The Connecticut labor news., 1922-03-03
Economics, Hi S tory, Civics and Sociology Are Strangers to Ma jOrity, Is Shown by Answers of 15O Fresh men.
By CHAS. B. STILLMAN, President, American Federation of
 Teachers

Teachers.
 international Labor News Service)
 One of the most hopeful elements in the present educational situation is the tendency toward questioning of tradition an dtaking of stock. This tendency is making itself at least artculatc, if not effectively felt And in no field does it hold out more promise than in that of the social studies Attention is reluctantly but surely being focused on the failure of our schools to provide any specific preparation worthy of the name for living together.
 A typical illustration may be help full as well as startling. The subjects presented for admission by the first I5o freshmen registered in the School of Commerce and Administration of showed that 32 per cent had taken no Ancient History, 56.66 per cent no Medieval History, 5o.33 per cent no Modern History, 24 per cent no United States History, 86 per cent no English History, o2 per cent no In- dustrial History, 3o33 per cent no Civics, 7266 per cent no Economics, and o8 per cent no Sociology The freshmen on the average had taken only two and one-half years of work in the whole field of social study, and this chiefly history. And what history? About one-quarter had taken no United States History, and another quarter only one-half year As much work had been done in An cient History as in the history of their own country.
 As preparation for functioning in our industrial society, only one twelfth had taken any industrial his tory. Six-tenths offered one-half years work ip civics, one-quarter a half-years' work in economics, and one -hftieth a half-year of sociology. Similar investigations in the other di visions of the same university showed that the above data were typical of the institution. And in view of the wide geographical distribution of the student body of the University of Chi alarming condition shown holds for our country as a whole. The full significance of this situation can bet ter be appreciated when it is remem- bered that even the pitiful two and one-half years on the average of al- legged social studies are mainly of fered in the upper years of high school, and are therefore available onl yto the small proportion of our prospective citizens who complete their high school course.
 The data given in the preceding paragraph were secured by Dean L. C. Marshall of the University of Chi cago, Chairman of the Commission on Correlation of Secondary and Col legitae Education. Little wonder that the commission was stirred by such revelations to vigorous and concrete recommendations.
 Through its chairman, the com mission formulated a statement of the purpose of social studies which every teacher and school administrator couii we'll use as a touchstone of the spirit aend objectives of his work. Their purpose is that of giving our youth an aw2reness of what 1t means to live together in organized society, an appreciation or how we do live to- gether, and an understanding of the conditions precedent to living to- gether well, to the end that our youth may develop those ideals, abilities and tendencies to act which are essential to effective participation in our society,""
 We cannot rely on our native un- trained intelligence. The army in tclligence tests revealed that 47.3 per cent of the entire white draft were below the mental az of thirteen. And the draft is usually accepted as an approximately typical cross-section of our population in this respect. Even If our nationa intelligence quotient were indefinitely higher, we still could not safely depend on the raw material of individual intelligence for decisions of our urgent and complex industrial, social, and political ques- tions.
 Intelligent decisions on such ques tions require a background and foreground of knowledge of facts and principles, and an ability to think a situation through, neither of which arises spontaneously at need but both of which require definite training with those specific objects in view. How can self-government be expect ed to function without them?
 Our movement from the outset has devoted itself to the problem of en- abling the tchools, in the language of our constitution, better to equip their pupils to take their place in the industrial, social and political life of the community"
 We, as an organization, and as in dividuals, are peculiarly challenged and summoned to service by this situ- ation. If our national motto, De mocracy i'll Education; Education for