From the American Federation of Teachers Collection ARCHIVES OF LABOR HISTORY AND URBAN AFFAIRS WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY, DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48202 ™ AMERICAN =] TEACHER FEBRUARY, 1921 HTT A New Form of Service O Report of the President O Should Teachers Unionize? O News from the Locals Democracy in Education Education for Democracy 26 The American Teacher Volume X, No. The Education of China CHO SAM LEONG Principal, Wah Mun School, Honolulu, Hawaii HINA became a republic ten years ago, but from 1911 till now the new republic has been harassed, and has not had a single day’s rest. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is the lack of education. I was among the first revolutionists of China, and know the situation of my country well. The schools of China are fewer than in America. Ninety I think that a teachers’ union in China, under the American Federation of Teach- ers would wake up the Chinese teachers to progressive ways of thinking. CHINESE TEACHERS’ STRIKE SPREADING HE involving eight Government teachers’ strike, schools and universities and 6,000 students, per cent of the Chinese have never attained to high school. Nearly all of the Chinese teachers in the high schools and univer- sities are graduates EDITORIALS Our Duty CONTENTS REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE ANNUAL CONENTION ye Se ee began last week owing to the which Government’s in- 27 ability to meet the demands months’ back pay, is now || assuming nation- 29 teachers’ for four of schools in Jap- Snoutp Teacuers Unionize?. . 36 |} wide importance, an. They have es- Tue Mopern HeattuH Crusape . 40 due to the teachers poused monarch- N F , 2 demands that the . ; News From tHe Locats . . . . 42 . ism and old ideas, " P iene Government re- and treat the Chi- Book REvIEws 46 serve a fixed an- nese — pupils ; like SALARIES AND THE Cost oF Livinc 48 nual revenue for slaves. Practically (| educational pur- all of the pupils poses. who graduate from the Chinese schools know nothing of the principles of justice and freedom, or of the aims of the Republic. They are purposely not instructed in these ideas. So the important revolution for China to- day is the reformation of the Chinese teacher and thru him of education. Teachers’ unions in the American Federa- tion of Teachers are found all over the United States, and I am a member of one of those unions. I hope that I can interest my fellow teachers in China in this great and progressive movement for the absolute freeing of teachers and pupils. The Minister of Education attempted to resign last week owing to his inability to obtain funds to meet the arrears of salary due the teachers and to insure that the Government would establish a permanent educational fund. He remains in office, however, owing to pressure from the teachers and will stand or fall with them. He now is attempting to obtain the cooperation of the Chinese Chambers of Commerce to induce the Government to re- serve a portion of the income tax for educa- tional uses.—From Cable Dispatch to N Y Evening Post. . Showing that Chinese teachers do need the union. i | The American ‘leacher Entered as second-class matter, Feb. 21, 1912, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 8, 1879. Published at 70 Fifth Avenue, New York, monthly, except July and August. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized September 27, 1919. Volume X, No. 2 A NEW KIND OF CRITICISM OF UNIONISM Mr Glenn Frank, the Editor of The Century Magazine, writes in the February issue of that periodical a critical analysis of the union move- ment among teachers. The first impression a reader may get of Mr Frank’s editorial (re- of this issue) is that this is another attack, but it is not that. It is highly intelligent and has the ring of sincerity. If we do not agree with Mr Frank, we should tell him wherein he has erred. Our members are urged to go over the editorial carefully, and write Mr Frank what they think of it. Our movement will hold together not because we printed by consent, see page get something out of it, but because if is sound. It is entirely fitting that members should welcome criticism that strikes at the foundation of the union movement. Thus we invite a test, which is always good. A NEW FORM OF SERVICE Certain quoted paragraphs contained in this issue relate to a school survey at present under way in the City of New York. being conducted by teachers, It is without ques- tion the first activity of this kind ever begun by teachers in their own territory. This particular survey is undertaken without the consent and approval of the educational authorities. There is even opposition on the part of the officials. All of this, however, is incidental to the important fact that teachers are beginning to show interest in the facts of their surroundings. This interest must lead to the creation of standards for the improvement of conditions, and later to activity in the direction of establishing the standards as codes of practice. There are certain economic reasons why no other group will put itself out to establish the best possible conditions in the schools, even for the children. If the teachers are This survey is FEBRUARY, 1921 One Dollar a Year unwilling to undertake it, even with the risk in- volved to their comfort of mind, then it will not be done at all. Teachers must do it, and especially union teach- ers. Others are likely to regard this form of serv- ice