Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-22
SCHOOLS MUST DETHRONE JAZZ
in AMERICA, TIGERT TELLS N. E. A.
Declares Invasion of Culture Is Inevitable; Woman
Scores Fathers Lack of Interest in Education;
Lowden Warns of Rural Teaching Decline.

implication that, due to the multipli.
city of purposes now in vogue in the
school program or for some other rea-
son, we are not now thoroughly teach
ing the fundamentals. / am conyinc-
ed that we shall do better if we strive
FOR a few things and do them well
than If we attempt much and master
little or nothing.
Il am aware that the curriculum
makers sometimes allude with pity or
scorn to those so naive as to suggest
such general purposes as / mention
here. Possibly, of all the terms de-
Scrlptlve of the goal of education
which have been weighed and found
wanting by the purveyors of scientific
knowledge in the field Of educational
aims, the term culture has been
banned with the greatest finality.
Real Culture Needed.
/ make bold to assert that we have
sufficient general agreement as to
what culture means, sufficient knoWl-
edge about how culture is impaired
and more than sufficient knowledge of
the dearth of culture in this country
at the present time to justify us in
saying that 1t Is a fundamental pur-
pose in the scheme of the elementary
school. The fact that so many people
prefer Jazz to music; the books of
the hour, with their sordid appeal to
Sax and vulgarity, to literature: the
trashy and salacious shows to drama,
and similar predictions. Indicate that
we need a real inva sion of culture H.
hteracy is such serious tragedy that
one heSitateS to suggest that it could
have any possible virtue. but a sam
ping of some of the popular literary
pabulum that is now being swallowed
by the American people would lead one
TO Surmise that illiteracy may have
some compensation and at least serves
as a literary vaccination which rem
oerS one immune to mental pollution
1t is recorded that the American PEG.
pie rejected as a free gift and our art
galleries would not provide wall space
LOT nlstlers portrait of his mother
which now hangs in Luxembourg Gal
lery. In Paris, and is said to be valued
at more than a million dollars. 1t Is
not pleasant or provocative of patriot
ism to dwell upon these things, but
they certainly point clearly to the
need of a thorough injection of a broad
ana deep groundwork of culture in the
elementary school.
A third general purpose Of the
elementary school should be efficiency
IN both personal and social matters.
realze that the hair-spIittiny
ANALYSTS may condemn this objective
as being almost as indefinite and
vague as culture. But the mighty EN-.
phas1s which has been deveIoped in
recent years upon learning by doing
Is indicative that we sense the fact.
however indistfnct the concept NAV be
at the present time. that we need to
give the boy or girl of the elementary
SCHOOL better preparation to meet
practical situations. We see tho need
OF more hard work and the skills of
action.
Is Foundation Period.
~ course, there is nothing voca.
tlonal implied and, while the ma ior
eI1ort toward vocational diagnosis
should be postponed to the junior high
school period. still, believe that the
elementary school has a distinct oh.
ligation in discovering and deveIopinr
aptltudes and interests of q non-yo.
catlonal character. 1t should at lea ST
peeln 10 lay a foundation upon which
vocational training may be later built
Likewise. economic efficiency (Which is
more imam thrift. perseverance. in.
dustry and the joy of effort belong
NAShtioii 10 IlOl SlInDlS tha
emancipation Of the intellect. but II
implies the liberation of the viii skin
and satisfaction in successful achieve
ment. Consequently. our third obiec
tive supplements and correlates our
second objective
we have offered four fundamental
detectives as the end of elementary
educatton-health, mastery of the
fundamentals as a basis of culture
personal and social efficiency. and
character. These detectives are not
exhaustive, nor mutually exclusive.
ANY statement of aims is essentially
overlapping, and. to some extent. ar
tlnclal. Such terms as recreation
worthy home membership, proper use
OF leisure time, and other current
phrases, all intermix as ends of edu.
cation. Further, we do not pretend
to set down these four detectives in
the order Of Importance
1t may be that diffusion of knowl-
edge Is not casually related with d.
minished exercise OF duties of citf
zenship, but, whatever the cause. the
problem can be solved only by atten-
ton to citizenship training in the
school. 1t is at least pertinent to In.
qu1re why the percentage of edu-
Gated persons who interest them
selves In civic matters is often very
small. 1t was recently reported that
among seven professors in a great
university. not one could call the
name Of the Representative who rep
resented that district.
Progress Encouraging.
I'VE are all encouraged at the rapid
progress we have made toward better
methods of teaching citizenship in the
school, and there is little doubt that
the educational program of today will
meet the situation adequately. We are
decidedly optimistic about the school
Of today and the future 1t has shown
remarkable aptitude in adapting it.
self to the need Of the hour. 1t prob
ably is the most flexible institution
that we have and has made more
progress in the past decade than at
any other time in history. a
Il began this discourse with a tic
ture Of the ark of education lab fne
on the surface of the deluge. 1 did
this because I remembered the words
of God to Noah: Whenever 1 shall
bring a cloud on the earth, the bow
shall be upon the cloud
1T requires no educational Noah to
see spread above the ark of education
a respondent railbow, which is the
reIlcCtlOH OIL the glorious triumph
that our present plans for training
citizenship shall eventually achieve.
think we can readily detect amid
the brilliantly colored bands of that
rainbow of worthy citizenship the I'M
mtstakable hues Of good health, broad
culture. economic prosperity and no.
BILE character
Sees Great Change.
Continuing his dark picture of edu-