Evening star., 1939-05-07
False Liberalism
In Education Hit
As Council Ends

HS VVuIIIII lIIVy
Leading Practitioners
Distort End and Means,
Says Adler in Speech
Liberal arts education had the
last word as the 22nd meeting Of
the American Council on Educa-
ton closed at the Mayflower Hotel
yesterday.
The group adjourned on high
ly critical note as Mortimer j.
Adler of the University of Chicago
and a lecturer at St. Johns College
at Annapolis painted a gloomy pic
ture of American education today
as permeated with false liberal
ism" on the part of educators and
propaganda filling school systems.
An earlier panel discussion had been
critical of classical education.
Education as it exists in the
country today" he declared, has
been distorted by some of its lead
ing practitioners in almost the same
way that it is misused in the
totalitarian countries"
Mr.. Adler said he was thinking
primarily of our schools and COL
leges which perform the function
of general education and not uni
versities and professional schools"
"Training Camp" Tactics.
Not only the end of liberal educa-
ton has been forgotten or mis-
taken, he continued, but the means
have been corrupted and de-
formed" He cited efforts of educa-
tors to make school and college a
training camp for citizenship" even
TO insisting that the organization
and administration of the school
be a miniature democracy.
THUS curriculum turns into q
scheme of indoctrination." he as
serted.
Such organizations are operating
In most of the Montgomery County
Md high schools. Notified of Mr..
Adlers criticism of this set-up, DR..
Edwin w. Broome, superintendent
Of county schools, asked:
How does he expect the children
to learn about the Government un-
der which they live? What does he
expect them to do? Live in vacuum
until they are grown up?"
Mr.. Adler complained that large
numbers of high school graduates
can neither read nor write ade-
Quately.
And the liberal arts colleges fail
On their level as badly, If not worse"
he said, than the high schools do
on theirs. The bachelor of arts
degree as awarded today involves a
travesty on the liberal arts from
which the degree has taken its
name"
1O0-BoOk Curriculum Praised.
He praised St. Johns College as
the only college in the country
making a proportionate effort to
adapt and devise means to achieve
the ends of liberal education. The
college curriculum is based on a
study of 100 best books" Of all
time.
Daniel A. Prescott, of Rutgers
University, also spoke on the tlnal
program and declared the personnel
department to be the most signifl-
cant one in any high school or
college He urged that time be taken
to study student personnel very
carefully, thoughtfully and sympa-
thetically.
I'VE need to know their worries,
their aspirations, their half-formed
plans" he said. The curriculum must
be related to the problems in their
minds, he said.
Earlier in the day DR.. George
r. Zook, former United States COM
missioner of education, was re-
elected president Of the council.
Other officers chosen were Mark
A. May, director of the Institute of
Human Relations at Yale Univer-
sity, chairman; Walter C. Weidler,
dean of the Ohio State University
School of Commerce and Admins
tration, and the Rev. Edward B.
Rooney, director of the Nations S
Jesuit schools, vice chairmen;
Ernest Melby, dean Of the North
western University School of Edu-
cation, secretary, and Corcoran
Thorn, Washington banker, treas
urer.
Named to the Executive Commit
tee were H. L. Donovan of Rich
mond, KY, president Of the Eastern
Kentucky State Teachers College,
and Herbert E. Hawkes., dean Of
Columbia College at Columbia Uni
versity.
A. J. Klein, dean of education at
Ohio State University, was elected
10 the Problems and Plans Commit
tee along with Alonzo Grace, Con-
necticut commissioner of educa-
ton; Frank P. Graham, president
Of the University of North Carolina,
and Ralph w. Tyler, head Of the
department Of education at the
University of Chicago.