The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-04-27
COMMENT ON WORLD
EVENTS

lot with the higher education of those
who were headed toward it; but it has
been the means of teaching at least
100000 Americans to read and write
One of the first things that Federal
relief meant when it came in 1886
after averting the sheer starvation,
was a chance to learn to read.
The Works Progress Administration
has been the main agent in this, as in
most benefits to the very poor; and
DR.. L. r. Alderman, director of edu-
cation for WPA, has headed reform
of something which has been serious
obstacle to getting a late education.
"That," says DR.. Alderman, "is the
chagrin and elf-consciousness suffered
by full grown men and women when
they are obliged to pore over absurd
little stories written for six-year-old
children. 1t takes much fortitude for a
backwords grandfather to stand be-
fore a roomful of his neighbors and
laboriously relate the adventures of
the little red hen"
Grown up subjects have been put
in simple words; and are proving en-
ormous encouragement. Considering
that we have at least 100000 per-
sons over 10 years of age who can get
no information out of printed sheet,
this looks like a fairly important de-
velopment.
Many people wondered why Presi-
dent Roosevelt in asking whether
Hitler and Mussolini meant to attack
certain countries, mentioned Luxem-
bourg Luxembourg is smaller even
than Rhode Island, has less than 300,-
600 inhabitants, looks like small po-
tatoes. But-in 1887, it was the
seventh country in the production of
pig iron; 2,512,OO0 tons; more than
Japan, three times as large tonnage
as Italy. Germany overran LuXem-
bourg without resistance in the World
War; and could do it now.
X X X
A pictorial statement of the work
of the International Solidarity Fund,
setting forth the details of the mag
nifcent efforts of the trade union and
labor movement to assist the Spanish
people, has just been published.
1t is shown that the European la
Dor movement, between July, 1886
and December, 1888, raised approx
mately G500,00O through the Inter-
national Solidarity Fund alone. This
total does not include aid given
through other channels than those of
the International Solidarity Fund, by
trade union and other labor organiza-
special services as they have organized
and financed directly to provide for
Spanish refugee children, expectant
Spanish mothers and aged folk, as
we'll as direct consignments of milk,
food, clothing, medical supplies, and
other relief activities.
The latest phase of the problem is
that the labor movement has had to
accept responsibility for over three
hundred Spanish seamen who have
been living on Spanish boats in British
ports which have now been handed
over to the Franco government. These
Spanish workers cannot safely return
to Spain, and pending arrangements
for their future the International Soil
darity Fund has accepted financial re-
sponsibility for their maintenance.
-PICNIC CASTING CONTEST
SHOWS SUCCESS OF EFFORT
Washington, d. c. GLNS).-"De-
casulization" is a formidable word.
But what it means is getting rid Of
odd and casual jobs; and WPA re-
port on what has been done on that
in one line of work is decidedly inter
esting.
The West Coast longshoremen's
strike of 1884 was settled by an Tbi-
tration board appointed by President
Roosevelt. One feature of the award
was hiring hall, controlled and OPP
Grated by bipartisan labor relations
COMMITTEES; the union receiving the
right to appoint the hiring hall off
GERS who assign men to the jobs.
During 1897, the report states, the
weekly earnings of longshoremen in
San Francisco averaged $3.50. And
the work was rotated so we'll that the
intermittency of jobs for the regular
workers was greatly lessened. Ira
ditionally, the report says, a large
part of the labor force has been de
pendent on work that was too inter
mittent to provide an adequate income.
---FREE BOXING RoUTs---------
Don't forget to bring cup to the
Picnic for excellent coffee with plenty
of rich cream.
ON THE HUNT FOR
TTIRERCIHOSIS