Evening star., 1927-08-28
TEACHING THE CONSTITUTION
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

"The Constitution must be taught
in our schools. and there must be a
| reformation in the manner of teach.
| ing it," says the committee on
| American citizenship of the Ameri-
can Bar Association in a report which
will be presented to the tiftieth an.
nual meeting of the association which
| opens in Buffalo on August 81. 1--WE
urge the members Of this association
| in every State to cooperate with us
| in securing better teaching of the
| Constitution in the grades, in high
| schools, and particularly in normal
| schools and other institutions which
prepare teachers for their career"
There are 81 States which now re.
quire by statute the teaching of the
Constitution in the public schools; II
| States have no such law, continues
the report. A caref,i1 survey of the
| practical working of these laws has
been made by Samuel P. Weaver of
the Spokane, Wash. bar, and it shows
that most of the laws are ineffective
owing either to their own weakness or
to the Indifference of the teaching
profession.
The committee says that this sur.
vey and its own investigations prove
conclusively that the Constitution can
not be taught effectively except as a
separate course. Taught as it now is,
| mixed in with course called "civics"
or with American history, little is ac-
complished.
1t is the opinion of all the members
of the committee that too much at
tention Is paid to "civics," which is
largely study Of the local govern
ments, school district, city, county
and State.
"If a part of the time devoted to
this study of local institutions were
given to the framework. background,
history and benefits of the National
Constitution, if every pupil were re-
quired to pass an examination on the
Constitution in advancing from one
| grade to another, from the grade
school to the high SCHOOL, from the
high school to the State-supported
colleges, before admission" says the
report, the result for which this com.
mittee aims would be accomplished"
Recommends Uniform Law.
The committee urges that the law
upon this subject should insist upon
separate course, however limited the
hours, and upon this examination. To
this end it has drafted q bill for
uniform law covering the subject and
supplying the deficiencies of existing
laws.
The greatest difficulty in the pres.
ent situation has been found to be
that the teachers who undertake to
teach the Constitution do not them
selves understand it. The teachers
must be taught. Teachers employed
in the public schools, says the report,
should be compelled to pass an ex'
animation on this subject as thor
ough as that passed in the three RS.
Most of the State laws are deficient
in this respect, it is stated, and it is
entirely natural that the teaching
profession, already overwhelmed with
the multiplicity of subjects attempted
to be taught. should be reluctant to
undertake a new study and add to
the already overburdened curriculum.
They do not understand the funda-
mental importance of this subject.
| that the primary object Of the public
education is to make a capable and,
I therefore, a good citizen.
1--WE believe. as all students of the
Constitution do. that to know the
| Constitution Is to be its defender"
| saws the committee. "a sound knowl'
edge of it is necessary to intelligent
citizenship. Questions related to the
welfare of the Republic. which are
arising more and more frequently.
cannot be rightly decided by voters
| wholly uneducated in the philosophy
| of our Government.
This lack Of education extends from
| the schools up to the State Legislature
and the National Congress. The founo-
ers of the public school system In
| tended that it would make men and
| women capable of self-government,
able to pass with educated. sureness
on governmental questions. This the
| schools have failed to do"
| AS an illustration Of the lack of the
| spirit for intelligent self-goyernment.
| q recent judicial election in Chicago Is
| cited. Seventeen judges were chosen.
| Notwithstanding the prevalence OF
| criminality, and the general criticism
| Of the judicial system for not ade'
quately dealing with crime, only !
man or woman out Of 10 voted-2O6. 900
out of over 100000 men and women
| 21 years Of age. Nine out OF every
| 10 abdicated their sovereignty.
Lawyers Need Teaching Also.
The spokesman for the bar associa'
ton do not spare their own profession
| in their structures upon the general
| lack of knowledge OF the Nations or.
ganic law. On the contrary, they are
about as severe in their criticism OF
lawyers and law schools as in what
they say about teachers and the pub
lie schools.
EVERY lawyer takes an oath to sup.
port the Constitution of the United
States" they point out. UNLESS he
knows what the Constitution is, what
1t means. what 1t has accomplished.
his oath Is as idle as the paper hero
glyphs on a Chinese prayer wheel.
How can he support something of
which he is largely, IL not entirely,
| ignorant? He might as we'll swear
to support Einstein's doctrine Of rela-
tivity. Next in importance to the
teaching OF the Constitution in the
| public schools Is a better. more ex-
plicit and more general education of
the student In the law schools"