November, 1939 = AMERICAN BTEAC HER in Two Parts— Part I Propaganda and Indoctrination Y coven -tarvioiomew % , > jie ocd | RED RIVE ee William H. Kilpatrick | Leif Thorne-Thomsen Two Articles on AFT William Gellermann by Students Louis M. Jaffe Py Frances Comfort “THE SCHOOLS —WHOSE Ctyde S. Samer . Ray Lussenhop RESPONSIBILITY Hazel Murray e Frank E. Baker “STUDENTS AND THE Walter G. O’Donnell TEACHER’S UNION” Joseph Ehrenreich Edgar Dale Kenneth Burke Published by the AMERICAN FEDERATION of TEACHERS Juside the Cover THE NEW YORE TIMES OF NOVEM- ber 7 gave about 14 inches of its val- uable front page to a story on “one of the most dramatic skake-ups ... in mod- ern football history.” Nine first-team players on the Yale team were demoted by Coach Pond. The New York Times has assigned Arnaldo Cortesi to Mexico as its correspondent. It is charged that Cortesi is not an impartial reporter in the present Mexican situation. ... Edgar A. Guest employs five secretaries to an- swer requests for poems which he reads during his weekly broadcast over CBS. (What is it the English teachers teach these days?) ... After John Garner was denounced as an “evil old man” he re- ceived a telegram from Governor Chandler of Kentucky saying, “I con- sider you one of the great Americans of all time.” . . . It can happen here: The Southern Tenant Farmers Union had a twenty-five-year-old planter, Jim Henderson, arrested in Concord, Mo., for trying to break up a union meet- ing. Henderson was fined $45. One of the most important documents published by the United States Senate in recent years is the report of the workings of the National Association of Manufacturers published by the Senate Civil Liberties Committee. . . War conditions will prevent Denmark and Norway, neutral countries, from participating in the New York World’s Fair next year. The Czechoslovakian exhibit, however, will continue. ‘ A Ford lawyer participated in the recent Civil Liberties Conference in New York City but was not denounced by Dies. ... The Philadelphia Bulldog Club cabled the British Bulldog Club and offered to take care of all thorough- bred bulldogs for the duration of the war, * RETAIL MILK PRICES CAN BE brought down as much as 4 cents a quart in almost every American city, Fortune magazine says in its November issue. The milk enigma can be solved through use of cheaper distribution methods already available, the magazine declares. After careful inquiry, Fortune’s editors say that: “Tf fluid milk is 5 cents to farmers and 12% cents to housewives, then with adjustments that will do no violence to present economic beliefs milk can be distributed so as to bring the farmer the same 5 cents or better and cost the average house- wife from 9 to per- ADOLF HITLER NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN FATHER COUGHLIN HENRY FORD FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT COLONEL LINDBERGH JOSEPH STALIN All are focal points of propagandas involving America’s The possible participation in the European crisis. To understand how propagandists abroad and at home of the Institute for $2.00 a year will bring you its 12 operate, become a_ subscriber-member Propaganda Analysis. haps 10 cents at the outside. In fact, one large chain of stores is in a posi- tion to sell milk 4% cents under the average home deliv- ered price and still make a profit.” magazine points out that the $3,500,000 ,000-a- year milk business is one of the big- gest in the country, monthly bulletins and special studies.* Use the coupon below. far exceeding the INSTITUTE FOR PROPAGANDA ANALYSIS Dept. AT—40 East 49th St., N.Y.C. Enroll me as a subscriber-member and 12 bulletins and special reports. I enclose $2.00. ES OE TE ee *Group Leader’s Guide sent free to teachers using the bulletins. VAAN OEUOnm™ send me your next $2,000,000,000 auto business and even surpassing the $2.- 800,000,000 meat- packing industry. Milk accounts for 19 per cent of farm income and 5 per cent of the total national in- come. “The trouble with milk is price,” Fortune says. ‘From 1929 to 1936, per capita consumption of milk in the United States dropped 6.8 per cent, and it would be vain indeed to look elsewhere than to the steady high price of milk to the consumer for an explanation. “The important point to keep in mind is that the present price of milk is set by the cost of home delivery, a service that many people cannot afford. “Stores now make over half of all sales of milk in a few big city markets, and the trend to stores is apparently on the increase.” * OUR OWN BOX SCORE: OF 21 American vessels seized since the start of the European war, 18 were held by British and French authorities, according to a list made public by the State De partment. Two ships were held for five hours by Nazi submarines. The twenty- first ship was the City of Flint. Among the ships held for a time by the English (probably some British Ad- miral who couldn’t forget the Revolution- ary War) were the “Ethan Allen” and the “Patrick Henry.” Both ships, we are happy to report, were released. + SURVEY GRAPHIC HAS PUBLISHED the propaganda section of its Novem- ber issue as a 16-page reprint and is selling it at the price of 15 copies for $1.00 as long as it lasts. The special section by Clyde Miller and Louis Minsky is on the Williams Institute of Human Relations, 1939. Other mate rials which might be used by progres- sive teachers are: the special twenty fifth anniversary issue of the New Republic, which contains a number of good articles on “The Future of Amer- ica”; “The Farmer’s Share of the Con- sumers Food Dollar” (Leaflet No. 123) published by the Department of Agri- culture; Building America’s latest issue on the subject of “Community Plan- ning”; RCA Victor Studios’ recording of the most dramatic moments from Sherwood’s “Abe Lincoln in Illinois” ou three 12-inch records (price $3.50); materials which Frank Gannett’s Na- tional Committee to Uphold the Con- stitution will send you for your classes on civies; and for 25 cents a year “Consumer Education,” a news letter published by the Institute for Consumer Education, Stephens College, Columbia, Mo. * SOME YEARS AGO A SHIP NEWS reporter interviewed J. P. Morgan upon his return from a Mediterranean cruise with the Archbishop of Canterbury. “T have seen conditions in other coun- tries,” answered Morgan, “and on the whole, I am more than ever convinced that I like America best.” “Well, Mr. Morgan,” said the reporter cheerfully, “any time you get tired of this country, you can always give it back to us.” P.S.—He lost the job. GrorGE T. GUERNSEY THE AMERICAN TEACHER a ESR we leit ane epee ere The MERICAN TEACHER Published by The American Federation of Teachers NOVEMBER, 1939 VOLUME XXIV NUMBER 3 IN THIS ISSUE ee ae Farm Security Administration Photographs by Lee and Vachon The Schools—W hose Responsibility Sitiiiaccnd cae t cence teaxenaen Mildred June Janusch 6 Students and the Teacher’s Union.A High School Student 7 Education and Labor in 1939.......... Irvin R. Kuenzli 9 MRA and the World of Reality....... Franklin Fearing 12 Suecess, Welfare and the Schools..... Percy E. Davidson 15 Propaganda and Indoctrination CR mE FP ee ea R William Heard Kilpatrick 18 Comments on Dr. Kilpatrick’s Article es on sd a cigs die ak ea eee es a as ica bn -w latle we Wee wee re —S\ f eae er ee ee 22 Frances Comfort ......... ee eT a re ia 22 oa bh adn eq ako been ee ee ee 23 ORT PETC T ee eee eT ee TT ee ee 23 oa hae sain Odin ah ear ala eae e uantam 24 re i a al amie 6 ail MA are eee 24 CE erent erent we ye 24 Joseph Ghrenreich ............-. 