Evening star., 1936-08-25

Clllllldl W tllOoC ChdSVCo Wy SOAASA SAOoo
and in Massachusetts,, have been intro
duced in the Legislatures, and in sew
eral other States they have been
passed.
Gov. Landon struck with blunt di-
rectness against all legislative pro-
posals of this sort. Further, he de-
clared against all species of control Of
education by the Federal Government.
In Kansas" he said. I'VE believe
that our schools-public, parochial
and private-must be kept free from
all control by the Federal Govern
ment.
In Kansas, we insist that no
teacher should be required to take
any oath not required Of all other
citizens.
II believe that a teacher has a
right to the same freedom Of speech
in expressing his political, social or
religious convictions as any other
citizen. And I believe that a teacher
has the same right to work for ac-
complishment of his political and So
social ideals as any other citizen.
Why should we make teaching into
a suspect profession. by making our
teachers take special oath?"
Asked Complete Freedom.
This, Gov. Landon made clear, he
regards as just one of the many in
fringements by Government bureau
cracy, which are endangering indi-
vidual liberty and democracy every
where in the world. He did not hold
the national administration response
BILE for the teachers oath" law, but
in his demand for complete freedom
of educational institutions from Fed
eral control he may have had in mind
Mr.. Roosevelt's National Youth Ad-
ministration, which has been branded
wedge toward such Federal control.
Mr.. Landon vigorously asSailed the
propaganda methods of the admins
tration. Declaring that the danger
of Government propaganda Is more
serious than the danger of our teach
ers becoming propagandists." he said:
1T concerns widespread use Of the
machinery of the Federal Government
to maintain the present administra-
ton in power and to bring into ques-
ton the faith Ct the people in their
way Of life and in their form Of gov
ernment.
When money is forcibly taken by
the Government from citizens and
used to tear down those things most
precious to our people, We see propa-
ganda in its most shabby form.
I'VE should not overlook the fact
that today, both at home and abroad,
men are striving for power through
leadership of the mob. Because of this.
believe that our educators should
make a more than normal effort to
see that our youth Is given a back
ground of our heritage and tradition
a fundamental understanding of the
form and the philosophy of our Gov
ernment.
IF this is done, we need have no
fear of allowing our youth to study any
and all systems of government to which
their curiosity leads them. Only
through ignorance or bigotry can we be
destroyed"
"Communism" Not Excluded.
Clearly the latter declaration ex-
pressed Gov. Landon's belief that not
even communism" should be ex-
cluded as q subject for study In the
public schools, but at another point
he said:
This does not mean that q teacher
should use a class room to put forward
his own pet views and theories. II
he does, he is no longer q teacher; he
is a propagandist. Our schools must
always be institutions where views are
expressed free of the personal preju-
dices of the teachers. Upon this I
am, I believe, in complete agreement
with the opinions expressed in resolu-
tions by the teachers themselves
through their own associations"
Gov. Landon inferentially answered
the criticisms that have been made Of
his administration for cutting the pay
of school teachers during the depres-
sion when he declared that my own
State devotes more than 40 per cent
of each tax dollar to the support Of
its schools. and other communities and
States act with corresponding liber-
atty"
All through the speech were sprin-
kled the same doctrines OF individual
initiative and local self-government
which have featured all Of his utter
ances. In this case. his promise was
that education is the best insurance
that can be taken out for q democracy"
but to be effective 1t must be q free
and untrammeled education, locally
applied.
"Our educational system has not
been thing apart from that restless
search of the American people for ways
of doing new things, and Of doing old
things better.
Letting every man have his say Is
the constitutional method Of solving
our problems"
tecpyrisht 1885, By the Noftn Americas
Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)