Evening star., 1928-06-21
Utility Activities in Schools
Subject of Vigorous Comment

Testimony before the Federal Trade
Commission disclosing activities of pub
lie utility interests In the educational
field continues to be the subject Of
vigorous comment in the press.
The facts made public are viewed
by the Baltimore Sun as striking evi-
dence of the extent TO which public
utility propaganda has been focused
on schools, colleges and text book pub
fishers" That paper adds: 1T has now
been charged before this inquiry that
In at least one case the expenses OF a
group Of college professors attending
meeting sponsored by the utility inter-
ests were paid by these interests. This.
Of course. is overstepping all the bounds
Il propriety."
THE utilities have legal right per-
haps, to employ teachers and others
to speak for them" comedies the In
dianapolis News, but every address so
delivered and all publicity matter so
given out" contends the News, Ought
to be labelei what 1t Is. Certainly. 1t
is highly unethicai for a college pro-
fessor. presumably speaking from an
unbiased point Of view. to utter, for
pay. utility propaganda as the matured
opinion he has reached as result OF
hts studies
Wherever this campaign has been
carried on" in the Judgment of the
Topeka Daily Capital. 1.-The plain object
is TO create a bias In the pupils mind
and this Is what the interested utilities
regard as education 1t Is, of course
educational from their point OF view
but propaganda and education are as
wide apart In fact as the poles 1t Is
no part of education anywhere or at
any stage to give students opinions
ready-made, but 1t is education to At
them for forming opinions"
Reference Is made by the New York
Evening World to disclosures concern
ing Texas. where "the director of the
Texas Public Service Information Bu-
reau stated that 10000 text books pre-
pared by the Texas gas and electric
power companies were distributed last
year and are now being used as such
in $50 high schools OF the State. The
companies, continues the Evening
World, regard 1t as a philanthropy"
and have regarded 1t as helpful in con-
nection with activities directed to-
ward the building of good public re-
lations." The World concludes, That
is the philanthropy of 1t, the good
public relations idea"
THE right of the public utilities TO
plead their case openly before the
man Review, lis not denied. What Is
resented. and an evil practice that
must be stopped, Is the sly injection of
their propaganda into the public
schools-~-practices like those revealed
by the investigation in Washington. :"
The Worcester Telegram says there
: a strong case against public owner
ship and asks: why can't the elec-
trio power interests have faith In that
case? II they really are resorting to
propaganda In the schools and colleges.
the public viii naturally be suspicious
of their motives" The Worcester paper
holds that political propaganda,
whether the propagandists are right or
wrong In their arguments, ought to be
kept out OF our educational institu-
tions"
The subject OF abstract economics
cannot be left free to the untrammeled
sway of truth and logic" states the
Louisville Courier-Journal III the
teacher is I'm the hire of commercial IN
tercats more bent upon molding minds
TO their purposes than on training them
to think straight" The Nashville Ban
ner describes the power issue" as "by
far the most important" Of present
issues, sin its direct results upon the
welfare and future of the State" and
advises vigilance and determination"
n y
What would the schools of the coun-
try be like" asks the Milwaukee jour
nal IF every interest In this country
began 10 shower them with PAM
phIetsP The money that has
gone into the universities has been
largely To shape the course OF research
and instruction Educators who have
accepted this money say that 1t has not
influenced them. Maybe not. But IL
certainly has not raised the standing
of their work with that part Of the
public which Is discriminating The
very acceptance Of this money puts
than on the defensive. II III hard Ia
forget who their paymasters are"
The suggestion OF the Wichita Beacon
Is that the cure Tor any evils which