Evening star., 1932-10-30
BY NED III. DEARBORN.

" ultimate gains to society or in
"A severe losses. Those who have
\ supreme faith in the ultimate
ascendancy of the good qualities
in human nature believe in the benefits
Of adversely Those who distrust the
characteristics Of the genus man believe
that adversely works more harm than
good. Neither extreme is safe. The
circumstances and conditions of each
case determine the outcome.
The case before us is related to cur
rent economic conditions and education.
Property values, taxation and tax col
lections, bank failures, reduction or loss
of credit, and difficulties with bond is
sues have combined to bring about ad-
verse conditions in education. These
conditions have generally resulted in
drastic budget reductions in our schools
and colleges throughout the country.
Dangers Are Listed.
The immediate results of this diver
sity are reductions in teachers salaries,
elimination of educational positions, dis
continuance of certain phases of the
school programs, cessation OF refine
ments and expansion in educational
work failure to provide adequate build
ing and other material facilities, and
many kindred matters that are dis
couraging. disappointing, distressing
and in many cases downright deplor-
able There are certain dangers against
which the layman in education must
gard himself. A few examples are here
with cited.
/. The danger Of suffering from
psychological panic and becoming fash
ion followers. There are some school
communities with a balanced budget
and some even with a surplus in the
treasury that demand drastic budget re-
ductions Just because there Is preva-
lent expression of fear and uncertainty
regarding our industrial conditions and
because ''everybody's doing it
2. There is danger of overlooking
the extra burdens that are placed on
the schools and colleges in these days
of unemployment There is a heavy
call upon teachers from charity. Per
haps at no time in the history OF
American education have the teachers
of our country been called upon 1or
help in connection with relief work. IN
New York City alone for the schooI
year ended July !. 1882, the public
school teachers subscribed and olS-
bursed a sum Of money for relief WORK
totaling 81 .738 1861. This Is an ever
lasting tribute to the charity OF the
dicatiye Of the responsiveness OF the
teachers generally TO urgent commu-
nitv and national social needs. Hun
dredS of examples of this kind can
he found in our schools and colleges
throughout the land.
Unemployment Increases Burden.
In the next place. there is an increased
enrolment in our educational centers
loy liz IN Z.
Bows and girls Of school age who are en-
titled to work permits have no use LOT
them and in many cases they return 10
school. Some communities have pro-
yided special classes for unemployed
adults in order to enable them TO MAKE
the oCCupational adjustments that WILL
tend to relieve in some measure the un-
employment situation. This requires a
greater variety OF offerings in our sChooIS
and hence imposes an increased hnan-
cial responsibility.
Finally the economic SITUATION mas
;eriouslv affected the ability of the home
as a social institution IN the care OF the
young people of our land. Homes are
less able than formerly to provide edu-
cational and recreatiOnal facilities. Fur
thermore. in many cases the loss OF eco
nomic independence in the home mas
resulted in a loss of morale that directly
affects the spiritual or moral HE OF the
yolng people. Warden Lewis Z. Laws
has yery clearly and properly pointed
out the relation between crime and lu-
venile delinquency and the work OF our
educational institutions. Under such
circumstances it is imperative that our
schools undertake to supplement the
work of the homes in this period OF
emergency.
3. There is the danger Of forgetting
that the conditions mentioned above re-
uuire better teaching and better man
agement in our schools than ever before.
1t seems that this is obvious and that
the statement needs no further elabora-
ton.
Warns Of False Economies.
4. There is the danger of adopting
false economies. Better teaching. better
supervision and better management re-
uuire a high level of financial remu-
neration. 1t is not argued that salaries
must necessarily be increased, but rather
that salaries of all our professional
workers in the schools be the last items
of social expenditures to be affected by
imperative budget reductions. Ihere
are other economies in educational costs
that can be effected, such as the rigid
economy in school building construction,
the schools and in the purchase OF sup
plies and equipment.
5. There is the danger of using the
wrong methods in effecting economies.
The latest activities added to the school
program or the most recent professional
services inaugurated or so-called special
school subjects are frequently the first
to be attacked. Often they are among
the most valuable parts of the school
offerings. Boards of Education should
pause before attacking the latest. the
newest and the special phases OF school
work
g. There is danger of Gripping our
school systems in the face of political
and personal pressure to maintain other
social agencies in the community. Our
park commissions. police departments.
fire departments, sanitation service and
the host of other community agencies
which are struggling to maintain their
present levels of efficiency or to effect
| Improvement. All this is highly COM
mendable, but in communities where
! financial conditions require budget re-
ductionS, good Judgment dictates that
there should be fair reduction among
all the social agencies. The school
teachers cannot be criticized severely
when they vigorously defend their work
II lnere Is no general OlSpOSlIlOn III lHe
community to work out economies in
other departments of local government
and public service.
Cites Beneficial Results.
There are. however, some results that
are beneficial to society and to public
education as a social agency. In the first
place, schoolmen and laymen in edu-
cation are forced to give attention to
sources of revenue, methods of taxation
and school finance. Thought is even di-
rected to possible notifications of our
existing economic system. The result
Of this attention and analysis should
result in positive and constructive revi-
sions of practice that may be considered
as improvements. Considerations OF
have given to his own nation and to the
postwar world that various talent and