Evening star., 1923-09-19
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

With what enthusiasm and abound
ing spirit (?) do the boys and girls
forsake their toys, their joys and
their noise, and hasten to gather in
the district and high schools this
week. AS usual the housing Is in
adequate to accommodate all the
pupils. but the old excuse for lack of
facilities, namely that education costs
more than it produces, is threadbare.
In one disguise or another. it is put
forward as excuse for not keeping up
with the increase OF population. This
applies not alone to Washington, but
almost equally all over the country.
X y X =
The psychological reaction upon the
youth who is approaching the age
when he might be earning wages is
the most serious part Of that attitude
held by the powers responsible for
the upkeep of schools. The fact IS
that the expenditures in the United
States for the maintenance Of schools
Is pitiably small. There are available
no statistics later than 1918, out IN
that year all the elementary ana sec.
ondary schools in the country cosI
oniy s762,25e,154. and the normal
schools only S20,414,Sss a year. For
higher education in colleges, univer,
stiles and technical schools the total
cost was s137,055,415 This means
total expenditures, whether raised oy
taxes or donated by private Par'ies'
friends of education
The total outlay for education in
fftv wears, ended 1860, covering all
kinds of schools in the United States
was considerably less than two bill
lions of dollars. Americans have
grown accustomed to rolling under
their tongues, as a sweet morseI the
word "billion." Just a bagatelle!
That 4. true, when two billions are
far in excess of all the cost Of Amer
loan education in half century. 10
be exact, $1,S04, ,200.272.
We spent more than that sum dur
;nr the war in trying with no large
success to make airplanes. suppose
eli the investment in education had
nroduced no more benefits to the peo.,
ple of this country than did an equaii
sum in airplanes! wipe out az
inr teachers, all colleges ana uni
vaTsities and technical and protes-
sionaI schooIs-the loss would be
comnarabIe then with the results Oh
Snyestment of an equal sum in essen :
tiaI ana vital defense of the nation In
;ta Greatest crisis through the I'M
notence of its aircraft building: Less
than two billions as the entire IN
yestment in fifty years OF eduCatIoil u !
of from fifty to one hundred mllliohs
of Americans.
Our fair ladies require annually for
their indispensable face powder, per-
fumes and cosmetics the same sum
that we spend in the entire country
for our elementary and secondary
schools, If we would abolish the
schools they might use more facial
What keeps us only partly supplied
with chewing gum is the great cost
Of normal schools. Why the SCHOOLS
cost almost half as much as the gum
I-or would If some S5,0o0,O0o more
were added to the salaries OF the
teachers.
And every two years our schools
cost about as much as the men re-
oufre for their cigars and otner TO-
bacco-not counting what the iadies
now require. Il we -sGubt couhd Sn Oniy yrss ssop
The price of soda water and other
soft drinks and ice cream would
cover what we spend annually on
the elementary and secondary schools
hut if put to vote by the pupils
nerhaus they would eject cones. sun
daes, etc, and stop the schools.
n y * y
Consider all the, cost it requires
TO educate q child in the United
States. outside OF his board and
clothing. Fog full course through
the e1ements secondary, high