The spectator., 1921-09-16
llLITERACY OF AMERICA WAS REVEALED IN THE WORK OF
 MAKING OUR BIG ARMY.
CONDITION WAS A SURPRISE
Utterances of General Pershno and Commissioner Tigert Arouse Anew Efforts to Have Federal Depart ment of Education Created.
By EDWARD 8, CLARK,

by Gen. John J. Pershing and by Dr. l. Tigert, United States commissioner of education, have reused interest again in the proposal to create a de- partment of education with 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 in the field of the department of welfare activities. Many of the educators wanted and still want separate department of education.
 Gen. Leonard Wood, for several years made campaign for better teachers, better pay for teachers, and better teaching facilities general companion piece to his campaign for proper military preparedness. Hardly speech that he delivered for two years but 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 ill:teracy 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 to instruction.
 Tigert on Our IIliteracy.
 The words of General Pershing have been buttressed by the words of Doc tor Tigert, who, among other things, has said this:
 Tt has been declared that America, like Rome. will be destroyed by van dals from within. and not from with out, through the forces of iliteracy.
 One man out of every four in the American army could neither read nor write, but there was only one H. 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 it was crime to send them in as they were against men of such literacy. l hope that there will never be another war, but if there is t will be a disgrace to the nation if our men are not better prepared, and 1t is the task of the schools to pre- pare them"
 Today Washington Is told that be- more than any other nation on educa- tion, and that every state in the Union had laws requiring at least an educa- ton of an elementary kind, but 1t 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.
 It is said now that during the war 16,OOO teachers gave up teaching be- cause the American people were un- willing to pay them enough to live on the average salary being 5000 a year while In one state 1t was only S234. It is said to 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 1t sens probable that no department of edu- cation will be established by act of congress, and that the bureau of edu. cation will be Included in the depart ment of welfare, if 1t shall be created. Of course there Is today bureau of education, and 1t Is doing Its work with limited appropriations in the best way 1t can. There is no lack of heart effort. nor of physical hard work.
 It can be sad that the disclosures made by the war that such high percentage of illiteracy exists in' the United States came as shock to the law makers. The thing was impossi- ble to believe, and yet the records proNeu the poiut. ITloF to the war there was general belief that the United States had lower rate of H. literacy than any other great nation In the world. This was due, 1t 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 
 youth, and yet 1t Is flower without education as one of Its crownlng beauties. It is held in Washington that If the war has done no other | good. it probably accomplished some | thing worth while because it forced Americans to know the true condition concerning the rate of illiteracy among ha af h., lon