Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-06-05
Problems
With the Children
Issued by the National Kindergar-
ten Association, s West 10th ST.,
New York City
Defense Measures
By FLORENCE JANE OVENS

In most countries education Is ma
tional function in the United States
it is a local privilege. Most commune
ties are very jealous of it and very
resentful of any infringement. This
attitude is reasonable provided that
the responsibility. which always &C
companies any such privilege. is real
lied and fully met. But how much
that includesl
First of all it necessitates a knowl-
edge of educational findings and prac-
tees. We need to know what the best
schools provide and why. Then we must
know what provisions are being made
for our children and whether or not
those are the best that could be made.
The latter is often stumbling block
to the meeting of our responsibility
We say, 1--WE are doing the best we
cam" when what we mean is, I'VE
don't want to spend the money for
anything better" or I'VE can't get our
fellow citizens to spend money for
anything better" But how hard do
we try?
The money we are spending on this
war shows how much we can and will
sacrifice when we are convinced that
we must in order to protect those
things that are of the greatest i'm
portance to us-our honor, our free
dom, our democratic way OF life. We
are not spending 1t for ourselves mere
ly, but for our children and for all
children. Our boys are risking their
lives, not for their own liberty but
for their country's liberty and for those
principles for which their country
stands. The price Is demanded and it
is paid willingly.
But education? Only the best air.
planes we can make, our best bombers,
our best tanks, our best weapons-and
alas, our best boys-are sent to the
front. We are willing to trust our lib
critics, in war, only to the best. But,
again, what about education2 Well,
though our attitude toward 1t Is so
different than normally. the under
lying primary purpose Of education Is
the same as that for which we are
fighting this war-to protect those
things that are Of the greatest i'm
portance to us-our honor, our free
dom, our democratic way of life. Dare
We continue to risk the employment
of any but the best methods, the best
teachers? Just as with regard to war
equipment how relatively unimportant
is the cost!
One Of our most serious mistakes
has been to ignore the educational
value of the impressionable, pregrade
years. These years are our best oppor-
tunity to develop the true American
spirit in the coming generation. It is
done by giving actual experiences In
the democratic way of life, and this
is the function of the home and the
American kindergarten But the aver
age home sadly neglectS it, and we
have provided kindergartens for only
one child in eight, though it has been
proved that the value of these expert
ences is of lifelong duration. Besides
this, only an exceedingly limited num-
Der of our grade schools are Of a really
high order. Some others are fair, some
are poor and some are very poor.
Thousands of them are quite unable
to meet the present day needs of the
boys and girls who attend them.
What shall we do? It Is senseless,
if not barbaric, to sacrifice the lives
Of our finest young men and spend
billions of dollars to destroy an enemy
on the outside and allow another enc
my to destroy us from within. The
methods Of warfare Of the internal
enemy are different but they are no
less deadly to our institutions and
ideals. We should insist on the best
schools obtainable, on the engagement
Of only well-trained teachers who I'M
derstand and are true to the principles
for which we are fighting and who
know how to bring about their high
est development In our children.
Some Of the men We have sent to
Washington realize how far-reachina
will be the results Of today's educa-
tional program. A bill has been intro
duced, known As the educational H.
nance act Of 1942"-S 1913 amended
Its purpose Is to help each state, II.
nancially, to assist communities, ir
proportion to their need, to improve
their schools. That bill should b<
passed. It Is the duty Of each Of u
to make sure that it IS. II We don't
are We worthy Americansf What par
have We In General MacArthur's til.
umphs, II. sitting quietly at home, VI
do nothing to save his little SOM
fellow citizens q tomorrow
No. the passage oe the hin WIN no
hk1mg federal eontTul Of education. An,
int1mataon that Il V1n = prupaeands