Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-25
Crying for Reform

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some influential Americans have begun
to /deplore what they regard as ten
dency to overemphasize or overdrama-
tie the need for great expansion Of
scientific and chronological training in
our country. The thing they fear, ap-
parently, is that proposed reforms along
that line may be carried too far and
thus do serious damage to the liberal
arts or studies in the humanities-
studies which are of continuing high
Importance to civilization.
This is point Of view that certainly
deserves attention and respect. Never
theleSs, although there is still reason to
heed the ancient Greek admonition call
ing for moderation in all things, there
can be no doubt that our schools-ele-
mentary, secondary and on up through
the colleges and universities-are full
OF grave deficiencies crying for reform.
Something basic is wrong with them.
With relatively few exceptions, they
DO not match the strict standards
the mental disciplines, the no-fooling-
around curricula-of their counterparts
In Europe, including the Soviet Union.
The result is that we are faced, right
now, with situation in which we see
the Russians threatening to outstrip us,
and outstrip us overwhelmingly, in the
training Of scientists and engineers.
Here is point about which we have
been warned repeatedly over the past
four or five years. The appalling Stats
tics in support of it, including those re-
Gently released by our Government are
readily available for all to read and null
over. They explain why Admiral Rick
over, the man in charge Of developing
our atomic submarines and naval nu-
clear reactorS, has just declared in De-
troit that our trained manpower in the
future "can only come out of a thor
oughly reorganized educational system
with totally different aims and con-
siderably higher scholastic standards"
Among other things, what this means
is that there must be a restoration of
major emphasis on mathematics and
science in our secondary schools and
higher institutions of learning It means,
too, that there must be a wedding out
OF billiards and marked de-emphaSis
OF snap" courses and easy optional
studies that young students are inclined
to choose even when they are well
equipped to take on the so-called
tough" ones.
But such reforms, as Admiral Rick
over and others have warned time and
d time again, constitute only part of what
needs to be done If we are not to fall
hopeleSSly behind the Soviets in this
supertechnological age. The admiral,
for example, suggests two interesting,
though perhaps impractical, additional
steps. One would establish a private
council Of scholars to set strict stand
ards for all our high schools, with &C
creditation to be withdrawn from the
ones that fail to live up to those stand
ards. And the second would have in
dustry, labor and the foundations en-
dow some rs Of these schools as models
open to all talented children capable of
passing rigid entrance examinations.
Further, along with many people SIM
larly concerned, he favors a great in
crease in collegiate scientific scholar
ships and special incentives to cope with
the acute shortage of competent teach
ers at the secondary level.
This obviously is a problem full of
enormous complications. But it de-
mandS action, and 1t demands action
now, If only on trial-and-e basis.
For If we just keep on talking about
the situation, without doing anything
to correct it, we are going to suffer
potentially catastrophe defeat, vis-a-vis
the Russians, in an educational race
that bears directly and fatefully on our
long-range national security and eco
nomic well-being. Accordingly, despite
the fears of those who stress the un-
deniable Importance Of the humanities,
we have reason to go about in training
scientists and engineers-even at the
risk of erring on the side of excess.
Certainly our country can hardly
afford to proceed otherwise in an age
when survival itself depends much more
on knowing how to build things like
missiles than on being able to appre-
ciate good painting or an ennobling
philosophy. In that sense, the problem
confronting us can be neither overem-
phasized nor overdramatized.