as improper, or undignified. But it is particu- larly important to union teachers to consider this form of work as perhaps one of the first and best of the possible contributions they may make out of their idealism. New York is ready to give advice to those in other parts who think well of this form of service. TEACHERS’ COUNCILS Now and then there are hopeful indications that the idea of the teachers’ council is finding acceptance. In fact, union teachers generally be- lieve that the frequent adoption of the council will be the first step we shall take in the direction of participation in school management. Never- theless, there is increasing doubt in the minds of many that the council in the form in which it was originally framed, the one in which it is still commonly thought of, will meet the growing de- mand for participation. The objection offered to the typical council plan is that its recommenda- tions involve no responsibility. It has no legal opportunity to test its own suggestions. It has no real incentive to continue to make contribu- tions. There is no reason why it should begin to make suggestions. Something of this point of view has been expressed by Prof. John M Brewer, of the Harvard School of Education, in School and Society of September, 1920, THE WOLF IN THE SHEEP’S SKIN The one crying need of “Big Business” at the present moment is a large mass of docile, con- tented, easily manipulated unskilled workers. As long as the hordes of foreign immigrants of a decade or two ago were beating in constantly 28 The American Teacher accelerated waves upon our shores, there was nothing to worry over. As one contingent after another became acclimated to the political and economic conditions of our country, as the in- dividuals passed, either slowly or rapidly, thru that vague process—Americanization—and were absorbed into the citizenhood of our population, others followed on their heels and kept the ranks solid. There was no lack of ready hands and seemingly inexhaustible energy that the bottom- less pit of our industrial structure demands. The employers of labor, the magnates of our sources of production did not have to waste their time devising plans how to educate their “hands,” how to provide for them adequate schooling, how to free them from the shackles of illiteracy. Now, however, the aspect of the matter has changed completely. The world war and the artificially restricted immigration we have adopted as a policy, have cut us off from the labor market of the world. While the unionization of those who came in previous years, as well as the adoption of the American standard of living, have played havoc with the vast aggregations of Poles and Slavs and Italians that had constituted the raw men power, out of which the unskilled laborers were recruited. Of all this, our industrial ma- chinery is beginning to show the strain. What is to be done? Obviously, one thing. Keep the workers complacent, acquiescent—in short, make them stick to their jobs by sub- jecting them to those influences that will act as intellectual and emotional opiates, that will pro- duce a lethargy of the newly aroused and stirring desires to think for themselves. Wean them away from their trade unions with their constant efforts after higher standards, cause them to shut their ears to the siren voices of the agitators, teach them to look up to their employers as bene- ficent, kindly disposed “little white fathers” whose sole interest in life is to make their workmen happy. But how is it to be accomplished? Where is to be obtained that personality—that combina- tion of intelligence, subserviency—yes, even hy- pocrisy, that will do the bidding of the master, and at the same time hold the confidence and faith of the workers? And here is the answer: Volume X, No. 2 [The italics are ours.] “For immigrant school- ing, the factory obviously offers better promises than the school house. Such instruction should he given in co-operation with the employers, but at public expense and under government direc- tion.” Strange, that so perfect a solution of a troublesome problem was not thought of before! and stranger still, that it was left for such for- ward-looking gentlemen as Coleman DuPont and William H Barr—both time-tried friends of la- bor, working thru the Inter-Racial Council (headquarters, New York) to evolve it. But no, let us give credit where credit is due. It is Albert S Shiels, late Superintendent of Public Schools of Los Angeles, California, and now the educa- tional expert attached to the Inter-Racial Council who signs his name to the pamphlet from which the statement quoted above is taken. It is thus we are let into the secret as to what the Inter- Racial Council seeks to attain, and once more the word must go out to the little band that follows the gleam, and keeps the faith—on guard, brothers, pn guard! The American Teacher Democracy in Education Education for Democracy Published monthly, except July and August, by THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS at 70 Fifth Avenue, New York City Board of Editors HENRY R LINVILLE, Chairman From Local 5, New York ALICE M HERRING ABRAHAM KOVAR From Local 24, New York JOHN E MANSFIELD From Local 71, New York BirD STAIR From Local 87, Jersey City, N J eee eee ee eee eee ee HEHEHE HEHEHE HEHEHE HEHEHE HHH EHH HEHEHE EEE From Local 92, Paterson, N J THOMAS P KYLE At the time of expiration, a bill will be found in the copy. Subscribers are requested to give prompt notice of changes in