The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-04-11
THE RISING COST OF EDUCATION

In its Eighteenth Annual Report,
just issued, the Carnegie Foundation
for the Advancement of Teaching
speaks of 1.-THE Rising Cost of Edu-
cation" as follows:
The increasing cost of education
and the ability of the public to pay
for it make clear the Importance of
making sure that the vast sums ex-
pended for this purpose produce
benefits of corresponding value for
the children and youth of the nation.
That the value to the community of
a proper system of public education
can hardly be measured in dollars
and cents all will agree. Whether
our present system, however, as now
developing, is one that the public
ought to be called upon blindly to
support, is question that well mer-
its examination.
The popular argument that the
cost of education need cause little
apprehension so long as the Ameri-
can people expend enormous sums
upon luXuries and pleasures, is one
that has certain attractiveness, but
that leaves out of account fundamen-
tai facts of human nature. If our
social order should advance to such
a point that men voluntarily deprive
themselves of Injuries and of unwise
pleasures, humanity will have been
so remade that the school system will
have been remade with it. 1t would
be magnificent if all Americans could
be persuaded to give up unwise lux
uries and pleasures and devote the
sums thus expended to education.
The difficulty in the process is that
each of us is ready to give up the in
dulgencies to which he is not devot-
ed, but finds it difficult, if not impos-
sible, to surrender his own pet lux
uries.
1t will be recalled, perhaps, that
some years ago distinguished schol- |
ar published a paper setting forth in
statistics the sums expended annual !
1y by the American people upon
drink, tobacco. chewing-gum and |
jewelry. A plea was made for the |
reduction of these unnecessary ex-
penses for the benefit of the whole |
cause of public advancement. I'm
fortunately, it was found that even
in academic gatherings each man |
held fast to his own luxury. Many /
a man found it easy to surrender |
and jewelry who could
not bring himself to abstain perman-
emily from rum and tobacco. The ar
gument that educational cost can be
justified by the extravagances of
mankind in the way of luxuries and
of pleasure, has no sound basis.
In some measure the growing cost
of public education is analogous to
the rapidly mounting expenditure of
the American people upon luxuries
and pleasures. The cost of education
in the last three decades represents
not only the increases due to the
growing number of students and the
increase in the maintenance costs,
but a very considerable proportion
the increase in the number
Of subjects and activities. These do
not represent, in all cases, the mature
Judgment of the teachers of the coun-
.ry as to what Is wise and necessary.
Many men and many groups of men
lave had their particular educational
notions carried out in the addition
If this or that subject or activity to
he school program. The present
lay expenditures in public education |
epresent, in some cases at least, the S
uxuries of education as we'll as the
ober judgment of what constitutes /
fair opportunity of training for the t
american child.
There may not be any tobacco or
UNI in these educational luxuries but t
here is certainly some chewing-gum |
nd jewelry. t