The producers news., 1924-09-26
OUR PRESENT
CONDITION OF
EDUCATION

EDUCATION
Education is the training of future
Americans for proper citizenship, A
prominent author has refined citizen
ship as "the formation cf desirable
habits" Then the schools of our
country are the most important factor
in developing future America cap
able of handling the great problems
which are bound to confront it in the
next fifty or one hundred years. These
pdOblems must be settled in a reason
able and moral way, and must be
settled for the benefit of the majority
of the American people. In order to
better educate our young people we
must put a greater stress on moral
habits than is evident in the present
school systems of the country over.
Education is one of the greatest
problems confronting our leaders in
politics, social and moral work, the
country over. 1t is plain that we must
fight for higher standards for our fu-
ture teachers to comply with. Some
have said it is too difficult in this state
to become teacher and that the
higher standards of education now
being enforced in this state are un-
reasonable. Those who criticize are
probably not planning to take up
teaching as a profession, or are teach
ing more for financial and Individual
gain than for any one other thing.
Our standards are not too high. They
are not high enough. But the change
must come about gradually. 1t must
come about through the reasonable
and careful efforts of those leaders
who realize the Importance of their
mission. 1t must come about through
careful study of the situation cf the
country as a whole, and through
realization of the best methods of
development. Those who complain
about the standards set by the State
Board of Education do not realize the
demand cf higher and higher learning
in country whose interests are be-
coming more and more competitive.
For this reason it is the duty of every
teacher and every citizen to support
our new educational laws.
Out of the one hundred ten millions
of our population, two million nine
hundred ninety-four thousand, three
hundred thirty-three individuals neith-
er read or write. This is about 11.6
per cent of our entire population.
Over 60 per cent have no education
above the elementary school. The
number now attending school between
the ages of IA and 20 years is $780,
go. This includes elementary, high
school and college students. From
our total population there was in 1920
only 353,694 students reported at res
idence in the colleges of our country.
With these facts in mind it is very
evident that we should consider it our
duty to work for higher education in
all possible ways.
The 60 per cent and over of our
population are not capable of handl-
ing the complex problems which con-
front them in the nation to day The
remaining 40 per cent must work out
these problems for the 60 per cent.
American habits and customs are
constantly being changed as problems
of moral, social and political devel-
opment become more complex. Life
is becoming more complicated as time
/ goes on. In the next fifty years we
will have an entirely different popula-
tion than we have today with new
ideas, customs, and habits. This will
result from our rapid advancement
along scientific lines.
MORAL STRESS
| IN EDUCATING
FUTURE AMERICA.
E. Haldeman-Julius stated in his
essay as Progress An Illusion" that
we are developed to a great extent
scientifically, but that we have not
advanced cne step in the last thousand
years morally. This is a sad, but
reasonable truth.
In 1914 the world witnessed the
most degrading exhibition of mans
/. depravity, morally, that has ever be-
fore occurred in the world. Science
spoke, but in that voice rumbled the
deep note of sinister forebodine