Evening star., 1927-11-10
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

The public grew accustomed during
the war to weeks or days set apart
for special causes. For example. there
were "meatless days" and "sugarless
days" Now we have Education
week." wherein our whole attention is
directed to the desirability OF the
Three Rs and other marks Of knowl.
edge, such as are supplied by our pub
lie schools and colleges. Education
week began last Monday. 1t is an in
vention of the American Legion, but
is now controlled by the National Ed
ucation Association and by school
teachers generally.
When the draft of 1917 disclosed the
shameful amount of illiteracy existing
in the United States, with more than a
Quarter of the people of school age
and older unable to read and write In
any language, the conditions appalled,
the public, and nobody more so than
the soldier who saw his buddies re-
jected from the Army because they
were too ignorant. The illiterate could
not understand orders: they could not
read written orders nor make reports
America had prided itself upon its
advance in intelligence and upon its
free schools. free press and other
marks of a high civilization, but a
quarter of the people were absolutely
illiterate, America stood far down the
list in comparison with other coun-
tries.
OF course, the official census showed
that only or per cent of the popu.
lation mus: be classed as illiterate, but
the census so classified only such as
confessed their illiteracy; the Army
draft gave actual tests by requiring
the subjects to read newspaper or
book.
Following the World War, there has
been a renaissance of public interest
in education such as was never known
before. Part of this rebirth of interest
was due to the Governments policy of
rehabilitation OF wounded or disabled
soldiers, whom it educated along lines
which would enable them to earn a
living that had been rendered impos-
sible by their pre-war vocation, on ac-
count Of their wounds. This move
ment attracted the interest Of the
American Legion throughout the land,
and, as a result, the Legionnaires took
interest in school facilities in general.
That interest spread, and adults who
had not been soldiers awoke to the
possibilities of adult education as they
had never realized before. Now. no
man or woman need be ashamed TO
seek further schooling, regardless OF
age.
1t may be claimed that this move
ment had begun even before the war.
In an article published in the Survey,
last July, Miss Mabel Montgomery
showed that South Carolina had done
wonders ir two Summer schools for
illlterate adults, and in the decade
ending in 1920 that State had reduced
Its illiterates from 25.7 per cent to 1871
per cent. Similar advance in adult
study has been made in other regions.
From the last annual report Of Sec
retary j. w. Crabtree of the National
Education Association, 1t is noted
that there has been in 10 years an
increase in high school enrolment
from 1900 900 to more than 4.0OO,Ooo'
an increase in attendance at Summer
schools from 10000 to 250.OOO; an IN.
crease In the number OF consolldateo
schools from 5000 to $4,000; OF teach'
ers colleges authorized to grant de-
grees, from 20 and 25 to more than
100: an increase in the value
OF school property from $2.0Oo.OOO.O00
to $4,000 ,000, 900; an increase
in the expenditures for public school
education from 100000 to $1,000
0O0, ,000."
X
Before weighing the value Of gen.
eral education Of the masses 1t is en-
tightening to note the advance in the
last two centuries. In 1923 the Bos-
ton Repertory published an essay on
public education, written by one Ber.
nard Vaudeville. in which the essay.
ist said:
''To make the Society happy and the
People easy under the meanest CIR
cumstances. 1t is requisite that great
numbers of them should be ignorant