The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1921-09-09


rapidly as the slow plodder who is
just as apt in some other line of pur
suit. Practically all of our immoral
people are criminals, and their lack Of
will power can be attributable to lack
of discipline, moral sense, stability,
general inadequacy, which all makes
for Inconsistency, fitting from limb to
limb as motiveless as a feather in a
whirlwind. Still we continue to
raise these children and foster the
parents who produce them, and pay
the penalty which is so overtaxing our
pocket books and filling our public
institutions. In Europe the same
conditions are met and considered,
standardized and recognized as such.
II is just as necessary to have a la
bcrer as bookkeeper. Every man is
trained for his place, according to the
powers he possesses. just as infuen-
tial and important in his plane as an
other. Give him due recognition.
Unfortunately our methods of
teaching are not sufficiently standar-
died to standardize the youth and
should we wish to correct these evils,
we would have to begin now with
what material we have on hand, or
ganize on working basis and seek
by evolution to influence the making
OF an environment down which people
might flow, just as naturally as a
stream, to the lowest point in the val
ley. We have reduced tuberculosis to
almost a minimum in some places, and
typhoid fever is practically nil where
we are permitted to vaccinate. Chill
dren still die by the thousands as has
been previously indicated. A man of
ninety stands more chance to live
than does a child of one. Diseases of
the mind can be just as well control
led as physical diseases if we trouble
ourselves to take hold of the problem
as we did during the war, which was
part Of my affair.
During my association in the army
with men of high type, graduates Of
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and our
American colleges, l was surprised
that only so per cent of them were
reasonably competent in the position
they readily assumed on account of
their presumed college education.
Literacy aplenty, but common-sense
few. 1t seemed that we had educated
people of inferior brains. Fortunate
ly they were replaced by men from
small institutions and possessed of
superior powers. This does not mean
more could not be made of a man of
good heritage than one with none.
In closing my remarks | would like
to suggest on the basis of thinking
that $4,000 mothers and 100000 babes
die every year in the United States
and that these occur practically en-
tirely in the rural district, in the
homes, not in the hospitals, and
mean a hospital equipped, not an old
maids hall. That in this community
which is sufficiently small and suffi-
GENTLY intellectual so that coordna-
ton might be expected, it may be pos
sible to give the children, the infant
| either born or unborn, and the moth
ers, at least ordinary care, that the
youths of this valley receive mental
and physical direction so that we may
develop a standard of physical, intel
lectual and moral conduct which would
be in contrast to that of neighboring
communities. 1t would be so perfect
ly easily accomplished with the as
sistance and support of those around
us. lnasmuch as these fatalities oc-
cur out of hospitals, may base my
remarks upon those of Victor Waugh,
Dean of the University of Michigan,
who recommends in every community
there be community hospital of suf-
ficient size to take care of all the i'll
ness of all the locality, and all the
conveniences in the way of parapher-
MALTA and assistance could be obtain
ed, making it a sort of health center
for the district in which it is located,
having among other things, scientific
laboratories for research, reading
rooms, and writing rooms, etc. This
is what ] have in mind for this COM
munity, hoping to make it central
point where supervision and direction
al to the capabilities of every grow
ing child for learning and for success
fui pursuit in life, preventing the
square peg from going into the round
hole, etc. We might at least prevent
some insists, some failures who are
not in reality a failure, only in the
wrong place. We do not want to be
supernatural, but it is hear-rendering
to see this in-coordinate, promscuous,
criminal, super-sefish condition exist
ing in the world at large, still boast
ing of our civilization, which at the
present time is unsalvaged, and as
long as our democracy continues in
autocracy, nothing better can be ex-
pected. If you speak the truth you
will be ostracised and pretty near
cannabalized. As in the war, if you
spoke the truth it meant Leaven-
worth, Kansas, for you. have many
friends there.