The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-06-07
BY ANNA MAE BRADY

themselves III a unique pOSlliOu.
Capitalism has rung its own death
kneel and when it passes and the
workers come into their own they
will automatically come into posses
sion of the thing of their own crea-
tion--the schools.
America was founded upon the great
principle of equal opportunity" for
all. A principle worthy Of the noble
men and women who endured all the
hardships of the new land, sacrificed
and even gave their life's blood that
it might become a living, breathing
reality. Yet in spite of their efforts
there was soon in evidence a class
whose chief function was to see to it
that this principle should not be main
tanned.
They saw to it that there should
be no equality in education as in other
things for they we're wise enough to
know that if they were to continue
in power they must control the COM
ing generation. So the schools were
for the rich. They were taught by
men and attended by boys. This sex
discrimination is not to be wondered
at when we remember that it was
representatives of this same class
who met in solemn conclave in the
state of New York to decide the mo-
mentous question of whether or not
a woman had a soul. Luckily for the
women of that day it was decided
after due deliberation that she did
possess soul.
The Workers Take A Hand
To the everlasting credit of the
workers of America it must be re-
membered that they banded together
this was prior to the days of labor
organizations but it was organized
labor nevertheless - and demanded
that their children be given an oppor-
tunity to secure an education. History
tells US that in response to this de-
mand there were opened what was
known as pauper schools to which
the poor could send their children.
Naturally they objected to this also.
They insisted again that the equal
opportunity" of which the poets sang
and the orators gave lengthy disser-
tations be made reality.
They asked, too, that girls be al
lowed to enter as well as boys. 1t was
thru their efforts, the efforts Of work
ing people that the public school came
into being. However, the dictators
opposed most bitterly the entrance of
women and wrote their opposition in
to the records of some of the New
England states. They held lengthy de-
bates over this momentous question.
Their main point being that as woman
was physically the weaker she was
Of course meneally the weaker and
that to give her the same sort OF an
education as was given the boys
would overbalance her mentally and
unfit her to be what nature intended
the mother Of the race. At the in,
sistance Of the workers, aided by the
timid demands of the women, girls
were finally admitted on the same
terms as boys.
The workers Of America must bear
this in mind-it was their efforts that
made possible the public schools. But
they must also remember that once
their end was accomplished and the
poor mans child had the same op-
portunity Of attending school as the
rich mans child, that these workers,
Rip Van Winkle-like went to sleep
and left the management to the other
fellow, and to this day they have not
aroused themselves from their sIum-
bers to become informed as to what
sort of an education is being melted
out to the youth Of the nation.
The workers OF America must awak-
en-. They must arouse themselves to
the seriousness of the problem. They
represent over so per cent of the
people and It is to them that the spirit
of their fathers is calling to take in
IN their hands the greatest confroI1inO