Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-03-27
DR.. Thomas in
Protest Huge Armies
| At Springfield, Ill.

Especial to the Kennebec JournaD
Springfield, ILL.,, March 26.-Dr.
Augustus o. Thomas, Maine commits
sioner of education and president Of
the World Federation Of Education
Associations, speaking before the H.
linois State Teachers Association
here today, urged the nations ac-
ceptance of a just, reasonable, econ
omic and sound basis of prepared
| ness and the cutting out of our COM
petitive ornaments and huge stand
| ing armies, the expense Of which
weighs us down for generations to
| come.
after all, the hope of the world
| lies in education" asserted Commits
| sioner Thomas. This is being
| recognized by the business world.
The churches are turning to educa-
| ton and statesmen realize that intel
ligent government and integrity Of
| agreement rest upon the quality and
character of the people as expressed
| in widespread education. We cannot
expect a government to put into
| operation modern constitution with
| the rights of government vested to
any extent in the people based upon
| 80 or 800 illiteracy. Those countries
| who are attempting at the present
| time, in harmony with the spirit of
democracy, to change their form OF
government but have not made the
opportunities for education universal
| will find a difficult task. The. only
effective form of government for
such countries is the monarchial
form and this form Is rapidly going
| out of date.
1.-The education necessary is that
form which will enable the common
| people to read intelligently and to
| post themselves on matters of vital
! Importance to the government under
which they live and in whose de-
| alterations they have a part. Today
| the nations of the world are thrown
| so closely together that they form a
| community with easy access. There
| Is constant trading back and forth
and citizens of one country are visit
| ing others by the hundreds of thou
! sands. Communication and trade are
made easy by modern invention and
| discovery. Just now. the world is In
, a struggle for markets and economic
| conditions are at a low ebb. One OF
the first things the civilized nations
| of the world must do, in order to
make this community of nations
1
ference which will have a tendency
| to place the nations of the world
upon a sound money basis. While
we cannot expect the more prosper
| GUS nations to pull the nations who
are on the verge of bankruptcy out
of the hols, their sympathetic atti-
tude and helpful reciprocity must be
| of great consequence. James G.
| Blaine's policy of reciprocity will be
found eventually to be the key to in
ternational commercial and business
relations.
i, Study of History a Vital Concern
'The study of history is a vital
concern Of international undertaking
inasmuch as colored facts OF
prejudiced opinions will go down in
the lives of those who are taught
| No one man knows enough history
! and is unprejudiced enough to write
a school text. Textbooks should be
written by committees composed OF
| experts in the study and interpreta-
ton of historic facts and a group OF
| persons skilled in the art of instrre-
ton. A history of the Reformation
written by Scotch Presbyterian
will have an entirely different inter-
! probation than a history which is
written by man in a monastery
! Men Of various political faiths are
liable to color their deductions with
! their own peculiar bias. In studying
! history from world view point. il
! is especially important that we dc
not mistake the facts of history for
what somebody says of them or for