Evening star., 1925-09-08
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL j. COLLINS.

The National Education Associa-
ton has been working many years to
obtain recognition in the councils OF
the Nation. through the establishme mt
Of a secretary of education with a
seat in the Presidents cabinet. Presi-
dent Harding gave, and President
Coolidge has given, encoura cement TO
the hope of such recognition. although
differing in detail as to what the pro-
posed new department should include.
In a pronouncement at Swampscott
last week, 1.-The official spokesman
of President Coolidge reiterated what
had been said before by the President
in public speeches, pledging his sup
port 10 an act to establish a depart
ment of education and relief"
If il could be interpreted that educa
ton itself is relief from ignorance and
its handicaps, the educators would
gladly join with the President in sup
port of the measure proposed. The
late Secretary of the Interior. Frank.
lin K Lane, made a careful and
scientific survey of the cost of Hitter
acy and found that 1t amounted TO
Ss46 600 900 year. There is that oil
ference between the earning or pro
ductive power of the 100000 con.
fessed illiterates and the earnings OF
an equal number or persons VINO nave
had average schooling.
The census definition of illiteracy
limits illiterates to those adults who
confess that they have had no school
ing al all; the Army draft showed tnal
249 per cent OF men of draft age
could not read a paragraph IN an
American paper or write a simple le,,
ter to their home folk. Are 2S,O0o,ooO
Americans in that state OF llhteracy
Mr.. Lanes estimate Of the cost OF
illiteracy did not cover. as 1t miSht
have done q, quarter of the population
of the United States. and educators
assert that the query. What price
iynorance?" would bring an answer
| that would be appalling.
The Presidents commitment is not
to support a bill to establish lie
partment Of Education alone. but ne
| would support measure that Woulo
make a secretary of education the
head of not only school matters but
also head Of the Pension Bureau, the
Veterans Bureau and several other
| "side lines" rs recommended by the
| Commission on Reorga nization or the
Government.
This is opposed by the educational
interests on the ground that 1t Woulo
| load the department and hamper Its
| efforts in systematic research OF
school problems. 1t has been un
| authoritatively declared that Whlle the
President would support the education
and relief bill he would not oppose
the other measure for a department
devoted exclusively to educational
matters. Hopes are cherished by the
school interests for compromise.
The school bill provides for CO
ordination of all existing educational
work of the Federal Government, the
| United States Bureau of Education
the Federal Board for Vocational
Education, Vocational training OF
veterans of the World War-althougf
all such training has now ceased
under limitation Of the law. In ad
| dition there would be cooperation OF
| the Federal Government in certain
| new educational activities of nationa
! importance, AmericaniZation and IL
| nteracy and equalization of educa
1 tional opportunity. In s States S1Ot
Is spent yearly per pupil for schoo
| facilities, in States less than S24
is thus spent, "a States have schools
in session less than 80 days a year
| l ,43S,000 children between 7 and Il
years of age attend no school a single
| day.
| The measure would also cove,
physical education and hygiene. One
| out of six men Is physically unfit. as
shown by the draft. Secretary
1 Hoover has found that that physica
| inefficiency is annually costing the in
| dustries of the country a billion dol
| lars. The measure would provide fol
4 teacher training to elevate the stand
ards Of teaching. also for research IL
! school architecture, accounting ant