Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-08-21

| VI smallest State in South Amer
Y lea in territorial extent, Uru-
quay has placed herself in the
vanguard of them all as far as the de-
velopment of her institutions is con-
cerned. For the past half century, Uru-
guayan statesmen have been adopting
most of the reforms which, through I'M
portant political movements, were being
tested out in other countries, as well as
the progressive theories in legislation
and popular culture which the most
advanced European states were putting
into successful practice.
Thus we find that Uruguay was the
first Latin American republic to adopt
social welfare laws, the eight-hour DAY
for labor. compulsory public education,
absolute divorce, and other notable re-
forms of our age, many of which are
still only known by name in several
Latin American countries. She mas
been called, on that account, the "poht-
ical laboratory of the Americas" To-
day Uruguay has system OF civil laws
and social legislation which leaves moth
ing to be envied in the most progress
sive systems of the world.
Lowest Illiteracy Index.
The same may be said regarding
public instruction and the education OF
her people. Although working under
the same difficulties as do all other
Latin American republics in attempting
to educate the masses, Uruguay now
possesses the most perfect system OF
educational methods in Latin America,
and has the lowest illiteracy index OF
any of her sister nations.
Uruguay, like other Latin American
republics, had to devote her efforts in
early years to combating political pas
sions, economic chaos and domestic
disturbance. but presently there came
to her the good fortune to have born on
her soil great reformer, Jose Pedro
Varela. Crusading under his famous
device "Patria por lie Escuela" Cor Our
Fatherland Through Schools, Varela
preached that only instruction and edu-
cation could put an end to political tur-
| MOL and the despotism of the bosses,
who succeeded each other in swarms
So true was this that, although before
Varela's day Uruguay went through
some 20 civil wars in 40 years, the gen.
Grafton that followed Varela only suf-
fered one and, ever since then, domes-
tic peace has remained undisturbed.
1t is true that in order to win this
| victory Varela had to wage hard bat
tie against popular opinion and most of
his own fellow citizens, attacking them
through the press, from his university
chair, from his political party, even
while an exile, and lastly as director OF
education, the position given him when
his high ideals had begun to be recog-
niZed and accepted. In all these
various stages of his life-work he never
ceased repeating to his people, daily
his favorite slogans: Education De-
| tho Evilc nf oE,dtIoo
ton Increases Ones Fortune" "Educa-
ton Lengthens Life" Education Les
sens Crime and Vice" Education Aug
ments Happiness. Success and the
Strength of Nations" and Education
Is the Great Leveller of Our Age"
! Cited U. S. As Example.
To make his campaign stronger ant
more definite Varela took as an ex-
ample the United States of America
extolling in all his writings and ad-
dresses the greatness which the edu-
cation of her sons had won for the
prosperous republic of the North. where
this tireleSS reformer had once spent
tie which Varela waged against hi.
contemporaries, but in the end he con-
quered
| When once the country was al
peace, and the masses educated. all the
economic questions, the social problems
and even those of political unrest grad
ually solved themselves, and domestic
stability soon permitted the nation to
try out the great reforms of more ad-
vanced states. Today it may be af-
flrmed that the dream which Varela
thus described has been realized: 1T
Is dream, perhaps, which makes us
see our country, in the future, though
small in population and even in terri
tory marching at the forefront of the
nations which speak our mother tongue
a position won through her education
her wisdom, her industry" This, in
fact, is the place now held in South
America by that little republic whose
area is scarcely equal to that of Okla
homa, and whose inhabitants number
NO more than those Of Maryland, in
this country.
Just as Uruguay holds unique posi-
ton in Latin America in respect to
educational and social matters, she has
as political organization, some orig
inal characteristics not found in any
other country of this continent. MOI
ir Europe.
The executive power. for example, is
not in the hands of one person alone, as
| III loSG republics Oh our Gay, DuC Is
shared between the President and a
National Council of Administration
composed of nine members elected by
popular vote. which exercises the true
executive power of the state. This coun-
Gil, through its functions in naming
ministers and other high officials of the
government. in managing national
| finances, and in directing the foreign
policies, as well as the general external
and internal life of the nation, has