Milford chronicle., 1939-04-21
SEN. PAUL RINARD
GIVES VIEWS ON
ADULT EDUCATION
,vonrinusd from Frs, Page,

were being eduacted into citizen
ship. Moreover, immigration had s.
restricted the latter class that it wa
decidedly on the wane. Therefort
these progressive individuals il
charge of adult education looket
around for other fields in which Il
expand and to perpetuate their jobs
and adult education very shOrtl!
became adulterated education. AL
kinds of new courses were initiated
and all the forces of the propagan
dists hired by the various civic ant
State educational bureaus began Il
function in persuading the public
that adult education should EN-.
brace every possible activity that
any group of individuals felt inclin-
our secondary education budget II
might be interesting for the general
public and the taxpayers to know
that under the guise of adult edu-
cation everything has been taught in
this State from the basic essentials
such as reading and writing to
courses in clay modelling and bad
minton. One has only TO tour the
State at night to find every high
school lighted up almost from end
to end until eleven O'Clock by peO-
ple taking these courses. Glasses in
folk dancing. square dancing. indiv-
ldnal dancing. ballroom dancing, clay
modelling, dramatics. choral singing,
art appreciation. music appreciation,
current events, economics, modern
languages, commercial courses. man
ual training, shop work in all the
crafts and a multitude of other
things have been undertaken. In
fact, upon the petition of any ten
Interested people any course, If an
Instructor can he secured, will h"
taught This means that If yOu can
nersuade nine friends To sign pc
titiOn for a course in almost anV-
thing. let MS say, navigation. astrOn- |
omy or Egyptian Mythology, 1t |
would he possible for you to have |
course if an instructor could he oh |
tanned and money were available.
AS a result of this the schools
have become not educational centers
hut almost entirely social and recre-
ational centers for the pursuit Of
fads and hobbies. These courses un-
fortunately do not in a majority OF
cases include poor and illiterale
peOple hut on the contrary take IN
the very best people of the cOmmnn-
ity, all of whom are well able 10
nav tuition fee for the privilege
of pursuing such recreatiOnal actlv-
tiles. In fact they have become such
social events that the poor and des-
titAue would feel somewhat abashed !
and III at ease to enroll in such |
courses because the social and eco
nomic standing of the majority 81
people taking the courses would oV-
crave them to such an extent that
ihey would feel embarrassed i'll their
presence.
There are still perhaps some COM
lnunities. particularly in the city OF
Wilmington, among our colored iolk
where there is a need for adult ed
ucation and there is still a need Tor
AmericaniZatiOn courses in some oil
those districts where there is a heavy
of foreign born people. |
The Legislature in considering /
This nroblem did not mean that the
schools of the State should not De I
used for recreational centers and
for community projects. but il did {
decidedly feel that those who were q
we'll able to pay small tuition lee .
shOuld he forced to do so and taat ,
admit education in it's unadulterated =,
form should still be given TO those 4
neOnle who feel need for il ana ,
" no are unable TO pay for II. EVE I
dence was presented to show that /
great majority of the many people q
taking mart in adult education were r.
we'll able to afford TO pay from live I.
IN ten dollars a year for the courses =.
hat they wished. The objection was =
raised by the adult educators that .
by drawing a line between those who u
were able to pay and those who were .
not that it would set up such So =
.ial distinction that many OF the q
poOr would he unwilling to admit II
hat they were unable to pay ana p
Holld therefore through embarrass- :
nent and pride decline to take part. n
10 this speciOus argument | merely Il
answer that the same principle l.
would prevent thousands of people +
rom asking for relief and aid from -.
,ocial welfare agencies which frank II
V onerate under the banner OF char u
ty. may also add that those pro- I,
lOnents of adult education are the q,
cry people who hold themselves O.
orth as the leading lights in social +.
Welfare and charitable work. 1t IS o.
lard TO reconcile their blowing hot n
md cold on this subject in the same :,
reath. 8,
It has been stated that there are m
! 900 people taking adult education
n the State. If this be true and only q,
900 of them are able to pay. let us nj
ay $1,000 year, for the privilege OF
dult education, there could be rails
d in this manner $4,000 which is
ar beyond the amount that the Leg
stature withdrew from the adult
ducatiOn budget.
The truth of the matter is that
here is not nearly the number Oh
eOple taking adult education that
8 advocates state. Glasses are Or
anized but only a small percentage A