address. Remittances should be made in postal money-order, express order, draft, stamps or check (New York ex- change), SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR FOR THE YEAR. FOREIGN, $1.10 Our Duty ABRAHAM LEFKOW ITZ Local 5, New York, A F of T We are now witnessing the tragic aftermath of the world’s greatest and most destructive war which cost over $300,000,000,000 or more than the value of the continent of North America. It cost the world over 9,000,000,000 of its choicest manhood. It is responsible for world under- production, for economic inefficiency, for the starvation of European masses. It presages panics, bankruptcy, minor wars, an increase in the death rate, in crime, in insanity, in tuber- culosis, in typhus, and in immorality. It means the under nourishment of millions of children and racial deterioration. It means the liberation of man’s sordid instincts and the suppression of ideas civilization has developed. These bless- ings and others our arch-imperialists have be- queathed to us and, saddest of all, to our posterity. The war was fought for democracy, for the rights of small nations, for the destruction of economic imperialism, for disarmament and for world peace. We secured world misery, numer- ous wars, increased armaments, the rape of small nations and tho we destroyed German imperial- ism, we replaced it with a group imperialism, destined to bring even more destructive wars in its wake. In addition, we won autocracy in in- dustry and reaction in politics. In a word, we lost things won after years of sacrifice and blood- shed and gained practically nothing for which we fought and sacrificed. When I think of the good that could have ‘been accomplished had $300,000,000,000 and millions of men been em- ployed for creative, humane and social purposes instead of for destructive, inhuman and anti- social purposes, I cannot refrain from asking, why war? I shall not discuss the need for drastic economic reconstruction to eliminate world imperialism and its necessary concomitant—war. Instead, I shall touch briefly on that aspect of the question which vitally concerns us—the educational. America is spending $2,838,118,000 or 68 per cent of its annual income to pay for past wars; $855,956,963 to maintain its present military sys- tem as a preparation for future wars and expects to increase this sum to $1,500,000,000. At the same time, we appropriated but $481,744,726 for all other governmental activities. Our democracy, to which a dying world is looking hopefully for salvation, is annually expending 88 per cent of its total income for war and but 12 per cent for all of its constructive governmental activities! And of the 12 per cent only 1 per cent or $57,- 093,663, is spent for education and research— the only hope of a maddened world. Who is re- sponsible for this tragedy? The world is suffering because of miseduca- tion and for this we teachers are largely respon- sible. We have taught a jingo patriotism; we have glorified imperialism and tho we ignored the Metschnikoffs, the Edisons and the Bessemers of history, we found time to laud the deeds of gen- erals, to speak eloquently for military training and to inculcate assiduously the silly and ex- ploded doctrine of preparedness. While we ex- tol the virtues of “preparedness” at one moment, in the next we teach that Sparta, a nation armed to the teeth, always ready for aggressive war, disappeared leaving no wholesome influence upon civilization; that Rome, the military camp of the ancient world whose legions dominated from Britain to the Tigris, crumbled under the en- slaught of the Barbarian hordes. That Napoleon, the world’s greatest military genius, failed miser- ably in his attempts to create a world military hegemony ; and last, but not least, that Germany, heretofore prosperous and happy, growing by leaps and bounds, when animated by the phi- losophy of “preparedness,” created the most ef- ficient fighting machine the world has known and as a result, her people are now miserable and bankrupt, the objects of pity and charity. The nations of the world now face the parting of the ways. They must decide whether they will travel the road to peace and a higher civiliza- tion or the road leading to war and the eclipse of civilization. The road to be taken depends 30 The American Teacher largely on the ability of the teachers to fulfill the duty they owe civilization. As teachers, we must not glorify war or gloss over its iniquities. We must not continue to mislead the children who look to us for truth and guidance. We must justify their faith in us by showing war in all its horror and nakedness. We must not, like Mr Fred M Hunter, Superintendent of Schools of Oakland, California, and President of the Na- tiona! Education Association, be guilty of glorify- ing militarism and of developing the military spirit in the youth of the land. Instead, we must tell the truth about war. Only the truth can free the world from the hideous nightmare of militarism and imperialism—the twin enemies of civiliza- tion. Since the National Education Association (if its president is its spokesman, as I believe he is) is guilty of developing the military spirit in the adolescent, since it is engaged in glorifying war, in encouraging universal military training and in preaching the philosophy of “prepared- ness,” since it has thus shown itself a traitor to America and its ideals, it devolves upon the union teachers of America and their organization—The American