Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-03-03
TIGERT DEFENDS
THE MOUNT AINEER
u. S. Education Commissioner
Makes Plea For OId-Fash-
toned Virtues Of Honesty

Chicago. Mar. 3-A plea that
American educational institu-
tions place greater stress on the
ld-fashioned virtues OF homes
Il. justice and decepcy." and less
/ on'the subjects generally termed
"highbrow." was made by John
~. Tigert. United States Commits
,sioner OF Education. in,an- adj
dress before the Natioual.i.duca-
lion Association department of
superintendent convention.
III we cannot teach these viz
tues along with modern thought.
then well had better df,mantle our
splendidly equipped institutions
and return To the old log school
house" said MIR. Iigert. In the
words OF a famous evangelist. i
would rather have MY bows in
heaven learning his NIB Is than
in hell reading Latin and Greek
We had better have citizens who
have character and little crudi-
ton than citizens whose knowl-
edge is a peril to society.
The man who discovered that
surgical instruments should be
sharp made an important discov-
cry. but much mort important
was the discovery that they
should be sterilized. Better TO.
have a dull knife that Is clean
than sharp one that IS foul
Germany showed lis plainly
the evil of education for culture
and efficiency without proper So
cial attitude. Germany raised
the efficiency Of education in the
nth power, but this efficiency was
directed into spring at the
throat OF the world and brought
on n pentccost OF calamity. that
almost destroyed civilization.
"A learned man has said that
1920 college professors caused
the world war and ne refers to
the 4,20O professors who so eff
GENTLY taught the Germans that
hight is right We are super
men and God demands deStruc-
ton of the weaker people about
us and now abide faith. hope
and hate, and the greatest OF
these is hate
"IlliterateS are not all bad Citi-
zens. nor are they altogether in
efficient. Nor is anything far
Their from the truth than the gen
eral belief that our illiterates are
mostly negroes and the noun
tain whites OF the south. The
real centers of illiteracy are the
big manufacturing states. Mas
sachusetts, New York. Pennsyl-I
vania, and Illinois.
/, 1T is unfair to criticise the
whites OF Kentucky. Tennessee.
and North Carolina because their
educational standards are low.
abraham Lincoln was one of
these people. They may be illit-
crate. but they are splendidly ef-
ficient as citizens. These noun
tain people won the battle oil
Kings Mountain in the dark
hours of American history. They
destroyed the flower OF the Brit
iSh army. fresh from campaigns
against the armies of Napoleon
at New Orleans. And note the
three heroes selected BY General
Pershing As the country's great
est and assigned 10 the burial OF
the unknown soldier-Sergea
Woodhll. a Kentucky noun
taineer, Sergeant York, Tenues-
see mountaineer. and. Major
Whittlesey. OF New York.
"We have not yet learned toI
teach citizenship to our boys and
girls. We must teach respect ITO
the flag we must teach the prin-
ciples Of our government and
American history in far more
effective way.
americans are intensely patri-
otto, but through ignorance they
render less respect to their flag
and their country than any other
peoples. y