The Illinois times. (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-19??, 1951-04-13
BY Miliieent Taylor
Education Editor of The Christian
Science Monitor
Atlantic City

Science Monitor
Atlantic City
Leading educators assembled
here have called on the public
schools TO strengthen their teach
ing through renewed dedication to
moral and spiritual values As
essential to the survival of the
nation"
Conceding that the defense Of
freedom Is in part a problem Of
military strength and strategy. in
part diplomatic foresight and in
genuity, in part economic and in
dustrial organization, they de-
clare, however, that Gin the last
analysis il always have been q
problem in moral and spiritual de
velopment.
Presenting their report to the
American Association of School
Administrators in nth annual
convention here. these 20 top edu-
Gators stressed the need of relig
ions teaching in the public schools
as fundamental To the preservation
of the American heritage
But they were clear about the
principle of the separation of
church and state. Religious teach
ing" does not mean UNCONVENTIONAL
teaching, they point out.
$4,000 in Attendance
As the convention opened its
folr-day sessions of speeches and
discussion groups, attended by
900 superintendent and admin
istrators from all over the nation,
the report was received with in
tense interest as a major educa-
tional event.
The Educational Policies Com
mission, which has spent two
years on this study, is the 20-mem-
Der pilot group for the huge Ma
tional Education Association (450,-
00O), of which AASA is a depart
ment. Its reports are usually car
ried through in action in the class
rooms of America and built into
the goals of the nations schools.
The 1851 report is the educa-
tors reply to the oft-repeated
charge that American public
schools are Goddess, antireligious.
"The public schools have high
ly significant function in teaching
moral and spiritual values" i'll
states. These values are basic to
all other educational detectives.
Education uninspired by moral and
spiritual values is directionless.
Particularly are these values
seen as necessary in these times,
when "moral decisions of unprece-
denied variety and complexity
must be made by the American
people"
Funda m entail Values
The report first lists a set Of
values which the commission found
to be widely accepted by all de-
nominations and by Americans
generally. These placed as funda-
mental the values of the individ |
ual; and included such concepts as
devotion to truth or freedom of in
quiry; brotherhood of man.. the
fact that institutions are the serv-
ants, not the masters of men; and
the right to the pursuit of happi-
ness" where it does not interfere
with the same right of others.
Separate character education
courses IN moral and spiritual
values were not recommended. In
stead, the schools were urged to
permeate their existing courses
with a greater emphasis on these
values.
However, il was pointed out that
this sort of teaching demands good
teachers, and that many schools
under existing shortages and lack
of community support cannot get
teachers who are qualified to do
the task well.
COMPETENCY Hit
"a community which complac-
eHtiy permits us 1ihtdith W W
herded into crowded buildings,
forced to use classrooms in con-
verted cellars, Railways, huts, and
other unsuitable accommodations,
assigned to successive shifts like
the workers on an assembly line,
and placed under the care of har-
ried and overworked teachers
such a community has said in effect
that it does not really care deeply
about the moral and spiritual de-
velopment of its young people" the
commission declared.
The educators further recon-
mended that the schools teach OBJ
jectively about religion without
| $1,000. ss~N-N-~e~s~N~~~S~~~~>>