Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-03-20
NEWS M
BEHIND
News
BY Pau.
MaIIon

WASHINGTON, March 20
W The progressive educators
are trying to turn off the evil
dence of what they have done
TO American youth--evidence on
the front pages of the news
papers daily IN juvenile delin-.
quency developments - as the
inaccurate criticism of an igno-
rant columniSt.
y They are writing letters 10
the papers along that line issu-
ing interviews TO some teachers
publications.
Contrariwise, teachers IN a
large number of schools have
Stealthily thumbtacked my col
umnS 10 their bulletin boards
with Hhderseorings and amens
mySteriously penciled in.
Teachers and P-TA magazines
have been reprinting the col
umnS. School boards are writ
ing in for more and back copies.
Educators are requesting them
by the hundreds for distribution
(requests l cannot fulfill.
4 ND the mail from college
pr SSorS. principals.
SchoolboardSmen and teachers
has piled in daily for the past
month with detailed examples
Of the sorry condition of Amer
lean education, saying much
worse things about it than !
have related.
All said was we are raising
a nation of half-wits. The evil
dence indicated ! over-estimated
the fraction by possibly so per
cent.
Now here is a disclosed strug-
gle between educators of which
the public is not generally
aware.
On top in many towns APP
parently are the Columbia
Teachers College groups preach
ing their take it easy, chill
dren' methods, don't work too
hard. I'VE will make educa-
ton interesting for you
On THE other hand, are the
" great bulk of the teachers
of the country, sick at heart at
the results of this lax system.
diSillusioned. frightened at the
big education trust hanging
over them. They write; DO not
use my name"
They send me clippings show
ing what the big trust is say
ing about me, and add such
notes as:
This sO-called education il
political hack foisted off on
Hs by the local political ma
chine"
What TO do? For the first
thing, let every one know that
the campaign of the progressive
educators is false.
CRITICISM of the educational
system ~as-het- eoncocted
by "a columniSt." 1t existed.
and a columnist discovered 1t
for the general public, not for
those of the teaching profession
who have long participated in
the struggle to correct the laxi-
ties which have PITT pupiis be-
. yond their reach with either
learning or discipline. This side
tracking of the issue is COM
mon political trick.
The Tins" always attempt to
hold their jobs by pretending all
is well. that any one who dares
suggest otherwise is unworthy
of notice.
In this case Il cannot deceive
any one. The fact that there
has been a breakdown in our
standards Of education and in
discipline generally is too. obvi-
Gus to all parents
IF THE progressives attempt
Il TO maintain themselves by
this method, they eventually
must lose their skins. A wiser
technique for them would be TO
say:
Let's look into the problem:
let's see what corrections can be
made"
In the second place, I shall
write one more column contain
ing more evidence Of the break
down in educational standards
evidence obtained only from
educators. It will be published
tomorrow.
But what else? I think there
should be a congressional inves-
tigation of the situation. A COM
plete Job being too vast for a
columnar undertaking (my pri-
mary interest is juvenile delin-
quency of which education is
only one phase), il must be done
by authorities empowered TO
drive the Gideon planiShers out
of teaching leadership.
THE danger of a congressional
it,NagttuatiC, &c that - to-