Federation of Teachers, to undertake the task of teaching the truth about war (and everything else for that matter), of so educating the workers and the children that they will see the futility of using aggressive force, violence or repression as weapons of progress. Tho I speak against war I ask you to enlist in a war on behalf of civilization by teaching the truth about war. Education alone can save our dying civiliza- tion and we teachers must not falter in the duty we owe to ourselves, to our organization, to our country and to civilization. May we have the courage to teach the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! PURCHASING POWER OF SALARIES 1901-1920 If a study of the purchasing power of salaries is carried back to 1901, the shrinkage and deficiency of salaries indicates in the lower figure, page 48, is still more striking. The purchasing power of a salary of $1,200 was equal in October, 1920, to 400 “1901 ” dollars based on retail food prices. The 1920 equivalent of a salary of $1,200 in 1901 was $3,600. Volume X, No. 2 THE PUBLICITY WORK OF THE AMERI- CAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS JOSEPHINE COLBY Field Secretary, A F of T When the facts about the American Federa- tion of Teachers are presented where they can have a fair hearing, the result is that the Ameri- can Federation of Teachers makes friends. The making of friends for the American Federation of Teachers is of course the purpose of the pub- licity campaign. Nation-wide publicity is a prob- lem different from that of publicity for a school system in a single big city; in a given city the news stories released go straight to the public concerned. The work of a publicity director for a national movement is different, in that the news stories released from a given center will be printed in some towns and rejected in others; the aim cannot be as definite, nor can the results be measured with anything like the same accuracy. The means most likely to avail us in our na- tion-wide campaign are three: 1. The release of stories by the publicity agent from headquarters thru agencies like the As- sociated Press and United Press. Publicity prepared by the director and mailed out to the locals for release in the local press. 3. Articles written by outsiders and published in the periodical press. The Publicity Bureau has used the national daily press to good advantage. The clipping service shows that the circulation has attained totals of over 5,000,000. In checking up the extent of the returns from this Publicity Service, we need your help. Ap- point a clipping committee. Send us all clip- pings about the A F of T. The second means of publicity requires a local committee to place in the local press stories pre- pared and sent out from Chicago. These stories will be mailed direct to your press chairman. The third means of publicity—that of reach- ing and interesting editors and other capable writers who are not union members, has been a most promising feature of the work of the pub- licity director. One result of the publicity cam- paign will be a better team-work between the locals and the National Headquarters. Report of the President to the Fifth Annual Convention of the American Federation of Teachers CHARLES B STILLMAN President, The American Federation of Teachers Our last convention was termed a Reconstruc- tion Convention. It was foreseen then, and has now been all too convincingly demonstrated, that our conventions for many years to come will be Reconstruction Conventions. For the problems facing us have increased in complexity and urgency, and upon the method and spirit of their solution depends even more of progress or dis- aster for our country. Again, questions of fun- damental purpose of internal organization, of formulation and carrying out of policy, of meet- ing misrepresentation, of genuine Americaniza- tion, of awakening in the mass of the teachers and of the public a keen consciousness of the progressive deterioration of our schools, and of the indispensable drastic remedies, of practical procedure in rendering maximum service to the community—questions which will have a deter- mining influence on the future of our organiza- tion, the effectiveness of our schools, and the quality of American citizenship, will test to the utmost the intelligence and public spirit of the delegates to this convention. In this continuing emergency we can look forward with confidence to the deliberations of this national delegate body of classroom teachers. The past year of extreme reaction has been a testing time for all liberal and democratic move- ments. The report of the Secretary-Treasurer has shown many setbacks but also many sub- stantial victories, and the chartering of half a hundred new locals. In the face of concentrated and unscrupulous opposition from the reaction- aries within and without school circles, during a period of post-war moral and social depression, the American Federation of Teachers has held its own surprisingly well. And our influence has extended far beyond our membership. In hun- dreds of communities one of the influences be- hind the granting of increases in teachers’ salaries has been what to many misinformed or unprogres- sive school authorities has seemed the specter of possible affiliation of their teachers with our move- 31 ment. And more important than that, even dur- ing this period of the temporary eclipse of the idealism of democracy, in teachers’ organizations controlled by school administrators, the