Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-31

VIZ ASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 26.-School
w children Of Alabama are to be taught
practical citizenship so that they will
grow up to be intelligent voters. This is the
latest Ste taken in the campaign to educate
the voting public.
1t is the women, mainly, who are insisting
that the voter should play politics intelli-
gently. They find that the public Is sadly in
ueed Of education along political lines. For
years, men have taken the vote casually.
Their knowledge of voting systems was based
on such facts as they happened to pick up
in conversation with other men and what
they read in newspapers and magazines.
When sc, 100000 women were handed the
ballot, large percentage of them tu:led to
the nearest man to find out all about it, and
a good many were disappointed by the
meager information ley could get. So they
stopped consulting amateur politicians and
engaged experts to lecture to them.
The League Of Women Voters, which
sponsors the idea of an intelligent voting
body, organized course in citizenship at
Chicago as an experiment. It was SO sue
lessful that the plan of having schools in
citizenship spread all over the country. AL
ready, we are told, the league has held liter
ally thousands of courses. Pennsylvania
alone has had 900 courses, or schools, as the
league calls them, in the past year.
The schools of citizenship were instituted
a year and a half ago, but of late a new
impetus has been given to the project. Edu-
Gators have begun to advocate that If schools
train for citizenship there must be some prac-
tical courses given. Then, when the newly
fedged voters are turned loose at an cleo
ton, they will know what sort of power they
hold. ~
Until women agitated this subject, the
League of women Voters claims, practical
education in the voting and political systems
was not included in school courses. Such
subjects as civics and political law were
taught, but from an academic standpoint.
The league has succeeded IN impressing
the Importance of courses in practical politics
on a number of colleges. One professor Of
political economy at state university in
dorsed the plan for schools of citizenship,
saying, 'The women have done what the
men should have done one hundred years
ago-educate voters"
A College Course
Yale university held it's first citizenship
school last summer. The Alabama State
university held an extension course in prac-
teal citizenship, and it proved SO popular
that lecture course was given last fall, and
two more are planned
Alabama is to be the pioneer state to carry
the system one step farther and introduce
similar work into the grammar schools. The
hague regards this as a progressive move
and believes other states will follow.
Not all of the courses are given in con-
nection with colleges and schools, however
Baltimore and other cities have held citizen
ship schools in different wards, generally
around election time, when interest is keen
est. Chicago held one of these courses last
month, to which men and women alike came
to acquire information on such subjects as:
Why men do not vote. What is the matter
with the ballot? Ballot forms. Nominating
processes. Your owl election laws and how
to study them. How politics handles cleo
toral machinery.
During some Of these courses, if election
time is near, the local candidates are invited
to speak at the last session so that the
students may judge them in the light Of
newly acquired knowledge Of politics.
Candidates, it is said, have come to re-
spect and fear these students of politics
They can not be easily won over by sob
story or by fiery eloquence They wait pa.
tiently for promise and platform, and if
the candidate goes off the stage without COM
ing to the point he generally learns his mis-
take at the polls.
Women's steadfast interest in the plat
forms rather than smiles has been blow to
many candidates, but they have finally &C
copied the inevitable. When the League OF
Women Voters first sent out questionnaires
to New York candidates asking their views
on certain matters there was indignation
among the aspirants to office. Many felt
insulted that they should be questioned SO
definitely. Less than one-thfrd of them sent
back answers
At the next campaign over half answered
the missionaries. And this fall, when the
QUESTIONABLE was late, several candidates
1 l.