The Washington herald., 1921-08-03
URGES GOVERNMENT AID
FOR MOUNTAIN SCHOOL IS
Would Establish Board
And Provide Fund to
Enable Poor Children
To Take Advantage of
Modern Education.

To the Editor. The Washington Herald:
wish to call your attention to q
bill recently introduced by me to
create a National Board of Rural
schools for mountain children. the
board to be composed of three
members of different political anil
iations, appointed by the President
and confirmed by the Senate. one
member to be appointed on the rec
ommendation of the Secretary OF
the Interior, the other two to be
nominated by the Secretary of Ag-
riculture and United States Com
missioner of Education, respectively.
The members are to receive a
salary of $4,000 and necessary trav-
cling expenses while away from
their office in the discharge of their
duties. The bill imposes on the
board the duty to make a thorough
investigation OF the schol facilities
the remote and less favored noun
tain sections Of the United States,
with a view ito improving and en-
larging such school facilities when
needed, by use of the funds placed
at their disposal by the terms of
the bill.
Would Accept Gifts.
The Federal government is ex-
pected to provide these funds, but
the bill provides that they may be
supplemented by contributions from
private individuals or corporations.
The Rockefeller Foundation for the
prmotion of Education, through one
OF its agents has written me ex-
pressing interest in its scpe and
purpose.
The board of three, after the in
vestigation required of il, will es-
tablish and maintain a number of
Industrial schools in widely scat
tered muntain sectins, at which
mountain children of both sexes
would be taught the common and
high school branches, military
science end tactics, and all other
studies recommended and agreed
| upon by the board with special ref
erence to instruction in domestic
science, farming, road engineering
and general Industrial education.
Against Oratory.
If l had my way, these students
would not be taught oratory-we
have too many oratrs now, and
too few scientific farmers and la
borers.
by the terms of the bill the War
Department is deirected to detail
an army officer to serve as COM
mandant and military instructor at
each of the proposed schools.
1t was prompted to introduce this
measure because the need is impera-
tive. In the poorer mountain sec
tions the farms are small and far
apart. the land is lean and unpro-
ductivc. and consequently the school
taxes accruing by reason of special
levies on the real and personal prop
erty of the people dwelling there.
even when supplemented by the pro
rata shares of each district OUT of
the State school fund, will not pro-
vide in many districts for school
term of more than one month each
year.
Parents Uncducated.
The parents of these children arc
often uneducated and connOt teach
them at home, and between the
school age OF and 20, these little
unfortunate hill children would get
but fourteen months Of school.
1t is true that many of the col
Iegcs and some of the high schools
have student labor funds. but un-
less a child gets primary instruc-
tion he cannot enter a high school
or college.
In the early days. statesmen
looked with disfavOr on any effort
to assist in educating the masses
with Federal funds. Buchanan
vetoed the first Morrill, bill to es-
tablish the land grant colleges, but
the great-hearted Lincoln had more
vision and signed the second bill
after its passage.
Colleges Spring Up.
As a result of this wise measure
more than forty virile State univer-
stiles and colleges in as many States
now rear their proud fronts to the
sky furnishing practically free edu-
cation to those least able to pay
for il.
Such great institutions as the
State universities of Wisconsin.
Minnesota, Illinois and others.
grace, dignity and adorn their great
commonwealths as do no other en-
terprises or institutions. If l were
asked what American has best
earned the honor of having his
statue of brosZe or marble erected
in Statuary Hall or in the most
attractive flower bedecked circle in
beautiful Washington, l would not
select for the honor the modest and
magnaimous soldier Gen. Grant, nor
the golden-lipped orator Clay, nor
the mighty wizard or words and
logic Web,ter. nor any like these,
but instead / would designate for
the distinction Justin Smith Nor
rill. of Vermont, the most deserving
of them all
Says U. s. Must Help.
"If 1t were desirable to establish
the land grant colleges. these peo-
pies colleges and it was-is it not
more important to provide with Fed
eral funds for rural primary schools
for those unhappy little ones who
will be denied even a meagre pri-
mary educaeion if this government
does not assume the burden of pro-
viding them with sctools.
Il have had touching letters from
all over America endorsing this