old line superintendents have been compelled at least to yield a surface semblance of democracy, as the price of retaining the realities of control. Our direct achievements have been noteworthy, but the more indirect effect on school policies of our forward-looking program vitalized by a function- ing national organization has been even greater, both thru its restraining influence on those ac- customed to arbitrary authority, and thru the favorable atmosphere for progress it creates. It would be superfluous, if not impertinent, for me to recount the history of our victories of the past year, when we have the delegates here to give us the inspiration of their first-hand ex- periences. It is misleading to select a few locals for special mention, since the smaller locals, and those which have been working more quietly but no less effectively, often have the most profitable suggestions. But those who have been following the Secretary’s Bulletins, and THe AMERICAN TEACHER will insist on hearing more from San Francisco, Fresno, New Orleans, Memphis, At- lanta, New York, Gary, Chicago and St Paul among others. This exchange of experiences, of problems and methods of attack, will be a valu- able part of our convention, and all delegates are hereby warned that they may be called on when- ever opportunity offers. This applies with equal force to the delegates from locals which may have been !ess successful. We must analyze our mis- takes and defeats as well as our successes, and learn to capitalize our varied collective experi- ence, The Smith-Towner Bill Support for the Smith-Towner Bill has grown stronger, and opposition has also crystallized. The opposition seems to center chiefly in the private school interests, altho private schools would be in 32 The American Teacher no way affected by the measure, except as the financial strengthening of the public schools by federal and state appropriations made them more efficient, and thus made their fair competition more difficult for private schools to meet. There is much sincere opposition based on a wholesome fear of possible bureaucracy. If the American Federation of Teachers had not been convinced that effective safeguards against the dangers of bureaucracy had been provided in the measure, both the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Labor would cer- tainly have withheld their cooperation. Both or- ganizations have had intimate experience with the evils of bureaucracy. If the present section guaranteeing absolute state and local autonomy in education is not deemed sufficient, any provisions making it still stronger and clearer, I am very sure, would be acceptable to the American Fed- eration of Teachers and the American Federa- tion of Labor, and I am confident also to Sec- retary Magill, in charge of the bill, for the Na- tional Education Association. Constructive legislation of this magnitude and character always stands a poor chance for con- sideration during the short sessions of Congress, crowded with appropriation and other routine matters. The political situation also makes it un- likely that this matter will come to a decision before the next administration takes office. Be- cause of Senator Harding’s response to a presen- tation of the educational situation to him at Marion last September by a group of teachers representing the American Federation of Teach- ers, the National Education Association, the IIli- nois State Teachers’ Association, and Chicago teachers’ organizations, we can expect a forceful presentation to Congress of the needs of the schools of the nation by the incoming President, and a continuing active interest in the educa- tional crisis. This convention will be interested in knowing that the delegation of teachers in- cluded Directors McCoy and Tanner of our Better Schools Service, who were the leaders, and re- sponsible for the idea and its successful working out, the Secretary-Treasurer and President of the A F of T, and Miss Allen and Miss McCoy, President and Vice-President of Local 3. Volume X, No. 2 Standards of Admission The question of standards of admission to mem- bership has not arisen so far, chiefly because our movement has appealed to the best and most pro- gressive elements among teachers, and partly be- cause the various states provide their own laws governing the certification of teachers, and while trying to raise those legal qualifications, we have never considered it our function to go behind them, nor has any other state or national teachers’ organization. But the present wholesale lowering of standards of certification, and granting of emergency certificates, may make it wise to give careful consideration to that question. Member- ship in the A F of T must continue to mean qualified teachers, no matter how slack some states and communities may become. Where so much depends on personality, arbitrary standards are peculiarly dangerous and difficult to fix. Whether we should fix two years of training beyond the high school as a temporary minimum requirement, looking toward four years as teacher training facilities are developed, and the public is educated to demand and pay for expert service where society most needs it, or whether we continue to use all of our influence for higher standards with- out attempting to impose hard and fast rules, is a matter for the discussion and decision of the convention. Tenure There is little need to emphasize to this conven- tion the importance of tenure. We all know how essential