Evening star., 1936-02-24
|STUDEBAKER PUTS
FAITH IN TEACHERS
Commissioner of Education
Says They Will Not Be
propaganda Carriers"

1oJ tltc <AooONiotCd ASoos
ST. LOUIS, February 24.AJohn
Ward Studebaker, United States COM
missioner Of education, addressing
the convention Of the department Of
superintendence Of the National Edu-
cation Association, today declared
teachers would not become carriers
Of propaganda"
"It may as well be known first as
last" he asserted. that the teaching
profession of America Is not to be
bribed by appropriations or frightened
by attacks, into acting as carriers Of
propaganda for any faction. vested
interest. political party or pressure
group"
Studebaker was the third leading
educator at the convention to strike
out against attempts to use schools as
propaganda TOOLS"
Pressure Is Protested.
Right and left wing pressure was
protested by DR.. Glenn Frank, presi-
dent of the University of Wisconsin.
in addressing the opening session.
Those on the right" DR.. Frank
said, want the schools to become
agencies for their particular con-
servative concept of the traditional
social order; those on the left want
them to become agencies Of propa-
ganda for their particular brand Of
new social order based upon some
measure of collectiviSm.
Opposes Both Groups.
II am against both these groups.
The schools will cease to be social
institutions If either gains control.
Until recently, few. If any, Ameri-
cans could be found who did not
think the enslavement of the schools
to a formula was utterly dangerous.
Lately, however, from the widely
separated quarters of the right and
the left have arisen Americans who
demand that the schools be made
agents of propaganda"
Meanwhile, Prof. George S. Counts
Of Columbia University assailed the
American Liberty League, the Daugh-
ters of the American Revolution and
several national figures as "subver-
sive agents" against freedom OF
thought and expression.
Counts, who addressed the John
Dewey Association for the Study of
Education and Culture, denounced AL
Smith, William Randolph Hearst,
Father Coughlin and Frank N Bel
grano, former commander of the
American legion.
Faith Declared Broken.
when Alfred E. Smith joined
hands with Hearst and Raskob and
the Du Pont dynasty Counts as
serted, che broke faith with the
schools and with the inarticulate
masses of the people out of which
he came. He became the arch enemy
of true education and of all forces
working for finer life for the COM
mon man.
Like Hearst, Belgrano, the D. A. r.
and other subversive agents, the Amer
ican Liberty League characterizes all
those who believe in the real liberties
set forth in the Declaration Of Inde-
pendence as reds Bolsheviks or
Communists"
Counts asserted Father Coughlin
shifts position necessarily and ap-
parently is ready to follow the lead of
Hearst in 'red-baiting' activities"
American public school teachers
were urged to IDEAL boldly and firmly"
with controversial topics in the teach
ing of social studies in a special report.
The report, giving results Of four
year study to refute claims that con-
troversial social and economic prob
lens should not be discussed in the
class room, was prepared by COM
mission headed by C. B. Glenn, super
intendent of schools at Birmingham.
Ala.
Tomorrow it will be presented by
DR.. Charles A. Beard, historian, for
adoption by 10000 educators here.
Favor Free Teaching.
The report, most significant sum-
nation of the views of liberal educa-
tional leaders favoring free teaching
of conflicting social, economic and
governmental theories, advises in
structors to steer course between
the extremes of dogmatic indoctrina-
ton and the indifference of absolute
neutrality.
The study acknowledged that the
teaching profession contains repre-
sentatives of the extreme right and
left" but ridiculed the idea that the
profession as a whole would ever de-
sire to instill any one political or
economic philosophy in pupils.
"A million men and women. widely |
distributed over the country" it said,
"and possessing the most diverse back
grounds and outlooks. could ever be !
persuaded to formulate and admin !
lister program of severe indoctrina-
ton"
Political Control, Threat.
Perhaps the greatest threat to ed
ucation in the world today" the re-
port continued, "is the establishment |
of narrow political control over the
schools and the severe regimentation
Va V11C A141No VA q WAA0AV EVllC1
of children"
1.-THE great need" it concluded, "is
for a school program Tin the social
studies) that will deal boldly and |
firmly with the problems of the age,
neither giving way to hysteria on the
one hand, nor clinging blindly to ira
dition on the other. but proceeding
steadily and with confidence toward |
the realization of the ideals Of Ameri-
can democracy under the conditions
Of industrial civilization.
"The best guarantee Of this solu-
ton of the problem lies in the devel-
opment of the power and the prestige.
the general competence and sense of
social responsibility of the educational
profession"
AHEph FEAST TnMICuT