Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-02
u. S. EDUCATION CALLED
ON PAR WITH EUROPEAN
Foreign Schooling Should Come Later.
Writer Says, Scoring Membership
of Continental Schools.

upon close observation, but actual ex-
perience, the exaggerated admiration,
not to say worship, which so many
Americans accord European education,
at the same time decrying their own
institutions, Is not without its elements
of humor.
For generations the United States has
had institutions fully equal to most of
those of Europe, and now the country is
simply studded with schools that no
American need be ashamed of. This is
colleges and various university facul-
ties.
The admiration accorded by so many
Americans to European universities to
an extent is probably due to the very
human phenomena that we are always
inclined to admire things we see from
distance.
AS regards American institutions. the
European attitude is pretty apt to be
quently ask, does America know of Eu-
rope? When they find that many Amer
leans, even educated ones, have only a
rudimentary knowledge of European af-
fairs, they may be rather SNUG about It,
but when they themselves are asked
about their knowledge of America, they
are sometimes surprised at their own
ignorance. The shoe is then on the
other foot.
America Studies Europe.
In the present international situation,
just why should an European require
an American to know more of Europe
than he knows of America? The fact Is
that at the present time there is hardly
an American college of standing that
does not give courses in international
relations with the proper historical
background. Comparatively few Euro
pean universities do as much and on
the same scale. Or, to use another illus
tration and compare continent with
continent, how many institutes of poll
tics, dealing chiefly, If not entirely, with
international problems, such as Will
Jamestown, Chicago and others, can
Europe boast of?
The field of law with which I am
most familiar can serve as an excellent
Illustration Of what have in mind.
The American student of law Is prepared
chiefly for the practice of law under
one legal systematic European under
another. My experiences within the last
two years convince me that the average
applicant who has passed the bar exam
nation OF the District of Columbia is as
well prepared TO practice law in any
American jurisdiction as Is a graduate
OF law school on the continent to
practice law IN his Jurisdiction, except,
of course, that Europe generally re-
quires an apprenticeship in law ONCE
for certain number Of years, an ex-
cellent idea the realization Of which
may solve the whole problem of legal
preparation.
Degrees Differ in Value.
A graduate Of continental law fac
ulty Is awarded a doctors degree. This
doctors degree, however, is simply q
testimonial Of suficient knowledge to
practice law when the prescribed prac-
tical experience has been acquired, but
Is not evidence of capacity to do scien-
tiflc and research work. The same
can be said Of any holder Of the bach
elor OF laws degree from any good in
stitution in this country. In this coun-
try doctors degree is q graduate de-
gree and. must be accompanied by a
dissertation, something European law
degrees in most universities on the Con-
tinent do not require. Even the under
graduate law degree, that of doctor of
jurisprudence, awarded by some insti-
tutions in this country, as O rule re-
Quires q dissertation as evidence to do
Independent work.
I was Interested b see that one Of
LtnA 0EA ElEQ0ean Mnixersitiea -G