The Washington times., 1923-01-06
|LLITERACY
WAR To
co On
Miss Mason Plans Campaign
With Radio, Movies, and
the Press.
BY GEORGE FRANKLIN,

by GEONGE FNANhL1N,
Educational possibilities latent
in the radio and moving pigture,
discovered by Miss Classify e.
Mason, principal Of Castle School,
TarTytown-on-H Hudson, N. X, are
to be brought into the foremost
ranks of the agencies used in
combating illiteracy in Il nation
wide campaign to free the coun-
try from the evils incident to the
presence among the population Of
4,931 ,9O5 illiterates.
Asks For Ten Months.
Miss Mason has been in Wash
ngton for the past few DAYS in
Conference with various department
reads, including Secretary OF War
Weeks. While declining to reveal
n detail her plan for the eradica-
ion of illiteracy with q compare
lvely short period, when seen at
he New Willard Hotel today she
admitted that many of It's essential
actors had been tried out with
satisfactory results In q local way.
Summing up the advantages Of the
system she is sponsoring Miss
Mason said:
I'm Pennsylvania the State au-
thorities have fixed a period of ten
Years in which to blot out illiteracy.
BY the system have developed the
result can be obtained in the same
number Of months. Now until
have completed my conferences in
Washington I cannot discuss the
system in detail Besides. am
to speak before the City Club OF
Philadelphia in the near future, and
there is a tentative understanding
tails will not be discussed for pub
lication. It would hardly be fair
to the Philadelphia organization to
anticipate the subject matter Of my
talk In any such way"
While Miss Mason declined to
discuss details Of her unique plan
to stamp out flliteracy through
out the country, utilizing in the
work the educational values Of the
radio and the moving picture, 1t
was learned that the plan embraces
the enlistment Of wealthy persons
who can afford to devote their time
to drive against illiteracy. It also
developed that the Endorsement and
national adoption Of the plan would
nrobably have to await the organi-
zation Of the Federal-civil committee,
a body composed Of representatives
OF the various Government depart
rnents and citizens who have demon
strated their qualifications for mem
bership on such a committee
through past achievements in Varl-
GUS fields Of activity. This commit
tee, It is understood Is now IN pro-
cess If formation.
Believes Number Greater.
According to Miss Mason the
number of illiterates In the United
states is approximately 20 per cent
greater than indicated by the cen
aus of 1920, which gives the num-
Der as 4,931 ,905. Illiteracy test en-.
ployed by census takers were de-
clared by Miss Mason to be unfair
1.-THE fact that a person can
write his or her name Is no proof
that they are not illiterate. There
are hundreds of men and women
who can pass that test but have
no knowledge whatever Of printed
language. They learned to write
their names and stopped right
there" said Miss Mason. I'm fact
illiteracy is more general than
authorities believe and to combat
it effectively means the use of
new agencies and more modern
systems than are in operation to-
day."
Besides being a pedagogue Miss
Mason has been a student of edu-
cational problems and systems OF
instruction for years. AS head OF
the Mason School, Of Tarrytown.
opportunities were offered for try
ing out educational theories in
practice. While the academy was
in no sense converted into an ex-
perimental educational station at
the expense of the student body
according to Miss Mason. it was
utilized. however, to demonstrate
the soundness of principles en-
bodied in the system by which
Miss Mason is convinced illiteracy
can be overcome in the shortest
possible time. It is the result of
her experience and observation
which she feels justifies her in in
sisting that the drive against IL.
literacy be made nation wide, EN-.
ploying advanced methods includ.
ing agencies heretofore little used
for educational purposes. Among
them she insists are the radio and
the moving picture.
Newspapers are another factor
she stresses a. having educational
value In the elimination of Hitter
acy. Although shO declined to indi-