Evening star., 1928-09-09

| the particular route followed is no
longer regarded as important, and If
difficult, serves merely to lend eclat to
final success. The thought underlying
these observations is involved in the
inquiry as to whether it may not be
further in the public interest to lower
the handicap and remove as far as
possible from the path of the worthy
and ambitious the obstacles which may
| impede the progress of the competent.
The chief barrier to higher and more
| important social service on the part of
an incalculable number of potentially
successful men lies in the economic
condition in which they may have hap
pened to be born. There was time in
this country. and in this very capital
city, when it was a public disgrace to be
in attendance at public school. The
carly history of our public school Sys-
/ tenn records the time when instead of
| the use of paper, the children of the
poor traced their letters and did their
! sums in sand Sprinkled on the floor of
the stable in which the public school
was conducted.
Old View Of Public Schools.
The writer is old enough to remember
when many people thought 1t an outrage
upon the taxpayer that he should be
asked to provide free education be-
yond the three RS, or at least beyond
the eight grade of the common school.
In course OF time came the nigh schools,
not for the few. but open to all Then
the compulsory school attendance laws
came to safeguard the interest of the
competent child from the SelfiShneSS
and stupidity of the incompetent parent
AS 1t has come to be more and more rec
ogniZed that the curve of success and
usefulness to society comedies with the
curve of educational opportunity. these
opportunities have been extended at
public expense. Nearly 800 junior COL
legeS have been organized in progress
sive communities in the last decade and
are being operated at public expense
and to public satisfaction
From the view point here in question
these opportunities for higher educa-
ton at public expense have little kim
ship with the State universities. So
little has the real function of the State
university been understood although
it too Is paid for by the taxes of all
the people, that it is as remote in To-
cation. limited in scope and inaccessible
financially to the adult population as
whole. as are the privately endowed
universities whose ccademic prestige
depends as much on the difficulty of en-
tering as upon the excellence of the
work carried on for the benefit of those
economically able to secure admission.
1t should be borne in mind that 1t is less
the fees paid to the university than the
cessation of gainful employment. upon
which the family of an adult may de-
pend. which closes the door to am
bition and even to genius. An in
veStigation of the facts will disclose the
inadmissibility of the excuse sometimes
offered that the ambitious student can
always work his way through college"
University Extension Movement.
One of the most recent and hopeful
developments in the United States is
the university extension movement
This involves bringing the facilities for
further adult education of high school
grade to the home and during hours
which otherwise would be unfruitfully
employed. Started as a business ven-
ture and e 'nted with "commercialiSm, 4"
(offenSive in educational circles where
gifts obtained by importantly are con-
Sidered more dignified method of sub
SiStence), the movement has spread
and is now carried on upon a greater
scale by some Of the most important
private universities in America. To
mention but one, Columbia University
of New York, offers home study and
correspondence instruction upon a field
of subjects more extensive than the
curricula of many less important uni
versities. 1t is to the glory of the
American people that this demand for
adult part-time education has risen to
such proportions as to demand this
recognition.
To Washington, our Capital City,
more than to any other center of popu-
lation in America, is due the credit of
first recognizing the employed adult as
deserving subject for systematic
classroom instruction in many fields of
technical. business and ; professional
training. Except In medical education,
the clinical and laboratory demands of
which are inconsistent with other CO.
incident activity on the part of the
student, there is no profession and few
occupations for which the employed
adult may not now equip himself under
the guidance of men eminent in the
practice of the calling which the stu
dent is ambitious to enter 1t is in this
connection especially that the great
reservoir of scientifically-train po-
tential instructors in the Government
service can be made available to an
ever-increasing demand.
It was, not unnaturally, the part
time law school in Washington which
! constituted the pioneer in this great