Montana labor news., 1934-12-06
Mixing Of Education
And Propaganda
Described In Report

kind
ergarten to university, the power trust
has tried to bend the twig" of youth
full minds so that they may grow up
thinking what it wants. 1t isn't the
only group of profit-making interests
that does this, but its efforts have re-
|ceived the most attention since the Fed
eral Trade Commission began its in
vestigation.
A special section of the Commissions
final report on the propaganda acti-
vities of the electric power and gas in
dustries has just been transmitted to
the Senate, entitled Educators and
Schools" 1t tells how text books have
been written or revised to put across
power trust ideas; how college prof
essors and teachers have been bribed
and influenced, and many directly I'm
ployed by the utilities; and how en-
dowments to- colleges have been used
to influence the teaching in them.
"The campaign for molding the
thought Of the youth Of the nation in
to harmony with the program Of the
privately-owned utilities was not the
work of any over-zealous utility execu-
tive" says the F. T. c. report, but
appeared to be the elimination Of a
definitely thought out and advocated
plan for nationwide activity~~-and
was regularly considered at the nat
ional conventions OF the Natl. Electric
Light Assn. and the American Gas
Assn" 1t lists expenditures of $1,3l2,-
264 for this particular phase of the
power trusts propaganda activities.
Samuel Insult, now fallen from grace,
is mentioned as one Of the original and
leading utility enthusiasts for "a cam
paign OF education in the colleges and
other institutions of learning" as he
put it. Owen D. Young OF General
Electric, M. S. Sloan of the Brooklyn
Edison Co., Henry L. Doherty Of Cities
Service Co., and H. c. Abel of the
Electric Bond & Share Co. are also
listed among the power magnates who
have played a leading part in this
educational" work.
Harvard and Princeton are among
the colleges that have been paid to in
~culcate power trust ideas. Prof. DON
aid K. Davis Of the Graduate School
of Business Administration at Harvard
is quoted as telling a N. F. L. A. con-
vention "The Harvard Business School
very gladly and very happily accepts
its foster parentage." The N. E. L. A.
had been paying $4,000 a year to this
school and was preparing to pay $780,
600 a year.
Princeton university got a gift OF
$4,000 from the Public Service & Elec-
trio & Gas Co. of New Jersey. North
western University drew a total Of
$62,5 500 from July 1925 to February
1923 from the N. f. l. A. In return,
Dean Ralph E. Holman of North
Westerns School of Commerce deliver
ed many addresses under utility auspi-
ces and was suggested as a proper per-
son to cooperate with CHM & Co. on
school text book revisions.
In the University of Colorado the
power interests had a fellowship es-
tablished and filled by Hubert P. Vol
fe. His job included surveying all high
school textbooks in the state and as
sisting in compiling correspondence
course lessons in public utility econ
omics. Wolfe's relations with the pow
err interests who paid half the cost of
his fellowship are indicated by the fol-
lowing letter from the utilities publicity
representative, George f. Lewis:
my dear Hub You will recall that
a short time ago l assured you that
Santa Claus might be prevailed upon
to visit your squalid hut. That | sue
ceeded in convincing the old boy is
evidenced by the check herewith. This
check is in accordance with the ar
arrangements mentioned sometime ago
for stopping up your income a btu
By the way, tell me again what your
salary is at the university so I can
make proper arrangements for the fu-
ture."
The surveying and revising of text
books took on wide proportions, ac-
cording to the report. "In addition tc
new books prepared for schools" il
says, books already published were
rewritten by their authors with the
assistance of men from the utility in
dustry. Publishers permitted represent
tatives of the industry to examine the
manuscripts of books before printing
and served the industry by suggesting
to the authors that such changes be
made as were recommended by the
utility men,"