Evening star., 1928-11-03
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

that of any possible enemy, by telling
how according to Historian Guitteau)
the American soldier with six months
training was more than match for the
best German veteran with years of mil
itary experience and intensive drill--a
statement which tends to produce 6
feeling of unwarranted arrogance ant
contempt of preparedness feeling Oh
oVerassurance that imperils safety.
For the delight of children, the text
books tell fairy stories about trained
dogs which secuted over battlehelds to
seek out disabled American soldiers and
then trot back to lead nurses to rescue
them. There was not sin dog 0t
that kind in the war, declares Dick
son. But that Is the stuff fed TO on,
school children, which the comnitte'
of 10 will investigate as to the "out
side agencies" supplying it, rather tha
true facts which would inspire respe
for the men who sacrificed their liv
to save the country in its hour Of per
X
Yesterday DR.. Lotus D. Coffmar
president of the University Of MINI
sofa, speaking in Buffalo, N. Y,
ferred to the increase of immoral;
and criminality in America and {
clared it due to "the current philosop
of life, which portrayS satisfaction a;
pleasure, rather than sacrifice and I
nunciat1on. On every hand, he sal
''one finds this philosophy of life beir
displayed; one sees it in the model
drama, modern fiction, current novel
the screen and displayed on every han
on the magazine shelf. It is 2 philoS
ophy which diSintegrateS, but the faul
does not lie with the youth Of our gen
eration-the fault is with the times.
Even the schools, working alone.
cannot build new philosophy but they
can be of great service in the present
situation"
Yet there is scarcely a college, and
few high schools, which are not i'm
pregnated with the theories of So
cialism. One professor in a Washing
ton, d. c., high school is the winner OF
a prize Tor Socialistic magazine def
milton and is conspicuous in local So
claIlStlc or communiStic activities. and
when the American Legion protested
against his retention as a guide for
the rising generation a Nationwide crv
from educators rose against "curtaiI;1l.
the liberty OF the classroom"
x x ~
Patriotic spirit in schools is not the
prime objective of the present investi-
CATION by the committee of 10. It is
Tor the purpose of aScertaining whence
comes the outside influence"-the
ropaganda-which causes teachers to
argue to their pupils in favor of private
investors in companies creating public
utilities, rather than adopting Gov. AL
Smiths doctrine that proposes that all
public utilities, from the Electric Pow
er Trust down to street cars. shall be
owned by the State. 1t Is oficially de-
MED that the National Education As
Sociation Is socialistic in its doctrines,
and there Is proof, according to its
chief spokesman, that the power trust
has used money to put its propaganda
in behalf Of "Hooverism"-the connpe-
tition of individual initiative in busi-
ness enterprise. though the power trust
propaganda began long before the po-
litical campaign opened. The propos-
ed investigation opens now at the very
close of the campaign, in which that
question has been a lively issue. viii
the National Education Association sue
ceed In encouraging public ownership?
OF course. it Is not committed to So
cialism otherwise.
y II Il
Not only has the power trust used the
schools and colleges for its educational
In behalf of private ownership
Vi pupllC utllltleS, DuG IL Is charged with
having subsidized college lecturers so to
teach in their claSsroomS and to pre-
pare articles for publication in news
papers. at least one professor receiving
as high as $4,000 year on his "out-
side brains" which is quite a relief for
the teaching profession.
The head Of the General Federation or
some other womens organization Is al
legged to have received from the power
trust 5000 month to distribute ques-
tionnaire to clubs asking about the uss
Of electric appliances in the homes.
She denies this; that's not the reason
for the $500. She is said to have con-
Quoted survey" costing some 100000,
and then used the data for educative
articles in a women'S magazine-all
legitimate but propaganda" and illegit-
mate when it was also distributed to
as releases" for their Sun
day supplements instead of for the ad-
columns. But now the Com
mittee of Ten will adjust everything
al right from war dogs to electric
sweepers and toasters.
GGoBssisht. 1sas. by Paul v. celAns.S