5 secaradesab ie anie ata 25 Dn ctkud ches ska anaes eae eee ne ae 25 NS a erry ee re 26 DEPARTMENTS rs ee Cer... ce eeee we ee EP COLCCE CT CC OE PETER CET Pr rr ee eee 31 NE PONTO bc sce v cnc cassadbeseseteeeaneakes 3 The President’s Page, AFL Reaffirms and Enlarges Its ee Bie BOIIOOE cc ns ceccescevccs George 8S. Counts 5 Among the New Books: Schools for Tomorrow’s Citizens..Wanda Taeschner 28 The Schools Can Teach Democracy...... Kermit Eby 29 Staff Study Number 12, Special Problems of Nemro Badwueation ....ccccsccces Edmund Hooser 29 i Ce A WOON si 5 0ecbs ob barb te een waeaeeeuebeuee 30 In order that the AMERICAN TEACHER may serve as a medium for the discussion of the educational problems of today, the contributors are not necessarily expressing the policies of the American Federation of Teachers. Drawings by Chandler Montgomery THE EDITORS of the American TEACHER request that no material be reprinted from this magazine without an accompanying credit line stating the source and the issue in which such material appeared. —_— <> -— THE AMERICAN TEACHER GrorGce T. GUERNSEY, Editor ENTERED as second class matter January 3, 1939, at the post office at Chicago, Illinois, under the act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of February 28, 1925, authorized November 3, 1926. SUBSCRIPTION: $2.50 for the year—Foreign $2.60—Single copies, 35c. Published monthly except June, July and August, at 506 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill. Subscribers are requested to give prompt notice of changes of address. Remittances should be made in postal or express money orders, draft, stamps, or check. ER ewe THIS ISSUE of the AMERICAN TEACHER is published in two parts, the second part being a newspaper devoted to news from locals and some of the national problems which the Union faces. This issue of the newspaper stresses academic-freedom work, which is rapidly becoming Problem No. 1 for the teachers of America. The fine article on the Mon- NOVEMBER, 1939 tana case is worthy of wide distribution to non-Union teachers, and the newspaper itself tells the story of what the AFT locals are doing in their month-by- month meetings. We should also like to call your attention to the symposium on ‘‘Propaganda and Indoctrination’’ which starts on page 18 and includes William H. Kilpatrick. In our December number we are hoping to get a short article from Dr. Kilpatrick on the com- ments which appear in this issue and then to reprint the symposium as a 12-page pamphlet, selling it at the rate of from 15 to 25 copies for a dollar, depend- ing on the cost of reprinting it. We would like to receive a postcard from any local or teacher interested in having copies of this reprint made available. We are also planning, because of the number of letters we have received, to publish a rather inclusive article on the retrenchment drive against the public schools. In order to do this we will need the full co- operation of all our locals. We would appreciate let- ters from AFT members who have any information on their area. Please include newspaper clippings. The editor of the AMERICAN TEACHER is also inter- ested in getting short articles, approximately one thou- sand words, from classroom teachers, which deal with experiences in democratizing the school system or , some specific case in which the Union’s motto—Educa- tion for Democracy—was applied in the classroom. We hope to run a number of these in the next few issues. xk * oop NEws for those interested in the children of America came recently when the Supreme Court affirmed the legality of ratification of the Child Labor Amendment by states which have previously rejected it, thus paving the way for ratification by the eight additional states needed. The case came before the Court from the State of Kensas after the state legislature had refused ratifica- tion of the Child Labor Amendment proposed in 1924 and later ratified it. It was contended that too long a ‘time had elapsed since the Amendment was pro- posed and that the state was without power to ratify the Amendment after having first rejected it. Opponents of the Amendment now are peddling the argument that the child-labor provisions of the Wages and Hours Act are sufficient. According to the Na- tional Child Labor Committee, approximately 75 per cent of the employed children are working in intra- state commerce and do not come under the Act. This ineludes children in industries like industrialized agriculture, hotels, restaurants, beauty parlors and > & E ARE PREPARING some special combination offers for those who would be interested in using a subscription to the AMERICAN TEACHER as a Christmas present. While we cannot release these now, members interested in such offers before our next issue is pub- lished may secure them after November 20 by sending garages. us a postcard. If every member of the Teachers Union gives one such subscription as a Christmas present to a non- Union teacher, we may see a rapid increase in mem- bership during the coming year! x *k * HE AMERICAN Retait FEDERATION (not out of the dbesoeg of its heart) recently made a study of the growth of the consumer movement in this country. Some of the conclusions of this survey were as follows: From 1937-38 there was a sizable growth in con- sumer education. In at least 20 states there are new courses of study in the public schools. In the State of Washington the number of courses rose from 41 to 52 during the year and the number of students in- creased from 8,550 to 10,575. In 1936 the total mem- bership of consumers’ cooperatives was estimated at 677,750, not including 1,695,000 members of credit unions and other cooperative service associations. The estimate in 1939 was 835,000. Multiplying this num- ber by three, the average number of people in a family, we can estimate that probably more than 2,500,000 individuals are indirectly benefited by con- sumers’ cooperatives. x * * OME TIME AGO we intended to start our own ‘‘It’s S an Ill Wind That Department’’ to take care of some of the many ironies which continue to crop up in the present crisis. Our own prize winner thus far is the full-page ad in one of the British educational magazines headed ‘*Books for the Crisis—Our New Nature Study Series.”’ Under the same heading comes the recent statement of the Agricultural Advisory Council which pointed out that war in Europe would help restore the balance between farm and city prices and tring about more normal business and employment in the United States. The same Council pointed out that ‘‘consumers need have no fear of shortage or runaway prices.’’ In con nection with this, Farm Research, Inc., an independ- ent organization, indicated that profiteers are using the war in Europe to boost prices arbitrarily and blaming the increase on ‘‘hoarding housewives’’ and ‘‘greedy farmers.’’ The organization stated that ‘‘ gov- ernment figures indicate that prices paid to farmers have not gone up in keeping with retail prices or with the 15 to 35-per-cent advances on the exchanges.’’ The spotty character of increases in prices reveals the extent to which price-gouging is taking place, according to Farm Research, Ine. Lard prices in- creased 65 per cent in Denver, 45 per cent in Boston and 21 per cent in New York. Sugar prices rose 31 per cent in Detroit but only 4 per cent in Denver. Potato prices went up 27 per.cent in Scranton, 25 per cent in Buffalo, 22 per cent in Houston but dropped ® per cent in Boston and 2 per cent in Savannah. Navy beans cost 61 per cent more in Cleveland, 28 per cent more in Savannah but only 2 per cent more in Boston and 3 per cent in Detroit. ‘*These major increases in retail prices usually have little or no relationship to wholesale prices,’’ the sur- vey asserts. ‘‘The wholesale price of grains and edible meats actually decreased for the country as a whole during the week of September 9 to 16, falling 2.3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively.’’ x * * WHILE AS yet the Moral Rearmament movement has not been captured by anti-labor industrial- ists of the world, the recent MRA world assembly at Monterey, Calif., was attended by T. 8. Mitsui, brother of Japan’s chief industrialist, Baron Mitsui; Farrar Vickers, president of Vickers Oil, Ltd., England; A. E. Jukes, president, Vancouver Stock Exchange. Canada; Fred Carter, president of National Lead Company ; and George L. Eastman, former president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. The movement has been given the solid support of the Los Angeles newspapers and the MRA people are distributing full-size reprints of a long and Jauditory article on the movement that appeared last April 30 in Hearst’s American Weekly. x * * —— OF THE PRESENT war boom into a permanent recovery that will furnish jobs at decent wages for millions of American werkers was urged by the American Federation of Labor in its September-October survey of business. “Much will depend on constructive action by unions to (1) raise wages in proportion as labor costs are reduced and (2) to help prevent undue price increases. Increased buying power is essential to make this a permanent recovery,” the AFL declared. The federation noted that tremendous increases in production resulted from the outbreak of war and declared that such increases were the result of expected orders rather than actual orders. “We have no way of knowing what the demand from abroad will be. If belligerents continue the ‘war of waiting,’ demands for heavy materials will probably be very much below expectations. “We can only count surely on our own home mar ket, which depends on the buying power of American wage-earners.’’ THE AMERICAN TEACHER + ees eee eo re ee = wae ae ory The President's Page AFL Reaffirms and Enlarges Its Faith in Education HE HISTORICAL RECORD shows that the organized working people of our country have played a central role in the establishment, the defense and the extension of our system of public education. This highly significant fact is insufficiently recognized by ordinary citizens, by students of education, by public-school teachers and even by members of the American Federation of Teachers. For such defi- ciency in knowledge and understanding there is no longer the slightest justification. The long and un- interrupted struggle for public education on the part of the American Federation of Labor is reported in a pamphlet of 77 pages prepared by the Workers’ Education Bureau. This pamphlet, published under the title of Labor and Education, presents a ‘‘ brief outline of the resolutions and pronouncements of the American Federation of Labor in support of the general principles and practices of education from 1881 to 1938.’’ This unadorned account of labor’s efforts in the cause of education is without parallel among the organized lay forces of the United States. With that account every citizen and every teacher should be made familiar. Here is a responsibility of our membership. At its recent convention in Cincinnati the American Federation of Labor continued the record of the past. In terms of highest statesmanship it continued its long fight for the equalization of educational oppor- tunities for ‘‘all the children of all the people,’’ point- ing to the absolute necessity of federal aid in the realization of this purpose. It continued its long fight for a program of vocational education adequate to the needs of a great industrial nation and sensitive to the welfare of children and the long-time interests of the working people of the country. Also, pointing to the fact that ‘‘there were in 1937 approximately 3,900,000 unemployed persons between the ages of 16 and 25,’’ it asked for a ‘‘revision of the curriculum of secondary schools’’ and urged a comprehensive solution of the In addition it in- troduced certain new emphases, three of which will ce youth problem.’’ be touched upon here: larger labor representation on boards of education, more definite defense of the tenure rights of teachers and clearer recognition of the necessity of bringing teachers into the labor move- ment. The American Federation of Labor has long con- tended for representation on the boards controlling NOVEMBER, 1939 public education in the United States. In Cincinnati it moved to a more advanced position. Declaring that ‘‘the time has come for broadening this principle of representation so that Labor shall have representa- tion proportional to its needs and its interests,’’ it urged ‘‘every central labor union to initiate a cam- paign for adequate representation of Labor.’’ In the prosecution of this campaign the American Fed- eration of Teachers should play an active part. Be- fore the public school can devote itself fully to the task of educating for democracy boards of education must be democratized. No longer should they be composed chiefly of businessmen and the spokesmen of business. Rather should they be composed of per- sons drawn in proportionate numbers from the diverse ranks of our people. The time seems to have arrived, moreover, for applying this principle to the boards controlling colleges and universities in the United States. This move should be urged upon organized labor everywhere. The social and moral patterns propagated in the institutions of higher learning inevitably have a profound influence upon the ele- mentary and secondary schools. In its defense of freedom of teaching and tenure rights for teachers the Federation took a vigorous and unequivocal stand. Besides lending general sup- port to the principle of ‘‘academic freedom,’’ it passed, at the request of teacher delegates, two im- portant resolutions. In response to the mass dismissal of forty teachers in Jacksonville, Fla., because of union activity and effort to establish a tenure law in Duval County, the convention adopted unanimously the following resolution presented by the Education Committee of which Mr. Kuenzli was secretary: ‘*Sinee the regimentation of the labor movement and control of the public-school system are two of the first steps in the destruction of democratic governments, and since mass dismissal of public-school teachers without specific charges is an undemocratic procedure and not in the public interest, we recommend to the convention emphatic condemnation of such action and urge all labor bodies of Florida to rally to the support of these teachers who have been unfairly treated.’’ In the case of the arbitrary dismissal of four pro- fessors from the University of Montana the conven- tion resolved that ‘‘ President Green and the Execu- tive Council give all possible support to the Amer- ican Federation of Teachers and to other labor bodies seeking reinstatement of teachers in such cases as are exemplified by these mass dismissals.’’ This second resolution is of particular significance because it marks a growing concern on the part of labor regard- ing the conduct of higher education—a concern which the American Federation of Teachers should do every- thing possible to foster. A third emphasis in the convention which should be of special interest to the readers of the AMERICAN TEACHER was the clear recognition of the necessity of bringing teachers into the labor movement. This point of view was apparent, not only in the general interest in the work of the American Federation of Teachers, but also in the discussion of the excellent report on workers’ education. Carl H. Mullen, presi- dent of the Indiana State Federation of Labor, in speaking on the subject of labor institutes put the matter this way: ‘‘The teachers must be organized and must become trade-unionists themselves before they will be capable of instructing the labor move- ment.’’ Here is an insight of the first order. More- over, the role of labor in society will scarcely be given its appropriate place in the education of the young until the teachers of the country abandon their false ‘snobbishness’’ and ‘ ‘ tradition of ‘‘gentility’’ and identify themselves fully with the common people. Also until such identification is achieved they will be psychologically incapable of conducting a truly demo- cratic program of public education. Grorce 8. Counts The Schools-W hose Responsibility Mildred June Janusch THAT I AM GOING TO SAY is very unscientific. It is personal opirion, based on personal observa- tion in a very limited although, perhaps, rep- resentative area. However, since many of my friends agree with me and since there must be many other students in the city who have the same point of view, it may be of some interest. In any discussion about the responsibility of the schools it is customary to ask parents, teachers, public officials, citizens for their opinions. important group, those to be educated, the students, are ignored. Of course, when asked what the students Usually the most think about our schools, the cynical answer is that 99 per cent of them don’t think—about anything. least of all, school. The tragedy of such a situation lies in the fact that these same students are the people to whom we are going to intrust our most complicated government tomorrow. Obviously, therefore, a point must be made of teaching us how to think, how to make our own government work. It is quite as im- portant that we have the opportunity to practice democracy, to make vital decisions, and to stand or fall by our decisions. We must practice what vou preach. We must share the responsibility for our education if we are to be able to share in the responsibility of our social system. In general, we have little idea of what it means to take our place in a democracy. pes £, = a: ’ os ne ont es a” ¥ : e | >. '" *, ae iz ce Spee pero tart ze oe Se Shay, a, 3 sf s! AS Bee SS _— a a, BSD ~ en FE eee ar k Fs - as « S : 2 Sy z ; = Saket = f Fs ; cc ZFS? 2avS FER ED 4 Zhe RES : gape e tee Fi HES be | : Bie st ES ~ % ‘ ‘ + S45. & 2 JS-A. SMITHS 3} ; +3 xe £4 ; .'E C1 OFARK TORATES » ee : (> dl - Tes Bes : BS were cnaai ries. R : ciwe << : ed | > te ete 4 to <>) s > a oie a. ,) ome S _ anne 7 ) me —— oe ’ ew ~"% 2 ewe < SS eed es bas werner re a ~*~ oe re Bee ae Si, 285 i S a Re, net. a “32 aa * x i Y : ’ $ -] ’ i Di wot JA.SMITH ; | et: VicE-PRES. JA. SMITH .: nat : SUPT. ° LASMITH | | 2 R + ASSISTANT ‘ ; © t ; } SUPT. F A » < i. ¥ ¥ j 4 15 ? j .