges So amazingly deplor- able the disclosure ignorance of current events that almost disposed to reverse our verdict of week ago. that American education is failure The result of this which given to what may be assumed to be representative body of American students is surely argument in favor of right-about revision of educational system.
 These students were asked questions concerning events which have occupied the front page of every daily newspaper in tn land for months: persons whose names and activities of individuals who have been familiar front page years. There was question in the list which high school freshman in the land should not have answered off hand. hardly believable that any of these stu dents had had and embraced the opportunity to something of these and matters But the majority of the students of those who. having eyes, not.
 We cannot suppose that the 17.5oo students whom the Institute for Public Service applied this test just happened to include all the mentally defec- tive in our schools and colleges Nor do believe that who made a bad showing mentally defective. Rather they victims of the system and their teachers, those of the grammar and high schools. We regret that teachers in those schools not themselves subjected to the test.
 The colleges appear to be less at fault We that responsibility does not attach to them for the showing made the seniors, juniors and fresh These students them in machine like fashion; some of them accredited" schools. many which should be "discredited." Examina- ton admission discloses certain agreed-upon, parrot requirements and they showed into the educational machine to be ground out a finished product years later. But here within a year of graduation. who had not been taught to read understandingy. Having eyes and ears, they had not taught in the grammar and high schools and hear. The colleges had only made no provision for detecting these visual and auricular defects It may be said in behalf of the colleges that they might reasonably supposed that such defects did not exist.
 Here are some the answers:
 Tn one state college three of thirty y-six juniors did not identify cartoon of Uncle Sam.
 Samuel Gompers given head of the ship building trade, poet abors representative in con gross. secretary labor, head of the strikers of the civil service commission and all unions of the world and minister France. England and Japan.
 Lloyd George was given as king of Ireland, king of England, prominent in England, ambassador to the United states and English diplomat.
 Senator Lodge given ex-senator sec retary of writer psychic research ambassador to England believer conversations with the dead, member the cabinet, president Of the senate English speech maker. advocate of spiritualism
 Charles E. Hughes President Wilson's pri- secretary and now wants to conquer Russia Budget Director Dawes is secretary of the navy Senator Borah fighter for disarmament, is widely unknown. marked Uncle Sam and dubbed social ist senator.
 ~Budeet is a bill of particulars a booklet for keepine expenses the amount money spent in one year. an estimate in the British house of commons.
 sim Fem Is gang of mysterious men, law less mob Russia party of people in Russia, try ing to gain power. the socialists in Ireland
 our last two constitutional amendments brought us railroads steamships paved streets and restricted immigration.
 The Knox peace resolution called for indemnity from Germany abstinence from foreign affairs re- duced navy and international disarmament ato.o
 .Peonage is the number of employees, the state of a day laborer, a law regarding punishment of negroes"
 College students of the highest two classes aver aged 50 per cent equivalent we suppose to 40 per cent being in total ignorance; freshmen made 5S per cent; first year school students made 35 per cent though curiously, grammar school students of the year below averaged A per cent. Here there was evident deterioration.
 What can we say of the future of the students who made these ridiculous answers? Whose the fault? They must been boys and girls of aver age mentality they could not have made the parrot grades; the grammar school pupils could not have got into high school. and the high school pupils into the college
 An average boy girl of college age, say l6 to 22 would have the answers to these ques- tions No doubt these students who did not know them would have known them if they had become day laborers or clerks waitresses We can only be- ueye that they were stunted by their contact with our educational system; that 1t would have been hetter for them if they had been withdrawn from school when they had learned to read with some understanding and had mastered the three 'Rs.'
 We are speaking only of those who fai in
 Il.R fh6rT ,,.. arc other pupils and students who pi ofit f7, s,ch instruction as the schools afford and who sn withstand the atrophic influence of the schools