The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-08-12

L
| The following article, in it's entire
ty, on ''Tne Sterling-Towner Bill" by
| Brother Bird S. Coler, Commissioner
of Public Welfare of the City of New
York" appears in the July issue OF
| the Masonic Review:
| Mr.. colers Article.
| In an address before the Conyen-
| ton of Masons in Atlantic City, | re-
| ferred casually, and not favorably, to
the measure in Congress designed to
create new secretaryship in the cab
! met of the president of the United
States. The measure is known as the
Sterling-Towner bill The new secre-
| tary is to be a Secretary of Education
! was challenged to show why op-
| posed the bill. answered the chal-
lenge briefly at the time and this is
a more extended presentation of my
| reasons.
This proposed piece of legislation
was introduced in the senate on Oc-
tober 10, 1918, by Senator Hoke Smith
| OF Georgia. Although modified in de-
| tail, it is essentially what it was when
it was introduced. 1t proposed to en-
trust the Secretary of Education, a
political appointee, with the distribu-
tion of $100,000,000 annually among
such states as are willing to accept
the rules and conditions under which
the distribution will be made. The
money is to be taken from the taxes
of the people
One provision of the act reads:
THAT all the educational facilities en-
couraged by the provisions of this act
and accepted by a state shall be or
ganized, supervised and administered
| exclusively by the legally constituted
state and local educational authorities
of said state, and the Secretary of Ed
ucation shall exercise no authority in
| relation thereto, except as herein pro-
vided to insure that all funds appor-
toned to said state shall be used for.
the purposes for which they are ap-
Fpropriated and IN accordance with the
provisions of this act accepted By said
state" Under the provisions of this
act. the secretary is empowered to
The Secretary's Power.
1. Common school branches and
the duties of citizenship, and when
advisable vocational education. (Sec-
tion 81
2. Courses in Americanization, in
Guiding instruction in civics and gov
ernment. (Section 81
3. Plans for the payment of teach
ers' salaries, for better instruction,
for the extension of school terms, for
J extending equally good educational op-
| portunities for the children in the sew
| eral states. (Section 10.)
4. He is finally empowered under
| the bill to exact the minimum school
year, compulsory education law, and
basic language law, applying to all
institutions, private and public
5. The exact instruction in physi-
| cal education, the appointment of
| school nurses, dental clinics and plans
| otherwise formative of physical and
mental welfare.
6. The dictation of plans for the
| preparation of teachers for public
| school service.
| z. The provision and extension of
| facilities for the improvement of
| teachers already in service and the
| enlistment of teachers by the estab-
| lishment of scholarships and other
wise
| There is no contention that these
objects are, on the face of them, rep
| rehensible. Educational training is
good. Education in the duties of cit
izenship is good. American education
1 is good Physical training is good.