$ : = ; j - . 22 : 7 1? rh. As i O ae : © 7 es < a $5862 . : 3 3S Site. 4 a r ‘ y > Di 40 2 Sighs \e he : ; ; =) i . Pee : > 2 3S : 3 2s SN ae Ta5gh we = yA ~~ a sn ¥ a ee = : : cP ey a | * 7 34 3 + Y 24 : ee ; i oe. eaeie - 3 ; ~Bs ; 2 ‘ ~ . V3 Ps; o> £3 £ sf. - 43 Af a ‘ : & «,< ? iS Lt > . a Z x4, rrr [NF 3 Pe i D : ey é Z ey { .§ =. ; spent - iy SS: et has \ — % s { CS wy eae $51 4 EMPLOY MENT ? a OFFICE _— fe s > oy eS m4 . Suto a2 ? : é , px z Pa ‘ i is < , Ped eat os ind Vey wee, turn attention to the possibility of improving one’s mode of living in some other way. If one’s children cannot hope to rise to the better planes of living, the one obvious alternative is to achieve the same end by improving the welfare structure as a whole, to the benefit of all. Such a change of mind is already in evidence in recent drastic proposals for government- made purchasing power, in rebellious youth move- ments, and in numerous crusades for general security. One need not command the particular expressions of such movements. Many or all of their specific pro- posals may be misguided. unmistakable, and this must be recognized as a loss of faith in an economy which had originally built up a sanguine hope of indefinite individual improve- ment. This hope has diminished where it has not been destroyed among great numbers of the less well- to-do as a consequence of trends in technology and economy leading to chronic depression beyond which few see the likelihood of a revival of the character- istically American type of prosperity and opportunity. A change in the public mind of this character is bound eventually to touch popular expectations from The important But the common intent is the services of the American school will undoubtedly channel of approach to the upper rungs of the social ladder for a minority of the children of the land. And if this service is to be rendered effectively, much more system. schools remain as an must be done in the way of providing ample oppor- tunities to train for the more exacting occupations. But the greater task will still remain—that of in- creasing the capacity of the great majority to lead a good life at the levels of living on or near those on which they are born. This task the schools have never faced frankly and energetically. in the broadest sense must be greatly expanded—a type of program not limited to the more economical use of the dollar, but one which will refine taste for and understanding of the better existing opportuni- ties of every kind. The schools must affect for good every item of the family budget, from food, clothing and shelter to recreation and the use of the better culture. They must somehow prepare some 50 per cent of the children of the land for a mode of living that must be conducted at the level of semi-skilled and unskilled labor on a family income of $1200 or less. Beyond all this, since the welfare structure as such is to be improved through political effort neces- sarily, a civic program must be devised which will animate and enlighten American youth to employ their ballot and their political influence in a construc- tive way for the improvement of their own circum- Consumer education stances along with those of the great majority. Any such program challenges the best wisdom and re- sources of the teaching personnel, who must be en- lightened far more than they ever have been in those social-economic realities which affect all levels of wel- fare from the lowest to the highest. Propaganda and Indoctrination William Heard Kilpatrick OW THE TWO INTERRELATED IDEAS of propa- ganda and indoctrination stand in relation to democracy is the question here under con- sideration. Propaganda, to begin with that, is a word of am- biguous meaning. Or perhaps more exactly, it is a term of varying meaning. At one extreme it has a good reputation. From this it varies through many intermediate gradations to the other extreme of a very bad reputation. Just now in this country it more usually carries a bad reputation. The word, it appears, began its career as a term during the Counter-Reformation when there was organized at Rome the Congregatio de propaganda fide, or society for propagating the faith, or society for the spread of the Christian gospel. It goes, then, without saying that those who first used the word meant by it good and good only. A century or so later when revolutionary ideas sprang up in various parts of Europe against the established governments, the term took on in governmental and other status quo circles a subversive and sinister character. Propa- ganda for these meant the effort to overthrow what (they thought) ought to stand. In general the term propaganda means any large- seale effort to effect thinking and consequent action, specifically to induce people to think and act in a desired way. As such, we who apply the term may use it with either a good or a bad implication. If we accept the efforts as aimed at a worthy end and con- ducted in a proper way, the implication will be good, or at least not bad. If, however, we think the aim an unworthy one or the means used improper, the implication will likely be evil. How these things may thus be, and how democracy is concerned, we proceed now to consider. An instance of good propaganda can be found in recent medical history when a few years ago the profession set out to make our people more intelligent about cancer, especially to induce them to bring incipient cases of cancer early to expert attention for identification and treatment before it was too late. The primary aim of the medical profession, we need not doubt, was the good of the people concerned. The reasonably pertinent facts were made known; nothing was hid. The specific aim was to make people under- stand better so they might act more intelligently, might see what was good for themselves and act accordingly. Now quacks and charlatans, in contrast, seek to make people believe what is not true. They exag- gerate ills and cover up contrary considerations all to the end of profiting selfishly by the fears they have thus wrongly stirred. In the language of ethics, the charlatan seeks to use the people so stirred as means to his own selfish ends, while the doctors in their cancer drive were treating the people as ends. The crucial difference lies in this: The medical pro- fession sought honestly to make the people intelligent about their own welfare, as intelligent as they reason- ably could, hiding or covering nothing pertinent to be known. This is treating people as ends, as persons who by their greater intelligence will now be freer from ignorance and prejudice and so better able to decide, each for himself, where his welfare lies. Charlatans exactly do not try to make people intelli- gent, but precisely the opposite. Instead of trying to lessen ignorance and prejudice, they seek to exploit both in a way to benefit themselves. Instead of seek- ing the welfare of the people concerned, they do the contrary. They try to profit themselves at the cost of the welfare of the people. They try to use the people as means merely to their own selfish ends. How democracy is concerned, it is now easy to see. The essence of democracy is regard for the human individual that each one may live best; specifically, that each one may live well himself and at the same time so treat others that they too may live well; that each one of all together may always be treated as an end in himself, and never as a means merely; that each one may become as intelligently self-directing as possible and so better able to help determine his own and the common good. Democracy and ethics thus become very nearly two names for the same thing, the ultimate regard for personality. The essence of respect for another personality lies in inereasing his ability to judge for himself. It becomes then a basic criterion of conduct that I as I deal with anyone shall so treat him to make him, as best I can, a