Evening star., 1934-03-02
TEACHING FAILURE
Of CAPITAL URGED
Columbia Professor Says
Students Must Be Given
New Theory.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CLEVELAND, March "A declara-
tion that "the rising generation
should be told the system Of private
capitalism has been shown to be bank
rupt" was placed before the Progress
sive Education Association Conference
today.
1t was made by Prof. George S.
Counts of Teachers College, Columbia
University, a member of the Com
mission of the American Historical
Association on the teaching Of the
social sciences.
1.-The teachers Of the country are
under obligation" he said, ito tell the
rising generation this fact. The new
society, in its basic structure. is al
ready here. The only question to be
debated pertains to the interests to be
considered and served.
I'm view of the great tradition Of
American democracy, there can be
only one answer to this question-the
new collective economy must be ad-
ministered in the interests of the
great masses who do the work OF the
country"
Denies Being Radical.
The Progressive Education ASSocia-
ton began its convention after the
NaUicnas Education Associations de-
partment of superintendence ended its
session yesterday.
In describing the nature Of the
progressive group, w. w. Beatty of
Bronxville, N. Y, denied his group is
radical"
He declared 1--WE merely want to
teach the TRUTH" adding that con-
f1ict between the "old school" and the
new school, in education develops
"because many American teachers
lack the courage to teach controver-
sial subjects, and some are determined
to restrain u.s."
Beale Is Heard.
A blast Of ungloved criticism of
those forces which, he said, attempt
to inhibit the freedom Of instruction
in American public schools was is
sued last night by Howard K. Beale
Of the American Historical Society,
washington, D. c.
Speaking before the Progressive
Education Conference, Beale arraigned
in turn organizations such as the
Daughters of the American Revolution
and the American Legion, "big busi-
ness" the Women's Christian Temper
ance Union, the American Bar Asso-
citation, the newspapers and union
labor.
The schools, he told his audience,
are "a great bulwark Of the status
quo" controlled by numerous forces
from within and without, adding:
"Those same forces, at present a
little chastened, are still powerful and
merely waiting better times to bend
the schools once more to their pur-
poses"
"Outside Pressure"
He continued: "Sr William Berke-
ley, thanking God in the 1670's that
there are no free Schools De Bow
pleading in southern commercial con-
Ventions of the 1850's for schools,
teachers and texts that could not
preach aboitionism, and Samuel
insult sending Mulleney out to Or
gan1Ze the Illinois Committee on Pub
lie Utility Information to prevent the
teaching Of 'socialistic' doctrines in
the schools were all playing the same
role"
He described as among the noisest,
though not the most effective, outside
pressures" exerted on the schools the
activities Of the patriotic organiza-
tions-"ancestor-w worshippers like the
Daughters of the American Revolu-
tion, military organizations like the
American Legion, and various other
organizations set up to further pa
triotism' of the 100 per cent variety"
He added: "These groups have sew
eral characteristics in common. They
stand for a common brand Of chau-
Vinism and super nationalism. If
Thomas Jefferson were alive today
and tried in an American school to
interpret the Declaration of 1nde-
pendence in terms Of modern America,
the patriotic organizations would get
him barred as a dangerous radical"
Press is Restraint"
OF the press, he said it is zone
OF the worst restraints upon schools.
It is largely owned or controlled
through advertising by wealthy and
conservative men. Its keenness for
news sometimes overcomes its desire
10 serve its masters. Occasionally,
when thoroughly aroused, public
opinion must have a victim, and the
press turns on Mitchell or an In
sull. But ordinarily 1t 'soft-pedals'
news fundamentally derogatory to the
Sich and the powerful, who conttn-
ually menace freedom In the schools.
The press often leads the attack upon
freedom"
Labor, said the speaker, has inter-
fered on a number of occasions with
curricular matters, and business ex-
ercises control on the schools which
is "the most dangerous because the
most subtle" He condemned the
American Bar Association for accept
ing q report from Committee on Cit
izenship, which made patriotism a
prerequisite to receipt of college
degree.
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