Evening star., 1936-08-03

Of the existing order, individualism.
OF the proposed order, socialism, he
must ignore the faults and emphasize
the presumed virtues.
Once the public learns this Is going
on. what will be the attitude toward
it? Are not the local taxpayers who
support public schools throughout the
country justified in inquiring into the
teaching? The taxpayers must lack
spirit and energy If they allow them
selves and their communities and the
country to be reshaped according to
the ideas of small number of teach
ers who in many cases do not an
nounce their purpose. In this situa-
ton there would seem to be a duty
for local newspapers to perform.
In the past, in other countries, other
professions have attempted to DOM
mate society. At various periods in
history the clerical profession has
been successful; at other times the
military profession. The American
tradition always has been watchful Of
both of these. We have always kept
the church and the military subordi-
nate to the state. Must America now
look upon the teaching profession as
another which carries the danger Of
ambition to be master of the state
instead Of its servant?
When teachers undertake to bring
about new form Of society, it is
natural that they, like the clergy and
the military, should dream Of a society
and government suggested by their
own temperaments and their own
experience of life. Instinctively they
dream a society organized like a class
room. They visualize a society in
which those who compose government
shall have an authority over the citi-
zen comparable to that which the
teacher has over his pupils. AccuS-
toned to dealing with youths, unused
to questioning by mature minds, they
dream of society in which dog
matte fiat has the force of law, and
dissent is treated as direspect to au-
thority. They dream an "authori-
tartan state" 1t is significant that
the word discipline" recurs so fire.
quently in Prof. Tugwell's descriptions
of his ideal of government. Inci-
dentally. Prof. Tugwell and other New
Deal officials are closely associated
with the educators who are promot-
ing the new order in the schools)
A society dominated by teachers
would be as inconsistent with freedom
as one dominated by the clergy or
the military. In all three cases the
society would reflect the temperament
and experiences of the dominating
caste.
A young person who takes to teach
ing commonly makes his lifetime de-
cision when he comes to the end OF
his four years of college Accustomed
to the ordered life of the campus, to
a routine which moves gently in re-
sponse to the college bell-he now
looks out upon the world of COM
petitive work and finds the prospect |
harsh to his spirit. He decides not |
TO venture into it. Burying his face |
in the breast of alma mater, he refuses !
to be weaned. His hands take hold /
like limpets on the college walls. the /
tendrils of his spirit twine themselves
about the trunks of the elms.
Such men. in the careers they follow !
as teachers, are the salt of the earth. /
Their work is Of inestimable value TO
society. Hardly any class of men is
so universally deserving of esteem. and
in the American tradition no class
receives higher honor. But when men
Of this temperament and experience
turn to give thought to the world out
side the college campus when they
undertake to reorganize society, it is
little wonder if they dream Of whole /
nation organized as the college
campus is organized, life moving to
the signal of bells along carefully /
graveled paths. with every one in the |
community, both teachers and STU
dents, divided into classes and each .
doing the work laid down for him
by q faculty Of planners.
(copyright 1880