Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-06-30
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

IIopdply the most important topic
| to be discussed by the National Edu-
cation Association in session this
| week in Washington is that which led
todays program-the establishment
of federal Department of Educa-
! ton, with the secretary having a seat
in the Presidents cabinet. This
measure was covered in the Sixty
eighth Congress by the Sterling Re ed
bill, successor to the Towner- Sterl-
ing bill of the previous session. In
general it is known as the education
bill. For years it has had the almost
unanimous support of the National
Education Association.
Opposition comes from such educa-
tors as DR.. Eliot. president emeritus
OF Harvard; Or: Butler, president of
Columbia, and DR.. McCosh, one-time
president of Princeton. These leaders
argue against any government aid to
education. Some years ago, while
head of Princeton, DR.. McCosh boldly
challenged the propriety of govern
rather than to the great colleges of
science and culture. DR.. Eliot sup
ported the same view in a speech
before the National Education Asso-
citation, in which he said: II know
OF 10 more mischievous, insidious
enemy to a free republic than this
habit Of asking help in good works
which we ought to attend to our
selves There are other opponents
VINO in nearly all cases are found to
be allied with institutions for high
er education supported by private
endowments and tuition fees, and
never allied with the public element
airy school system for popular edu-
cation
second class of opponents are
those who are allied with parochial
schools. which would receive no part
in the development of the public
school system.
x !. x
The chief arguments used against the
measure to nationally recognize educa-
ton are based upon the idea that it
would put the schools under federal
control and conflict with state rights.
III 1t did not take over the control OF
the schools, then the expense of the De
partment of Education. it is objected
would be a needless waste of funds for
the maintenance of a great bureaucratic
organization.
This objection is met by section IS,
lot IL provides explicitly:
That all the educational facilities en-
couraged by the provisions of this act
and accepted by state shall be organ
lied. supervised and administered ex-
clusiveiy by the legally constituted state
and local educational authorities of said
state, and the Secretary of Education
shall exercise no authority in relation
thereto"
The department would be organized
with Secretary. who will sit in the
Presidents cabinet. ard ALI assistan,
secretary. with specialists whose func-
tions would be research in various
lines.
The Secretary would be guided by
an education council, consisting of
the forty-eight state commissioners
of education. together with twenty
five members eminent in educational
circles, and twenty-five not connected
with education. but who would rep
resent the public" This council
would serve without pay, except ex-
penses for attending the annual con-
ferences.
The bill would authorize federal aid
to the state for five specific purposes:
The elimination Of illiteracy: the edu-
cation of the immigrants: the promo
tIoIi VI pHy siCdl tuucdtlOn. Ine pro-
vision of better trained teachers, and
the equalization of educational OPP
portunity. 1t would require that the
states must appropriate state funds
not less than the amounts received
from the government aid, for each
of these five school activities and
keep standard accounts subject to
audit to show how the money has
been expended.
The federal aid would not exceed
the following amounts, subject to ap-
preparations by Congress. from year
to year: To remove illiteracy of
adults, $500, 900; for teaching immi-
grants to speak English and under
stand American institutions. $780,
900; for equalizing educational op-
portunities by supporting schools
within reach of children, where local
communities are too sparse or too
poor to do so, $50, 900. 900: for physical