The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 7, 1924, Page 6

What’s the Matter With Our Schools? By ANNA MAE BRADY IH#E workers of America. are, "Pccass or later, going to find themselves in a unique position. Capitalism has rung its own death kneel and when it passes and the workers come into their own they will automatically come into posses- sion of the thing of their own crea- tion—the schools. America was founded upon the great principle of “equal opportwnity” for all. A principle worthy of the noble men and women who endured all the hardships of the new land, sacrificed and even gave their life’s blood that it might become a living, breathing reality. Yet in spite of their efforts there was soon in evidence a class whose chief function was to see to it that this principle should not be main- tained. They saw to it that. there should be no equality im education as in other things for they were wise enough to know that if they were to continue in power they must control the com- ing generation. So the schools were for the rich. They were taught by men and attended by boys. This sex discrimination is not to be wondered at when we remember that it was representatives of this same _ class who met in solemn conclave in’ the state of New York to decide the mo- mentous question of whether or not a woman had a soul. Luckily for the women of that day it was decided after due deliberation that she did Possess a soul. The Workers Take A Hand To the everlasting credit of the workers of America it must be re- membered that they banded together —this was prior to the days of labor organizations but it was organized labor nevertheless — and demanded that their children be given an oppor- tunity to secure an education. History tells us that in response to this de- mand theré were opened what was known as pauper schools to which the poor could send their children. Naturally they objected: to this also. They insisted again that the “equal opportunity” of which the poets sang and the orators gave lengthy disser- tations be made a reality. They asked, too, that girls be al- lowed to enter as well as boys. It was thru their efforts, the efforts of work- England states. They held lengthy de- bates over this momentous question. Their main point being that as woman education as was given the boys would overbalance her mentally and unfit her te be what nature intended— the mother of the race. At the in- The workers of America must bear this in mind—it was their efforts made possible the public schools. they must also remember that their end was actjomplished and poor man’s child had the same portunity of attending schoo) as the rich man’s child, that these workers, Rip Van Winklelike went to sleep and left the management to the other fellow, and to this day they have not aroused themselves from their slum- bers to become informed as to what sort of an education is being meted out to the youth of the nation. The workers of America must awak- en, They must arouse themselves to the seriousness of the problem. They represent over 80 per cent of the people and ft is to them that the spirit of their fathers is calling to take in- to their hands the greatest controlling factor in the destiny of civilization— the schools. ee Every workers owes it to these}and commercial brave pioneers, who made it possible} clusion is held by the for bis elass to have an opportunity|of people for an education, and to all childron for whom he desires an education which will lead to a fuller and a rich- er life, to ask himself three questions} country shall come not only to his children,{es are unequalled; but to all the children of men. These|are unlimited. We should, because of questions are (1) Are the schools|these things stand head and should- important? (2) Are they function-|ers above any other country in the ing for alt the people, and (3) What!matter of education. And yet we is the remedy? stand ninth in education of all the Are The Schools Important? countries of the world. Think of it. We are aware that the destiny of| This great repubic has rapidly a nation or civilization itself depends | dropped from first to nimth place. upon the degree to whieh the people} The census of 1910 revealed the are educated. Therefore education | Startling faet that our illiterate num- is of vast importance both in the life| ber 7.7 per cent which is much high- of a nation and in the life of an in-|er than that of any civilized nation. dividual. There are three avenues of | But that was not nearly as high as the information open to-day. One is the|@rmy test revealed. We have in Amer- press, one the pulpit, and one the|ic@ about five million adults who can schools. Chief of these is the schools | either read or write. because they take the children in| What is the cause of the decline in their most plastic state and keep them eanentiona matters? The answer is for the greater part of their waking|¢lear, plain, and simple, altho it has hours. Consequently the inftuence of |two phases. In the first place too few the school is more far-reaching tan Pes are taking advantage of our either that of the press or the pulpit, |S¢hools—554 children of every one powerful as they are. leaving school before the in order that this fuller and richer life = other nation; our natural regourc- There is an incalculable distance be-|Sixth grade. This is due to our econ- omic system which keeps our workers at such a point of starvation that they are forced to take their children from the schools and place them in the industries. Such a condition is the greatest of rebukes. There is some- thing wrong with any system whieh forces into the industries 554 children out of every thousand before they reach the sixth grade because their parents are not able financially to tween the educated and the uneducat- ed. The educated person leads a full- er and a richer life because he is able to understand and appreciate the words of a Browning, the colors of a Raphael, the tones of a Mozart. There is an indescribable something which puts him in tune with the highest, the best, in art, literature, music and nature. More than this it makes life bigger and broader because he is able to put himself in the other fellows|keep them in school. That is one place. : thing that keeps us low in the edu- That all people recognize the|cational scale and the other great supreme importance of an education is evidenced by the fact that they want more than all things else that their children should have an educa- reason, or a phase of the same reason, for both relate to economics, is the kind of education we are giving in our schools, WORKERS’ SPRING. Plough, brothers, plough, Awake the sleeping earth; Bury the ploughshares deep— Too long have the fields lain fatiow! Sow, brothers, sow— Heart and hand in the sowing: Golden harvests promise, Goden grain awaits. Sing, brothers, sing! There is dew on the skylark’s wing, The clouds have passed with the night, The east is aglow with the dawning. , Plough and sow and sing. brothers, Foil and fight and dream, brothers; Seeds are ripened grain, brothers— The harvest will gladden the earth! —Joseph Koven. E i : i iit Hi z fourth grade in our schools. more fortunate are able to go lege. Less than two percent people are college graduates y hold sixty per cent of the best that 2 of what is being taught; have visited the schools; nor have lise i finished the eighth grade and those est economic problem for not who completed a high school course.|content with enslaving the parents, These figures show that high school |the exploiters want to make sure that graduates get so much higher wages |the same condition will continue and as.to make every day they spent in|there is no better guarantee that they high school worth $9.12. will do this than to dictate the So an education has both aesthetic |material which is to influence the value and this con- of the young. great majority School Boards in this country. - It is interesting to consider the per- What Is The Matter With Our of the average school board. Schools? usually consists of the leading bank- That this great, grand and glorious |er in the town, a doctor, a lawyer, and of ours has more gold than |# merchant. Never by any chance is 8 there an educator in the group. These our possibilities|leaders are entirely subservant to their masters -and receive, what is to them ample reward, by being pointed out as “leading citizens.” It is true that in the smaller towns these men are elected by the people. But it is also true that when school elections come, no one gets out to vote except the employing class: The working people should be represented on these boards but it is their own fault that they are not. They do not take inter- est enough to get out to vote. Not only should they be represented but they should hold the balanee of power for we are over eighty per cent work- ing people. The boards appointed by the gov- ernor to look after schools represent more fully their masters than do the local boards because they are closer to them and more completely under the domination of the political ma- chines. In neither case do the teach- ers have representation. Wages Paid To Teachers Dr. Nevell Dwight Hillis says that a horse trainer is apt to be paid more than a trainer of children. As a re- sult America has dropped rom first to ninth place in the international league of education. The average rural school teacher in the year 1921 received the princely sum of $524 per year, while if we in- elude the town schools the average salary was $900 per year. It must be remembered that when we speak of a salary of $524 or of $900 as the case may be, we are speak- ing of a salary for nine months and yet the teacher must feed, clothe, and house herself for twelve months. Usually in addition to this she is in education? wealth and it is said that the control- ling money power now Hes in the hands of four persons. The condi- Tee and tem find As book that