Evening star., 1932-02-21

vancement, and stimulated beyond
| measure the ambitions of boys and
girls. 1t has modified the forms Of
amusement, the intellectual interests,
and the standards of value of vast
elements of the population. It has
| fostered those contacts of groups and
cultures which have always played a
fundamental role in the advance of
,, civilization and the evolution of moral
ideas"
The report points out further that
organized sport has pronounced effect
! on the development of character edu-
cation. The parks, bathing beaches,
Summer camps and the numerous city
Fairgrounds also are presented in the
voluminous report as becoming IN
creasingly significant" factors in char
acter education.
Sex Problems Studied.
What was characterized last night
| by prominent officials of the conVen-
| tion as the frankeSt discussion OF the
problem of sex education ever presented
by national group of educators con-
Stitutes one of the major chapters OF
the report which will be presented to-
morrow. The committee contends in
the report that there is reason for
| concern" about sex education because
! of many factors in modern life. Among
these. the report names 1.-The new and
| freer position accorded to women; the
mobility which makes it easy to escape
surveillance and to attain anonymity,
| the development of prophylactlc and
contraceptive technics; new points OF
view in psychology, especially psycho-.
analytic studies; the host OF sex stimuli
found in cinema. theater advertising,
popular magazines and songs; and dlf-
| ferences Of opinion on matters OF con-
duct upon ~hch there was once,
whatever practice may have been. a
practical unanimity." Continuing, the
report says:
That school education in matters
| Of sex has been SO generally limited to
occasional cruel discipline of victim OF
poor education can be explained only In
| terms of the extraordinary sensitiveness
of many of the adults in the community.
the lack Of proper books and teaching
personnel and the tendency toward con-
servation among administrators"
Contending that it may be maintained
| that the basic sources for such educa-
ton are found in psychology and sociol-
ogy, the report asserts:
Want to Make Friends.
young people want to be able to
! make friends easily and to build these
| personal relationships in q manner con-
ductive to stability, enrichment and
growth. They want to understand their
own feelings, to know when they arc
really in love and what to do about 1t.
They want to understand the conven-
tions Of their group so they will not ap-
pear gawky They are eager to build
| love life which Is unsurpassed in beauty
but they need to learn hiw this is done.
They look forward in many cases to
! children sound not only III body, but in
| emotional attitudes, in character and
| in personality. These ends can not be
left to chance attainment.
! Setting forth General Principles to
| Be Observed in Sex Education" the re-
port advocates use of the best relevant
! information, scientific terms rather
than "evasive pronouns, and, IN gen.
eral. the committee urges that "infor-
nation should be given to children and
| to parents before the need for 1t arises.
Other topics which the educators Will
| consider in the convention include the
| theory and the objectives OF character
education, how classroom procedure
NAV contribute to character education,
the part the teacher plays in character
education, home and school co-opera-
tion. and the relationship Of the or
ganization and administration OF
school system to character education.
The economic problems OF education
will be discussed specifically at the
| fourth general session on Tuesday un-
der the title THE Present Crisis IN
Public Education" Among the speakers
at that session and their topics WILL De
Edwin c. Broome. president o1 tne & Deo
partlnent of Superintendence, The
Crisis Defined; George D. Strayer OF
Teachers College, Columbia University,
| ADEQUATE Support for Education, the
Condition Of an Effective Service; Da-
vfd E. Weglein, superintendent OF Bal
timore schools How Shall the Crisis
Be Met by School Of1cials?" Robert
Murray Hag, professor Of political
economy at Columbia University, TAX
Reform in Relation to the Financing OF
Education"
Yearbook Is Discussed.
| Both the annual yearbook containing
the report of the Character Education
Commission and the program were dis
cussed by delegates as they viewed at
O'Clock the annual exhibition Of edu-
| cational materials and equipment IN the
Washington Auditorium. Headed by DR..
Frank w. BallCu, superintendent OF
Washington schools, who Is In effect host
to the visiting thousands OF his fellow
educators, the leading delegates held
their first assembly of the convention
as they inspected the products which
science and manufacture have built for
their aid.
Today the educators are seeking re-
ligious and patriotic inspiration for
their plunge into the business OF their
conclave here tomorrow. Following
brief exercises at the Washington Monu-
ment, the Lincoln Memorial and the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at each
of which they will place their floral