Evening star., 1941-09-14
Emergency
Shakes Up
Education
Schools Must Meet
Attacks by Foes
Of Free Schools
By BELMONT FARLEY

OftimeS citizens are not sensitive
to the effects of the national emer-
gency on the American schools.
1t is not so easy to see the changes
which unusual conditions bring
about in the administration, orga-
nization and teaching of these in
stitutionS attended every day by
30,00000O youth. who constitute
nearly fourth Of the entire popu-
real. and profoundly significant
in the long run, more significant
than the hurried adaptations now
being made in industry, commerce
and transportation.
Some results of the emergency on
our schools are easy to see and ap-
praise. Industrial expansion is not
marked by increasing chimneys and
assembly lines alone. Skilled work.
men are required at the new wheels.
During the last school year the
schools trained 1,250,000 workers for
defense industries. These workers
were prepared for TOO occupations
in "A kinds of manufacturing re-
lated to war needs. This large
number of trainees was in addition
to the number turned out in normal
times. 1t was 20 times the $1,000
workers trained in II months for
similar occupations in the World
War I.
The schools are better equipped
Vocationally than they were in 1917
l8. Their record in some other lines
elicits less praise. Seventy-siX per
cent of the Negro selectees and IL
per cent of the white selecteeS in
large training camp near the Ma
tons Capital are reported for prac-
ticaI purposes illiterate. These men
were drawn before the national Sc
lective Service officials issued orders
TO local boards to give deferred claS-
sification to men who had not
achieved reading ability at the
fourth grade level. The modern
soldier is called upon for certain
skills of the good mechanic. He
may have to assemble a machine
gun or repair a tank from printed
diagrams. The hopelessness of Great
ing a panZer army out of men who
can't even read with understanding
the direction signs about camp is
evident to anybody. If schools can
not prepare men to take orders
effectively in time of war. there is
little to hope from their training for
self directive citizenship in time OF
peace.
Federal Aid Needed.
Most of the illiterateS in the camp
referred to come from states where
Federal financial aid to local schools
is imperative if adequate education
al opportunity is ever offered. The
organized teachers will throughout
the year and the years ahead con-
tinue. as they have in the past, to
urge congressional legislation which
will give every American child a
chance to prepare for his best
service to country, either as SOL
dier or a civilian. The National
Education Association for that pur-
pose is sponsoring S. 1913, bill now
before the United States Senate.
Teachers. whose average income
Is below that of skilled workers, have
already felt the pinch of higher
living costs. Many of them are
leaving their profession to accept
defense jobs. Acute shortages OF
teachers are already reported from
States and regions where the teach
er income is habitually below av-
erage. The teaching personnel,
even in the more prosperous and
progressive areas, will soon be af-
fected as they were in World War
I when schools often secured full
complement of teachers with the
greatest difficulty.
Attention of citizens now is focus
ed upon the need of unity and loyal
ty throughout the Nation. People are
particularly sensitive to what news
papers and radio and schools are
saying and doing: for these educa-
tive institutions not only reflect the
thinking of the public, in impor-
tant ways they determine it. A sur
vey of the motives which impel
those who are attacking the schools
today would be an interesting study
in psychology. Some of them are
victims of psychoses: others are
moved by selfish interest and OBJ
jectives quite different from those
they advance. Numbers of them
are seeking to have the spotlight
fnrOuyfN fI1nY,ocn1pnc
Tors of the country" Still others
are sincere and well meaning All
of them may be and frequently are
great nuisances. Even those whose
intentions are good often adopt pro-
cedures which could never result
otherwise than in defeat of their
own purposes.
Committee Set Up.
To protect the American schools
from curtailed opportunity and de-
creased financial support due to
competition for funds on the part
of other national needs, to guar
antee reasonably good schooling to
all children, and to protect schools
from the designs of those who, for
ENDS OF their own, oppose free edu-
cation, the National Education As
sociation has created a Commission
for the Defense of Democracy
Through Education.
This new agency, comparable to
the N. E. A. Commission on the
Emergency in Education maintain
ed by the N. E. A. in 1917-1919, will
protect education and teachers
against the attacks of individuals
or groups who are trying to weaken
the American school as corner
ssEnne of self government.
II primary purpose will be to
strengthen the school as a training
ground of democracy. Toward the
achievement of that objective the
Educational Policies Commission of
the National Education Association
has also been engaged for more
than five years. Recently the latter