better judge, a more independent judge, of his own welfare (always in relation also to the welfare of others). And if I put information before him to act on, I must, as far as possible, give him not only reliable data, but as well all the pertinent facts that he will need for good judging. And if I com- ment on the facts, I must so comment—if I deal ethically—that he by my remarks becomes a more intelligent judge of such matters. That this is a high THE AMERICAN TEACHER standard we cannot deny. Some may say it is too high. But it is no higher than our best morals has taught for some thousands of years, and it is no higher than scientists now sternly exact of each other. Also we see now how education is involved; or bet- ter, how education is essentially demanded by ethics and democracy alike. If democracy and ethics are concerned for each person, to help him become as intelligently and considerably self-directing as pos- sible, this is but saying that they must help educate him as the best means of respecting him as a person. And in this we get a new insight into education (in any full sense), that it is concerned to free each one from ignorance and prejudice so that he may be and live his best self and see more surely where his true welfare lies (in keeping always also with that of others Propaganda of the good kind is then, as far as it goes, good education ; it tries to educate people to decide wisely for themselves. While propaganda of the bad kind is an intentionally inadequate kind of education, as cruel as it is effective, selfishly effective for the benefit of the bad propagandists. With all this before us, let us examine as an illus- tration of propaganda the effort of the utility com- panies, as disclosed a few years ago before the con- gressional inquiry, to prevent and avert public owner- ship. It was clearly a case of propaganda. What kind was it? Did these companies primarily seek the welfare of the people? Or did they primarily seek their own welfare, even if need be at the expense of the people? Did they tell the people all the pertinent facts? Specifically, did they make public their own names as those who were directing the propaganda? Or did they hide their connection with the one-sided pro- fessional opinions published to the world and with the one-sided debate materials distributed to the high- school and college students? Did they try to make the people better independent judges of the matter under consideration? Or did they ‘‘cook up’’ evidence to make the people come out to a pre-arranged (power company) answer? Did they treat the people concerned primarily as ends or primarily as means, means to the power companies’ selfish ends? These questions answer themselves and show clearly the difference between the doctors’ propaganda on eancer and the utility companies’ propaganda on pub- lie ownership. On these various counts we conclude that the propaganda of these power companies was underhanded and unethical, contrary to any decent ethics and opposed to any proper democratic stand- ards and procedures. The term indoctrination has a history very similar to that of propaganda, and the essential discussion is the same. The use of the term began when the prevalent philosophy was authoritarian. Men pro- NOVEMBER, 1939 fessed to have such access to God, the author and maker of the universe, as gave them absolute truth. St. Augustine, for example, is quoted as saying to a pagan official: ‘‘I am right, you are wrong. When you are in authority it is your duty to tolerate me, for 1 am right. When I am in authority, it is my duty to persecute you for you are wrong.”’ Modern recognized authority is different. It does not claim to be absolute. It recognizes simultaneously three things: (1) the continual accumulation of great- er and more accurate knowledge; (2) the factor of continual change, partly predictable, but partly not; and (3) the necessity of the free play of intelligence as our surest basis of increase of knowledge for the better control of our precarious affairs. Under such circumstances it must be expected that better study will upset cherished ideas. Fifty years ago Newtonian physics seemed almost the last word of certainty, but Einstein and Rutherford and Planck have together upset most of what was then counted certain in this our most dependable science. It was of course no defeat for science, but a victory; for the upset came about by the better application of better scientific methods. But in a world where such things have happened to what seemed the most reliable think- ing—in a world where every older person can see important social changes continually taking place in such a world we have no absolute knowledge. We must expect to change our ideas—which ones, we know not—and accept instead ideas of which, perhaps, we have as yet no full conception. Those in the middle ages and afterwards who be- lieved as did St. Augustine counted that they had final right on their side when they were dealing with the young or the ignorant. When they taught they felt free to fasten in their doctrines as irrevocably as they could, so that if possible no subsequent experi- ence could change them. They so taught that never in the future (so far as they could effect it) would there be open-minded study of those doctrines. It was under such circumstances that the term indoctrination came into use. But all conscious teaching was then more or less of this kind. The prevalent theory of knowledge until quite modern times was that somehow knowledge is absolute, and accordingly that teaching is properly a handing-down from above to below, from those who know to those who do not know. Something like this, in fact, remains as the prevalent presupposition of much if not most of our schooling to this day. Some who read these words will right now be wondering what else teaching could be or do. However, in a changing world knowledge is not absolute — painfully far from it. Better insigl.ss, hitherto unobserved facts, new developments in both fact and theory, novel developments in the stream of affairs—all these mean that ability to adjust to 19 changing conditions is an inevitable necessity. To fasten in our present ideas—from whatever source derived—so that they can never be open-mindedly reconsidered and, if need be, revised, so to teach is to build prejudices. And to teach a child our preju- dices is simply to maim him, mentally and morally, as long as these prejudices hold him. On the contrary, since we have no absolute knowl- edge and things will change, the only decent treatment of the child is to seek to make him intelligently self- directing. And here all that was said above about ethics and democracy again becomes applicable. So to teach that the child is bound finally to his teachers and their limited outlook and insight is exactly wrong, a clear and direct violation of any just ethics and of any adequate conception of democracy. And if it be done with intent to perpetuate the teacher’s doc- trine, it becomes a case of exploitation, of using childhood, helplessly, entrusted to the teacher, pri- marily as means to the support and perpetuation of the teacher’s ideas. That the teacher himself believes the doctrine, and believes it to be vital to the welfare of the child and of society, does not make the pro- cedure right. The child must be respected as a per- sonality. This is the foundation of both ethies and democracy. This is the crucial difference between democracy and the authoritarian state and outlook. The cleavage is clear-cut. The term indoctrination, if we trust the dictionary, has followed about the same course that we saw with propaganda. In fact, most of the dictionaries, as they define indoctrination, seem never to have considered that teaching could be anything other than a handing- down of authority, or at least have shown no fear of danger in that connection. But most current writ- ers on education in the United States use the term indoctrination, as most use the term propaganda, with the implication that the process is unfair. The discussion above used to distinguish between propaganda (bad sense) and education (full sense) ean be repeated here as regards indoctrination. If teaching is of the kind to build prejudices, we count it wrong and call it indoctrination. If the teaching is of the kind to foster open-minded study, both as a means for present independent choice and as the most useful future attitude, we count that teaching proper and call it education (full sense). In the light of the present world situation some are saying that democracy is seriously threatened, and that we must, therefore, take pains to teach it to our young and teach it so strongly that subversive anti-democratic ideas can never appear among us. In other words, considering things as they are, these people raise the question whether we shall not indoe- trinate in democracy. Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy, Stalin in Russia, each indoctrinates in his position. Shall we not in self-defense indoctrinate 20 our youth in democracy in the United States? For this writer, with the foregoing discussion before us, the answer is no. To indoctrinate (in the sense here under discussion) is so to teach that the person thus taught is less likely either now or later to review the matter with reference to possible revision. But, as was brought out above, conditions in this world are continuously changing. We must then expect that, in keeping with other changes, the content and boundaries of democracy will also change and ought under such circumstances so to change. The indoc- trinated democrat will, insofar, not only be unintelli- gent regarding such possible changes, but he will (in tendency) be incapable of noting and studying open- He has, then. insofar as these things are true, been mistreated, maimed, made artificially unintelligent, rendered un- fit to discharge the duties properly demanded of As brought out above, such treatment, such indoctrination, is ethically wrong and essentially anti-democratic. mindedly the need for possible change. democratic citizenship. But, some will ask, is it not inevitable, considering that life begins in a state of helpless infancy, that some indoctrination will come? Does not the culture by its inevitable action indoctrinate youth to its ways and beliefs? Can we, as intelligent parents and teachers, wait to teach our children, our pupils, what they must meanwhile do? Can we in justice wait until they have grown sufficient to judge for them- selves? From all such considerations, is not indoe- trination an inevitable result of growing up in a given culture? And if so, why kick against the pricks? Why oppose what we cannot avoid? Why not take it and use it? We have to admit much of what has just been said. Try as we may, we cannot avoid a certain amount of indoetrination. But even so, the argument against indoctrination still holds. It is like friction in a ma- chine. No engineer can make a machine entirely without friction. But he does not, therefore, weleome friction. Instead of being indifferent to what he cannot totally prevent, he works positively to prevent as much as he reasonably can. So with indoctrination. I must begin from the first to teach my children or my pupils the best I know, and a good deal that I first teach them will take on much of the character of But I shall, beginning as early as I can, help them to under- prejudice-building. It cannot be otherwise. stand the why of what they do. I shall aim as best I can to make each one as intelligent as I reasonably can about what is going on. And as soon as possible [ shall trust certain things to them, helping them here as best I can to see and accept all proper re- sponsibilities in connection. Chief among these re- sponsibilities which I shall help to build is that of acting on thinking. In season and out I shall work for this. THE AMERICAN TEACHER I shall know, however, that in spite of all I do to the contrary, a certain amount of indoctrination, of positive prejudice-building, will come in. It will, therefore, be a defined part of the later, adolescent education of each youth to help him go back over what he has earlier learned inadequately and review it critically so that now he may better see and choose what he will think. Throughout the whole process, then, my preference for education over indoctrination is clear. It guides my child-rearing or my teaching at each point. I work always as best I can to develop toward inde- pendent judgment. I so act because I know that the time must come when my child will leave me and strike out on his own. When that day shall come, my hope must be that he has learned how to think for himself, and think for himself even to the point of improving on me and on what I have thought. Am I then as parent or teacher not free to advocate to my child or my pupil or my student what I believe ? In a certain measure, yes; but only on the basis laid down above. My primary duty with them is not to make converts to my cause, but to foster independent thinking and decision on the part of all whom I touch, independent it may be, even to the rejecting of my cause. This is my duty whether as parent or teacher. The essence of the whole matter lies in the interre- lated aims of respect for personality and the free play of intelligence. It is of the essence of democracy to accept these aims and ideals, even to the degree of letting them change the way democracy has hitherto been conceived. It is of the essence of dictatorship, on the contrary, that it keeps the final decision with the dictator. If intelligence and respect for person- ality are found in opposition, they must yield. The ultimate in the dictatorship is the will of the dictator, intelligence or respect for personality to the contrary notwithstanding. For these reasons, propaganda (bad sense) and indoctrination are inconsistent with democracy. Edu- cation, on the other hand, as full education as we can get, is an indispensable necessity. For in democracy it is reliance on intelligence and respect for person- ality that consitute the ultimates. We must build for these qualities and then trust the future to what they say. Comments on Dr. Kilpatrick’s Article Leif Thorne-Thomsen LANGUAGE ARTS INVESTIGATION, STANFORD UNIVERSITY HE TIME NEVER WAS MORE RIPE for a discussion of this f yete than it is now. The problems that have faced us as teachers as well as citizens for the last ten years—unem ployment, poverty, illness, industrial strife—have been aug mented by the problem of actual war in countries close to us. In order to arrive at some basis for action in meeting these problems we must, ourselves, as well as the children we teach, somehow extract the truth that lies imbedded in the ore of propaganda news. And we must take into account our own prejudices and biases, our own faulty funds of information which are the result of a kind of indoctrination imposed on us. So an article aiming to clarify the subject is most weleome. In treating the subject of propaganda, Dr. Kilpatrick makes clear that in spite of prevalent misuse of the word, propaganda may be either good or bad depending upon its aim; whether it is worthy or unworthy. He cites examples from the history of the medical profession and of private industry to make his point clear. Groups have a right to use propaganda, he im- plies, provided it is used for desirable (i.e., the welfare of the people) goals. Now here is where we must be specific on What constitutes desirable viewpoints and courses of action with regard to socialized medicine, the rights of labor to organize and strike, unemployment, government ownership of the utili- ties, the role of our government in the war in Europe? The many issues. The cases cited are relatively simple. NOVEMBER, 1939 consideration of propaganda means little until we are willing to be specific on these and other vital problems of public welfare. An aspect of “good” propaganda which needs further probing is its effectiveness. Like “bad” propaganda it may be blatant, oversimplified, and lead to action that results in disappoint- ment, or evoke either needless fear or false optimism. An example of technically poor propaganda for a worthy cause, such as making people more intelligent about cancer, would be placards and signs that result in panic on the part of large numbers of people because not enough information about the facts is conveyed to them; because the selection of details does not compare favorably with reality. So we need to appraise and use propaganda with an eye to its effectiveness as well as to its goals. This is important when we consider indoctrination and its part in the teaching process. According to Dr. Kilpatrick, “good” propaganda is syn- onymous with education “(full sense)” and the same line of reasoning may be used when considering indoctrination. In