Evening star., 1937-05-11

Is Always
Dangerous
The Survival of Ma
tions Depends Upon
Their Intelligence.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

THERE is nothing pretty about ig-
norance in whatever form it
shows itself. 1t is always dangerous.
The human race, always alive to its
own safety. recognized this early and
cultivated a set Of teachers. These
teachers taught old and young alike
to protect society from the mistakes
OF ignorance as we'll as to protect the
younger generation. No community
is any safer than its intelligence level
implies. We cannot rear a generation
of ignorant people and hope to have
an intelligent citizenry. The survival
OF any nation must depend upon the
intelligence of its people.
In this country, that boasts of its
educational opportunities-and they
are the best in the world-there is a
whole generation of youth loose. with
out goals, without definite routine in
their daily lives to keep them growing
in health and intelligence. We are
blindly going forward, or back
whichever term you use-toward con-
fusion and unrest and dissatisfaction
among the citizenry. We are rearing
that citizenry now.
We hurry children through school.
If they are bright We skip along
rapidly. They get out Of high school
at an early age, even below the age
that is set as safe for work Some
leave elementary schools as graduates;
some leave before that stage; others
graduate from high schools. Few of
the great group who are not going
to college have any definite idea.
They gather on the streets Who
cares?
What am I to do with my girl?"
asked father his voice shaking with
fear and anxiety She is very
bright She entered high school at
II. Algebra was hard for her then,
so she could not do it and the teacher
told her to change to the commercial
course. She graduated at 16. She
knows now she should not have had
commercial, but a general, course
She can do algebra now. But she is
graduated. She cannot go back Who
wants stenographer Is years old?
Where Is she to 60? have no money
to pay for schools. I can keep her,
but that is all. Where is she to go?"
talked to boy in Western town
He was standing at the door of
hotel, doing nothing, interested in
nothing. Il got working papers when
got in 6-B. I was Is, so I could.
had job with my cousin I left
because he said I wasn't any good.
I can't get job. I don't know any,
thing to work at, see? I just stand
round
All sorts of children are in the out
of-school groups. They range from
those who we're eased out Of school
because they could make no progress
to college graduates. They are loose
and their days have no meaning for
them. They are going about listlessly,
bewildered and stunned, or they are
going about shouting aloud their
grievances, their uneasiness and dis
comfort. Who cares? Only their
fathers and mothers, who reared them
with such high hope and with such
faith in the future of this country.
We seem to be swathed in terrible
ignorance that envelopes all of us
so that we don't realize the necessity
for action. These footloose, aimless,
helpless children from coast to coast,
from North to South, need education
for usefulness today. Their helpless
ignorance of any useful work, their
Lack OF opportunity TO gain such knowl-
edge, our utter stupidity in allowing
them to drift are going to end In
trouble for all concerned.
Who cares? Surely teachers care,
parents care, communities care.
Copyright. 1879