it is to the establishment and maintenance of professional standards. It is called partic- ularly to your attention now not only because of the arbitrary dismissal of competent teachers by various autocratic boards of education, but also because of the evident intention of certain school authorities to weaken if possible some of the few tenure provisions now in existence. An interesting example of the awakening of the public to the mockery of some of the present provisions is found in Buffalo. There the of- ficers of the Teachers’ Educational League are suspended and under trial for issuing a pamphlet in self-defense which sharply criticizes many phases of the school system. The board of ed- ucation is hearing the cases, and public interest — Sires -~ ie aoe oe a February, 1921 has been so great that they have been conipelled to hold their sessions in the court room of the criminal section of the Supreme Court to 2ccom- modate the audience. This brought into high relief the contrast in so-called judicial procedure. The Buffalo newspapers commented forcibly on the fact that the prosecutor who brought the charges, the jury, and the judge, were all sit- ting on the bench in the persons of the board of education. All the phases of the Buffalo hear- ings reveal conditions still undreamed of by the mass of the public, and we will have the oppor- tunity to hear the story directly from the dele- gates of the Buffalo Teachers’ Educational League, Local 182. We are indeed glad to wel- come Buffalo our youngest local in point of affi- liation, but a veteran organization with many victories on behalf of the schools to its credit. A discussion of the Thanksgiving session of the Eastern Conferences of the A F of T brought out a point that is too often overlooked. Workers in many commercial and technical lines, such as the various kinds of engineering, can often make themselves indispensable by sheer ability, and thus solve their tenure problem. But it is easy for autocratic school authorities summarily to drop teachers of the highest efficiency and sub- stitute inferior teachers without an outcry, un- less the teachers themselves are strongly enough organized to protest, because the economic and social loss resulting from inferior teaching may not be apparent for many years, while the results of inferior engineering are immediately and un- mistakably reflected in balance sheets. As a na- tion we must learn to draw social balance sheets, t. «valuate the finding and to be guided by them. Our Territorial Locals Our locals in the Canal Zone and Hawaii, who cannot send delegates because of the distance, deserve special mention here. They are facing serious problems, and since they depend on Con- gressional action, we can all be of direct service to them. Their situation will be reported in de- tail by the proper committee. The power of the great planters of Hawaii complicates the problem there. Is the Canal Zone, the government has failed to keep its promise to maintain a schedule 25 per cent in advance of that prevailing in Wash- The American Teacher 33 ington, and the teachers are met with the old cries of no funds, and teachers can be secured more cheaply. If the teachers in the states un- derstood the conditions in the Canal Zone, the last excuse would be even iess true than it is now, and increased appropriations by Congress is the answer to the first. In both of these directions the American Federation of Teachers must as- sist its distant locals. Progress in Lancaster If any delegates are inclined to be cynical con- cerning the possibility of progress, if the dis- illusionment of the last year or two has been too much for native optimism and balance, a quota- tion from the November number of “"duca- tional Issues” may be timely. A discussion of academic freedom is concluded thus: “Some members of Boards of Education and university trustees are no more fortunate in their vision than was the Board of Education in Lan- caster, Ohio, in the year of 1829, when ° local debating society asked for the privilege of using the schoolhouse for public discussions. The mem- bers of the Board, considering themselves the guardians of liberty and the ‘true’ Christian faith, replied as follows: “You are welcome to use the schoolhouse to debate all proper questions in, but such things as railroads are impossibilities and rank infidelity. There is nothing in the Word of God about them. If God had designed that His intelligent creatures should travel at the frightful speed of fifteen miles an hour by stearn, He would have clearly foretold it thru His holy prophets. It is a device of Satan to lead im- mortal souls down to Hell.” To give pause to the most confirmed pessimist I need only add that a local of the A F of T has been flourishing in the same Lancaster, Ohio, for two years. And if the Board of Education of Lancaster, Pa., is cited as an example of the persistence of the same medieval spirit, surely the inspiring stand of the Lancaster teachers is a more than adequate offset. Better Schools Service During the past year something has been done for the schools. And there is grave danger that the public will be lulled by these palliative half- measures, and sink back into indifference. But 34 The American Teacher only a start has been made. Commissioner Clax- ton reports a demand for over a hundred thou- sand more trained teachers than the normal schools and colleges can supply, not including the great mass of untrained among those new teach- ing.