other words “good” indoctrination is education. Then, using the word in a general way, he tells us indoctrination is a bad Like frie- tion in a machine it is inevitable and like an engineer with a thing and admits that it can’t be avoided entirely. There is a contradiction here. We can speak of good indoctrination—indoc- trination that results in socially desirable attitudes and be- havior. We can indoctrinate for a recognition of the interde- pendence of human beings and recognition that the welfare of one individual is dependent on the welfare of others. Dr. Kil- patrick seems to feel that indoctrination must deal with abso- lutes (perhaps because of the origin of the word). That is not necessarily so. We can indoctrinate for the democratic method machine our duty as teachers is to minimize it. 21 of attacking problems (referring them to the people; obtaining as much group discussion as possible) and at the same time make qualifications and point out that democratie procedures ean and do change; that the areas where they operate change; and that on certain occasions, such as on the battlefield, they may even be suspended. The indoctrinated democrat whom Dr. Kilpatrick cites, is at a loss not because of his having been indoctrinated, but because he was badly indoctrinated—condi- tions were made to appear to him too simple, too static, so that when confronted with reality, which is complex and in flux, he is unintelligent. “Good” indoctrination as well as “good” propaganda is a part of education. As educators we cannot take refuge in the gen erality that “the only decent treatment of the child is to make him intelligently self-directing.” We must have some criteria for what is intelligent, for what is self-direction. “Intelligently self-directing” ean characterize the Wall Street operator or the member of a cooperative. Surely we have some judgments about the kind of intelligence and self-direction we wish to foster. As with propaganda, we must be sure of the desirability of the goals of our indoctrination and exercise care in our method so that contact with reality bears out our indoctrination and does not result in confusion. Dr. Kilpatrick’s article leaves one with the impression that teachers should strive to be more neutral, more objective, less partisan; that they should somehow stand back and by presenting all sides expect some alchemy to guide the growth of the children they care for; that rationality will finally win out. No, rationality alone will not win out. If we are to influence children that will further desirable (for the many) social change, we must make clear what that change can be, take sides with those who feel the same necessity, and plan our program. We as teacher members of the labor movement have taken sides. It remains for us to fulfill our function in the program that we plan. form to the station in life to which he was born, to respect his betters and to accept authority without question. Indoctrination by any other name would smell as sweet. If children are educated in schools which are conducted democratically they are being taught democracy in the most effective way. Belief in democracy is implicit in the democratic way of life and we should recognize that when we employ democratic methods we thereby preclude the simultaneous use of aristocratic methods and the promotion of aristocratic ultimates favored by men who may be every bit as sincere, intelligent and capable as those who believe in democracy. William Gellermann SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, NORTHWESTERN U. R. KILPATRICK’S ARTICLE illustrates several propaganda D techniques. Color words, such as “selfish,” “charlatan,”’ “underhanded,” “unethical,” and “authoritarian,” give bad odor to the opposition. and “prejudices.” It is guilty of “exploitation.” Children taught ’ The opposition teaches “doctrines’ by the opposition are “mistreated, maimed, made artificially unintelligent, rendered unfit to discharge their duties.” On the other hand, Dr. Kilpatrick’s position is “honest,” “ethical,” “democratic,” “modern,” “open-minded,” “decent,” “ “adequate.” It is identified with “education,” “acting on think ing,” “all proper responsibilities,” “inde- pendent judgment,” “independent thinking and decision,” and “intelligence and respect for personality.” Here are glittering generalities and the transfer device. “Good” propaganda, to be sure, but I might not think so if I did not agree with Dr. Kil- patrick’s fundamental assumptions. Dr. Kilpatrick tells us that democracy consists of “reliance He insists that just,” and “eritical review,’ on intelligence” and “respect for personality.’ the school should be so conducted as to foster these “ultimates.” But he does not consider this “indoctrination.” If it is as- sumed, however, at the very outset that the constituent elements of democracy are “ultimates” and should determine all educa- tional practice, there is no need to indoctrinate in democracy-as- such. The child has been given a slant toward democracy such as he would have toward aristocracy if he were taught to con- 22 Louis M. Jaffe BROOKLYN PUBLIC SCHOOLS ROFESSOR KILPATRICK’S PROVOCATIVE ARTICLE has clearly presented the objectives for the teacher today—respect for the personality of the child and fostering open-minded study with the end of enabling the child to decide wisely for himself. We would like to see the following questions discussed at greater length. A teacher finds that his pupils are anti- Semitic. Keeping the above objectives in mind, he attempts to rid the children of their intolerant attitude. He fails because the outside “educational” forces have indoctrinated them too well. Knowing the susceptibility of youth to fascist slogans in times of crisis, is the teacher justified in teaching democracy strongly? Or we can put it in a series of questions, accepting the assumption that indoctrination means violation of the above objeetives. Can we assume that there are forces today working actively and rapidly to destroy our democracy? Can we assume that the schools can play an important if not decisive role in the fight against these anti-democratie forces? Should the schools make this struggle one of their main objectives? At the present time is teaching for the above objectives suffi- cient guarantee against the totalitarian menace? Is respect for the child’s personality to prevent teaching for democracy strongly, assuming that such a procedure will aid in staving off the anti-democratic forces? Or is this an utterly false assumption to make? Does the time element in the race of “education against catas- trophe” permit temporary disregarding of the child’s person- ality? Or will such disregard, even though temporary — evitably serve as a boomerang? Finally, is it fair to pose the question as intensive education for democracy now with some disregard for the child’s per- sonality or totalitarian education later with no regard for the child’s personality? Frances Comfort DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rk. KILPATRICK IN THIS ARTICLE practices what he preaches. D Instead of insisting on his own definitions and arguing the validity of the conclusions he derives therefrom, he aims at “increasing the ability (of the reader) to judge for him- self.” I myself, in commenting, fall into more partisan exposi- tion, constrained by lack of space and of conclusive information and also, I may say, for want of confidence in my own conelu- sions, Questions of classroom procedure, in relation to this whole problem of propaganda and indoctrination, concern me primarily. Teaching, by whatever name, which leads to a closed mind is bad; but so also is teaching which leaves the mind open to the four winds of heaven. Too long suspended judgment leads to THE AMERICAN TEACHER ie ron Tr ROPE — — err +: a kind of suspended animation. Those who advocate indoctrina- tion for democracy are moved by recognition of the attractive- ness of ideologies which claim infallibility and of the social effectiveness of their adherents. At least those values which Dr. Kilpatrick regards as ultimate in a democratic society (“reliance on intelligence and respect for personality”) may justifiably be implanted in our pupils. Moreover, failure to do so, it seems to me, places young demo erats at the mercy of young fascists and communists, both in thought and action. Since the child is primarily his own teacher, those