The Washington herald., 1921-09-05
YOUNG AMERICA
KNOWS LITTLE OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Even College Men Aver
age Only 60 Per Cent
On Simple Test.

present textbooks are both without
and against labor's viewpoint, there
Is reason to wonder whether the
general public has not less to fear
from even biased histories than
from. schools which do not teach
current events.%
This question is raised for Labor
Day and the new school year in a
report on how 1880 school and
college students In all parts of the
country recently answered a current
events test. The test was issued by
Review of Reviews and was TAX
en- by 100000 students in public
and private schools and colleges.
Returns for 1880 students who
averaged a. per cent were turned
over for study to the Institute for
Public Service, of which Julius II.
Barnes Is chairman. Its summary,
given out today. Is In part as fol-
lows:
Not Catch Questions.
The current questions were not
catch questions calling for freak
memories. Instead they called for
knowledge and understanding of
frequently mentioned men, places
and issues affecting our national
life, like Uncle Sam, Samuel
Gompers. Budget Director Dawes.
Lloyd George, Senators Lodgs and
Borah. home-State governors and
school heads; Coblenz, Hayti, Costa
Rica. Moscow; budget, collective
bargaining, buyers strike, peonage.
sales tax. sovietism and Sim Fein.
They dealt with no problems be-
yond the comprehension of gram
mar graduates, but they did call for
right study of current events. Yet
mixing up IN one average the low
est marks, like s per cent and II
per cent, with highest marks, like
IS and 90, the countrywide average
for 1880 students was "A per cent.
college juniors and seniors did
the best. but they averaged only
so per cent, while 400 college fresh
men averaged So per cent, the same
as 5000 students in high school
graduating classes.
TYPICAL Replies Cited.
Typical Of Ignorance or misunoer-
standing with respect to current
problems, the following answers'are
cited from high school and college
students:
In one State college three Of
thirty-six juniors did not identity
a cartoon of Uncle Sam.
Samuel Gompers. president OF the
A. F. Of L. Is given as head OF the
shipbuilding trade. a poet, laoors
representative in Congress. secre-
tary of labor, head of the strik-
ers, the civil service commission and
all the unions of the world. and
minister to France. England and
Japan.
Lloyd George. Britain's prime
minister, is given as king Of Ire
land. king Of England, prominent
In England. ambassador to United
states. and English diplomat
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Is
given. as former Senator, Secretary
of wsr.twFiter~on phschicS research
AcIsassadiIr 10 Er e'$a5, believer In
conversations with the dead. member
Of HardinE's Cabinet, president OF
the Senate, English speech-maker'
advocate Of spiritualism. known to
hut seven Of twenty-one high school
seniors in a New England city.
Charles E. Hughes was President
wilson's private secretary and now
wants to conquer Russia. Budget
Director Dawes is Secretary OF the
Navy. Senator William E. Borah.
fighter for disarmament, Is wide
Iy unknown, marked as Uncle Sam
and dubbed a Socialist Senator.
Barnes Points Remedy.
Five lessons for Labor Day and
the new school year were drawn
from these facts by Julius H. Barnes,
chairman of the Institute for Pub
lie Service:
These returns are not from our
country's least favored young peo-
ple. or from mental detectives On
the contrary. they are from the
most favored young men and young
women in high schools and colleges,
for whose education labor and cap
ital alike are being taxed from sloO
70 $500 a year per student, besides
the cost Of their support and the
worth of their time while studying.
Fiye conclusions seem to lie near
the surface:
81. Unless schools teach current
events young people. while getting
an education in school and college,
will put of learning how to study
Stheno until after their school days.
"2. Instantaneous exposure or
Ionr-time exposure to current
events, 1. E.. reading and hearing
about them without being tested on
what Is understood and digested.
| will leave students confused and
helpless in thinking about vital
public problems
Some Pupils Wen Posted.
"3. Where current events are
! studied and tested young America
can easily be taught how to read.
! 20 enjoy reading and to think
straight about critical current
events. Numerous papers came in
from grammar school seniors who
answered all the most important
questions
-. what thousands Of teachers
are already trying and what hun
dreds of teachers are already doing
well, 1000 teachers in upper
grades. high school and colleges
can do so we'll that whatever else
graduates may lack they will not
lack training in an analysis OF the
moving picture of current events
IS No democracy can expect
fstraight thinking at election times
and in Industrial and political crises
from a public that Is not trained
while at school to read regularly, to
enjoy and to think straight about