Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-24
Man With a Plan

character, necessity a mother
of invention and war a spring.
board to chronological change,
so Virginia might yet snatch
virtue from the flames of ra-
cial bigotry which at the mo-
ment seem to be engulfing the
public school system.
Virginia could again set a
leading example for the Ma
ton by developing a public
education system based on in
struction televised to the home.
How simple! A TV set for
each child and stations broad
casting on several channels
from selected school buildings.
And so effective! How could
segregation be more discrimi-
natingly maintained than in
the home itself? (Although
in some homes attention to
scheduling will be necessary to
insure that the maid does not
manage to get some kind of
larnin' on the sly.)
And look at some of the side
benefits, too.
Benefit to adults: The de-
gree of need for adult educa-
ton is a measure of the fail
ure OF the present education
system, and therefore an ar
gument for its abolition (if
you'll pardon the world. The
reverse also applies, that the
need for adult education is
evidenced by the consideration
apparently being given to clos
ing the schools.
Censorship: Right in the
home where it belongs! How
simple to flip a switch on any
discussion of Marx, Freud.
Darwin or the Supreme Court,
and so to insulate the child
completely from the dangerous
world of ideas.
Economy: No more class
rooms to build, and some ex-
lsting schools could even be
converted to more productive
uses, such as liquor dispen-
sarieS or apartment units. the
income from which would
permit tax reductions (if such
would not constitute State
competition with private en-
terpriSe).
Quality. Glass size and
teacher shortage problems
would be no more. Higher
salaries could be paid the
fewer teachers required, in
surfing retention of the best
'Cor possibly the most seniorj.
archaeological unemployment
could be solved by a refrain
ing program to qualify teachers
to service TV sets.
Safety. No transportation
problems. no dangerous street
intersections. no exposure to
other peoples diseases. In
TACT children would never have
to leave home until they be-
come adults.
The male would enter the
outside world fully prepared,
in his conduct of the affairs
OF government, to perpetuate
his parents attitude toward
the Constitution as the SUI
preme law of the land. The
female would enter marriage
with a suitable mate of her
parents choice. herself pre-
pared to carefully preserve her
traditional way Of life. Both
would be equally experienced
in the art of getting along with
each other. as well as with the
other two billion people in'the
world.
There is one real danger
involved. though. and that is
the apparent necessity to use
people with some scientific
training in solving certain
electronics problems, such as
the problem Of providing the
T'V student with a color choice
in teachers. Scientists seem
to be rather suspicious char
acters to begin with, and GER
tainly a very careful security
screening would be necessary
to ascertain that there is not
a continuing close association
with any Of their sociologist,
anthropologist and psycholo-
gist colleagues who agitate this
racial controversy. After they
have solved the electronics
problems. just to be on the
safe side, they should be fired
for having experienced their
privilege Of working for the
State.
I hope the present public
leaders Of Virginia will follow
in the footsteps OF their illus
trious predecessors. abandon
their Samson complex OF
suicidal massive retaliation,
and become the leaders Of the
Nation in putting education on
the air. II not In the mind.
Their rallying cry-"Let's give
education the air"
7. M. Hemphill.