New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-09-02
ONE IN FOUR WAS
UNABLE To READ
IlliTERACY OF AMERICA WAS
REVEALED IN THE WORK OF
MAKING OUR BIG ARMY.
CONDITION WAS A SURPRISE
Utterances of General Pershinq and
COMMISSIONS Tigert Arouse Anew
Efforts to Have Federal Depart
ment Of Education Created.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

''S'h ~ @A1Sdh'ou SICakC0.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Washington.-Recent words uttered
by Gen. John j. Pershing and by Dr
l. Tigert, United States commissionel
of education. have reused interest,"
again In the proposal to create "A de
partment Of education with II cabinet
officer at its head 10 be added 10 the
other departments Of government.
President Harding is committed tc
a department of welfare. one Of the
stumbling blocks in the way of secur,
ing the legislation to create such IA
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
"A separate department of education.
Gen. Leonard Wood. for several
years made Il campaign for better
teachers. better pay for teachers, and
letter teaching facilities Il general
companion piece To his campaign fOr
proper military preparedness. Hardly
IA speech that he delivered for two
years but contuined some reference
10 this matter. General Wood trained
Two divisions of American soldiers for
service in France, and he had learned
Mt first hand some of the startling
conditions of illiteracy which existed
In the ranks of young America.
Now General Pershing has said that
one man In every four who entered
h American army was unable to rend
or write. He added that the officers
OF the service had their bard work
much Increased by the fact that many
OF their men could not read and that.
lacking the development Of even "A pri-
mary education, they were not quickly
susceptible 10 instruction.
Tisert on Our l~lliteracy.
The words If General Prrshing have
been buttressed by the words of Doe
tor Tigert. who, among other things,
has said this:
ut has been declared that America,
Ike Rome, Will be destroyed BY van
hals from within. and not from with
out, through the forces of illiteracy.
"One man out OF every four In the
American army could neither read
nor write, but there was only one H.
iiterate In 5000 In the German army.
No one can realize without seeing the
seemingly ~impenetrable terrain of the
forest what We W 10 our
soldiers, but ii was n crime to send
In as they were against men of
such literacy. l hope that there will
he another war, but il there is
Il will be a disgrace To the nation II
our men are not better prepared, and
n Is the task Of the schools 10 pre-
pare them"
Today Washington Is told that be-
lore the war the United States spent
more than any other nation on educa-
Ion. and that every state In the Union
laws requiring ut least an educa.
OF an elementary kind, but ii Is
aid that the laws are not enforced
md that only half of the children
which h statutes require shall attend
tho'i htiuully dTt tHtTt.
II is said now that during the a
500 teachers gave up teaching be-
ause the American people were un-
Wiling 10 pay them enough TO live on
he average salary being 500 a year {
lille In u state IL was only S234. II I
5 said 10 be increasingly difficult TO {
et young women To enter the teach :
profession. The other day II was !
aid that the churches were having q
ard work TO get young men to enter !
he ministry
Poor Chance for Department.
From the present outlook 1t SENS d
that no department of edu- v
alton will he established by act Of I
,ngress, and that the bureau of edu- 5
alton will be included in the depart. f
ent of welfare, If IL shall be created. f
( course there Is today n bureau Of o
iucation, and II is doing It's work h
limited appropriations In the best g
ny II can. There is no lack Of heart h
fort, nor of physical hard work. g
IL can be SAID that the disclosures {,
hde by the war that such a high f
,rcentage If ~illiteracy exists IN the fl
States came as a shock TO the
makers. The thing was impossi- II
e TO believe. and yet the records II
the point. Prior 10 the war b,
was a general belief that the Il
nited States had q lower rate of H. c
eracy than any other great nation q
the world. This was due, II was pl
Id. to misleading reports from the pl
ates IN the Union. reports which ~
re made on inadequate information. ~
The 100000 men who went into the ~
are called the flower Of our
9th. and jet IL 10 a flower without d.
rs q Of its crowning ga
IL Is held In Washington a.
NJ II the war has done no other ca
II probably accomplished some d,
Ing worth while because IL forced IN
TO know the true condition Dc
ncerning the rate Of llilterscy among
young men Of the land.
Every government which has been
Tfted 10 participate In the forthcom- be
!, conference In Washington on dis Az
mament and Far East problems has Ia
zen over Its demand for anything de
Something That 10 Cheap.