The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-09
What To Do
VERY great and wise man came to
By DIR. FRANK CRANE

A VERY great and wise man came to "A America. His fame was such that all the nation believed that to follow his advice in anything would bring success.
 So all the legislatures of all the states elected representatives to meet at Washing ton and ask him what to do.
 When they had gathered together he asked them, What do you want most!
 They answered, "To get rid of crime and criminals. to stop the social evil, to abolish our slums, to clean our states and cities Of poverty
 "yery we'll" he replied. "It will take thirty three years, or one generation, but 1T you will faithfully do as l say you will cer- tainly succeed" -....- -. ., .-. Whereupon there was loud applause ana exulting and they said: 'Ieli us what vo do and upon our lives and honor we VIII most surely do it."
 q will tell you week. from today,"' he responded. &3$ This he said in order that the enthusiasts who had ideas of reforming the people might make their suggestions. 1s v
 And they came to him post haste. all sorts. Preachers and priests came, saying they hoped he would say to give more money to churches and have grand revivals and get everybody converted. All kinds of political and econom- ical apostles besieged him. single taxers, so- cialists, anarchists, progressives and prohi- bitionists, and all had their say.
 But upon the set day he arose before the delegates and said:
 All the plans you have proposed to me have their good points, but all have fatal weak spot, which is that they deal with ADULTS.
 T do not propose to bother with them- They will all be dead anyhow in few years. Besides, what you do with one adult crop or people must be done anew with the next It is fool way of trying to improve the race. Hence go on as you are now doing. It is the best you know and will last your time. Sixty years from now, when your children and grandchildren are at the helm of things, all your reform programmes will fade away useless
 This is what to do. First, enlarge your public school system until it provides for the free education and ECONOMIC SUPPORT of all the population under twenty. Second, to raise money for this cause the state to be an equal partner in every concern or with every individual who has a hundred Thousand dollars or more one-haf the profits of income to go to the state to support its children.
 Third, so reform your public schools that the children therein shall be taught HOW TO LIVE; that is, first of all, moral character, including honesty, cleanliness, the value of truth, and of courage to tell and live the | truth.
 "Train them in politics. Let the schools be as democratic as the nation. Do not govern the children. Teach them how to govern themselves. Let it be ground into every girl and boy that it is disgraceful not to t6ke an active part in the organization of the ward, city, state and nation. ~s
 Just pay due attention to one generation of children and it win save you a hundred years labor with adults.'
 This plan being so simple the delegates felt their intelligence insulted and said: What! {! And did we come here to be told about chil- dren?" Also the reformers and institution job-holders cried out upon him. The upshot of it all was that they seized the man and
 threw him into mad-house. -gs