Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-12-08
DR.. THOMAS SPEAKS
AT WEEKLY MEET
OF ROTARY CLUB

DR.. A. o. Thomas, State commits,
sioner Of education was the speaker
at the weekly meeting of the Water
vile Rotary club at the Elmwood
hotel yesterday noon. Taking for
the main subject of his address the
abolition of war DR.. Thomas said
that he thought it lay in the present
world movement in education.
He depicted in vivid manner the
havoc wrought by the last war and
the mighty toll it eXacted, both in
human life and in money and he said
that at its close the thinking men
and women of the world had come
together to see if there were not
some way by which such conflicts
could he made impossible. This did
not lie in the Christian religion be-
cause this includes less than half the
people of the world, nor did it lie in
economic or political measures for
these have failed to work many times
in the past. But education it was
thought might be a common meeting
ground because education deals es-
sentially with truth and because
there are no religious or political
partialities to hamper it's work.
And so the head of the foreign re-
lations committee of, the American
association was instructed, to see
what steps might be taken for the
holding of a world conference. When
his report was submitted it was DIR.
Thomas privilege to extend to the
various nations Of the world an in
vitation for a conference in San
Francisco in 1925 and here the World
Federation of Educational Associa-
tions was formed. 81
Two years later, last summer, the
conference was held in Edinburgh
Scotland. and the doctor said that
the gathering had to be seen to be
appreciated and understood. The in
tellectual leaders of practically every
nation of the world were gathered
together and, although there was
some confusion resulting from the
lack of common language. it was
very distinguished and earnest gath
ering.
The speaker found that the use of
the English language was growing
rapidly in foreign countries and it is
being taught in their schools more
and more. He also spoke with OPP
timism of the intellectual progress
that many foreign lands are now
making. ' :
The old idea that human nature is
| the same everywhere no longer &C.
cupies a place in education. the doc
tor said, and the new idea is that
human nature differs and that it
changes. The purpoSe of present day
education. he declared, is to change
human nature wheer change is need
| ed.
His observations of the countries
which he visited last summer were of
greatS interest to his hearers. Eng
land he thought had been the most
sorely stricken by the war and he
told of the poor economic conditions
DIR. Thomas expressed faith in the
| integrity of the English people and
he had no fear that they would ulti-
mately pay their war debts. In
France he found conditions consider
| ably better and he said that the
| French are in no way troubled with
| unemployment as are the British.
In speaking of International affairs
| DR.. Thomas called the recently
drawn up Locarno treaty 1.-The great
est single political event of the gen.
| Grafton II not OF the century, He
said that America could not hold it.
self aloof from the affairs of Europe
| any longe- and it was his belief that
this country, in a non official way at
least, should be identified with every
movement for the assuring of peace.
To. him although President Coolidge
is 100 per cent. right in domestic
affairs he is 100 per cent. wrong in
foreign affairs.