Evening star., 1937-12-27
SARM|ENT0 TOPIC
OF RADIO PROGRAM
"LincoIn of Argentina" to Be
Honored on Brave New
World Hour.

World Hour.
This ts the ninth Of a series OF
Ueekly articles concerning the men
and epents pictured IN the broad
casts OF Latin American history,
sponsored BY the Federal Office OF
Education. epery Monday evening
oper the Columbia netDork)
By BRENT DOW ALLINSON.
For re, God. upon whose stesdf'st shoulders
He needed for His purposes q voice.
er,ins the word Of frsedem m to to dead hearts.
The word the centuries had waited for.
30 hidden in the west. God shaped His
There in the unspoiled solitudes he grew.
uny:,55ed rT:,5:d by culture and uner.mDed By
keepins his cours, eour.ssou. and .,on.
His daring spirit burst tbs narrow bounds.
Rose resolute; and like the sea-called
H. tore new channels where he found no
Edwin Markham.
Who was Domingo r. Sarmiento,
that men 30 honor him, and why have
we not heard more about him? The
name rings like some character Of
fiction or grand opera; but in the
ears OF South America, particularly
OF Argentina. 1t resounds with the
sorority Of that Of Abraham Lincoln
One OF the greatest OF American
champions Of democracy and national
unity through education and social
justice. he rose from poverty and
oblivion through tireless effort and
long struggle to become a writer with
q powerful pen. a reformer whom
the oppressors Of his country feared,
a prophet Of education and popular
government, the most famous envoy
Of his government to the people and
Government Of the United States, and,
while at his post in Washington dur
ing Andrew Johnson's administration
the arrived about a month after Lin
coins assassination). the FIRST consti-
tutionally elected President OF Argen-
tina.
If we were less interested in prof.
teering cOmmercialism, in dealing with
our Latin American neighbors. if we
were less eager to exclude their beef
and wheat from our tariff-protected
markets. and more interested in their
great cultural and political achieve
ments-if we cared less for cheap
bananas and more for the future of
this Brave New World of experiment
tai democracy and republican liberty
in the West-we should have honored.
long since. the life and character OF
this great friend Of liberty, democracy
and education-and of the United
States-who combined the enlightened
vision of Jefferson with the physical
energy Of Theodore Roosevelt, whose
self-education began with a reading of
Benjamin Franklin's "autobiogra ply"
and whose heroic struggles against
poverty and tyranny were quickened
by personal friendship with Horace
Mann and inspired by admiration for
Abraham Lincoln-whose own life
story becomes the theme of the ninth
broadcast of the Federal ONCE of Ed
ucation's Brave New World" series. at
1890 pm. tonight, over the Columbia
network.
Grew Up With Country.
Born February Is. 1Sll-just two
years after Lincoln's own birth-in the
remote frontier community Of San
Juan, Argentina. his life conceded
with that Of the southermost repub-
hes tumultous birth and early strug-
giles towards mature unity and
constitutionalism. Shopkeeper. school
teacher, editor. author. reformer baf-
fled by poverty. forced into exile TAT
the age Of 20) beyond the Andes. to
escape in friendly Chill the malevo-
lence of Juan Manuel Rosas ,for Is
years the tyrant-president of Argen-
tina). Saramiento. who never grad
uated from an academic institution
'perhaps for that very reasonD loved
education best of all things" and be-
came by his own effort and character
the greatest educator of his country
men. He was slow bull" Of a man,
formidable person. with strong arms
and brusque eye. darting here and
there. losing nothing. and a heart of
gold. "A statesman able first to dag
nose the ills that afflicted Argentine
society, and then to propose remedies.
and to carry his ideas theoretically
into action" An educator and So
ciologist. turned politician and states
man. "he reasoned dixie Jefferson),
that the greatest enemy to the con-
solidation Of democratic institutions.
and Of liberty, was ignorance, under
the protection Of which the caudillos
'bosses and dictators) had arisen. To
make war against them, he turned to
the schools, making the classroom the
battlefield Of liberty Founding the
first normal schools in Argentina land
the flrst kindergartens. 1880. at Par
ana). he stated them with instructors
whom he called from the United
States From 1870 to 1898, a total of
81 American teachers were imported,
among whom Mrs. Sara Eccleston of
the State Normal School at Winona.
Mimi. became most widely known
when President Sarmiento made her
general inspector and organizer of
kindergartens and training schools in
Argentina.
In my life" wrote Sarmiento Of
himself, 80 destitute. 80 full of oppo-
sition, and yet 50 persevering in as
piration. 1t seems that I can see pic
tured our poor South America. so
agitated in her emptiness. making
supreme efforts to unfold her wings,
lacerating herself at each effort
against the walls of her cage" :.
Il come with my fists crammed with
truth! I will open a way by the
power of my elbow" The sovereign,
l. e.. the people. must be educated"
To which he added The political
schoo1 for South America il in the