values which underly a “full” education as opposed to “mere” indoctrination need to become part of the individual at an early age, to allow for intellectual growth and guard from exploitation. The crying need, it seems to me, is to teach people how to make up their minds—tentatively enough to allow reopening of the question on the appearance of new evidence, but at the same time confidently and sincerely enough to direct their action. Otherwise they lack either the integration of the doe- trinaire or the flexibility of the realist, or both. What seems indicated is more classroom practice in the actual process of arriving at valid judgment. We do try to teach how to muster the factual data, but we assume that school chil dren are too immature to weigh the evidence and come to sound conclusions. Actually, the adult population is often little bet ter equipped to make the decisions democracy demands of it. Not the immaturity of children but the failure to adopt criteria of judgment is responsible primarily for the inconclusive or faulty judgments pupils make in our classrooms. If teachers and pupils assume as postulates the basic democratic values, the classroom discussion will do more than train in the application of abstract principles to actual situations; it will “teach” democracy through unfolding its full implications in all our social rela- tionships. We need not indoctrinate for democracy, but only practice it and insist as well as we can that others practice it too. Democracy as a way of life sells itself; as a social theory it is unassailable. The threat to democratic government lies in our timidity or in eptness at putting democracy to work. “Fundamentally,” Com- missioner Studebaker has said, “self-government is being under- mined by its failure to solve the crucial problems of the tech- nological age. Edueation for democracy, therefore, is basically concerned with the social and economic issues which have been put up to us by the machine empire.” The challenge of the totalitarian governments to democracy is that they have picked up these red-hot issues and even “solved” them, in their own fashion, while we hesitate. Free men must also know how to be decisive. Clyde R. Miller TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA U. ROFESSOR KILPATRICK WISELY SHOWS that propaganda can P be good as well as bad. These terms, of course, are rela tive. To Professor Kilpatrick and all who believe in the demo cratic realities that propaganda is good which honestly as well as effectively is propaganda in behalf of democracy. In a democ- racy it is essential that decisions be based on full knowledge and free discussion of relevant facts involved in issues affecting public welfare. Many of these relevant facts, as a result of propaganda and of censorship, which is a form of propaganda, are hidden or distorted. It becomes necessary, therefore, in the educational process, to recognize and analyze propaganda if one is to have knowledge of relevant facts. The process of analysis is nothing more or less than critical thinking. It should not be feared but rather should be weleomed by an honest propagandist who is working NOVEMBER, 1939 in behalf of democratic realities. He should be willing to place all his eards on the table. Secret treaties secretly arrived at are a contributing cause of the present world crisis. Secret understanding secretly ar rived at among individuals and groups affecting our domestic welfare are a cause of many of our troubles at home. Whether the propaganda concerns foreign policy or domestic policy, or issues in our own communities, analysis serves public welfare by bringing relevant facts and forces into the light of day. The public schools are justified only in terms of public welfare. Public welfare means the welfare of the individuals making up the public. Their welfare is involved in all manner of issues with which are associated all manner of propagandas. Discussion of these issues and analysis of the associated propagandas is not only a proper function of the school but an essential function if democratic realities are to be maintained and extended. Ray Lussenhop CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS Was IS EDUCATION? Dr. Kilpatrick defines the process as the freeing “from ignorance and prejudice so that” each one may “see more surely where his true welfare lies.” Teachers of the social studies would readily accept this defini tion as wel! as the distinction between good and bad propa- ganda. We realize, however, that grave dangers face democracy today. Practically every social or economie problem with which we deal calls for an examination of existing conditions. Per sons interested in maintaining the status quo, or what they think the status quo should be, too often assume that realistic and scientific presentations of social facts are of “subversive and sinister character.” Such attitudes are just as prevalent today as a century and a half ago. How can we make use of Dr. Kilpatrick’s definitions in the face of modern prejudices? A good many philosophical absolutes may never be realized in practical life. So with Dr. Kilpatrick’s definitions. As an ultimate goal they deserve loyalty. As a practical guide they must be used with caution and a sense of relativity. Given time, freedom and unlimited material we might enjoy the task of true education. Yet school terms are being restricted; in many localities freedom has never amounted to much and grow- ing war hysteria threatens academic freedom everywhere; and materials to place in pupils’ hands are meager enough unless we are to exhaust our personal finances providing supplementary reading. To add to these shackles upon the educative process, we must cope with administrator after administrator who be lieves, and acts upon this belief, that the schools must have nothing to do with the solutions to modern social problems! It matters not that we have presented the information and allowed the pupils to think through to a logical conclusion. The students’ beliefs have been created. We have selected the material, or directed the activities, upon which these beliefs are based. Therefore, we have indulged in propaganda, and, what is worse, subversive propaganda! We didn’t tell the pupils int Ke oF where they were going! That is propa- ganda (bad) to many an administrator. These academic leaders would, at this point, use Dr. Kilpatrick’s definitions and accuse us of loading the source material and activity. The issue would 23 then revert to the validity of our sources. Where i the academic court of appeal for this impasse? Shall we, then, use only that information which is consid- ered safe by administrators and sound by the community’s economic leaders? Shall we desist from all action that might be construed as bad propaganda by someone or other? Shall we hesitate when not certain in our own minds that pupils have reached their conclusions unaided by reliance upon author- ity or belief? What would happen if we acted with this extreme eaution’ Erika Mann has accused the schools of Republican Germany of following such a path. In her School for Bar- berians (Modern Age) she writes: “One subject, political propaganda, was missing from the curriculum. The German Republic refused to influence its citizens one way or the other, or to convinee them of the advantages of democracy; it did not carry on any propaganda in its own favor. ... The State was the people’s servant; it served in quiet, believing that its mas- ter, the people, would be thankful. But the State was wrong.” (Page 45.) Even while we hesitate we fail to shield the child from indoctrination in the school. Political parties, churches, news- papers, fraternal organizations, social groups of all types are too often perpetuated by means of indectrination. The ideal of success ineuleated by our modern press and our poli- tieal parties may be too strong for any edu- eation for social reasoning to counteract. When school boards and school administra- tors represent these very ideals we find a conflict within the school’s structure. We are not a world apart. Both the good and evil forces of our civilization find their places within our educational system; and both forces compete for the loyalty of youth. The adherent of the one way of life wel- comes propaganda and indoctrination and has all the prestige of success. The adherent of the other way must be faithful to his ideals of true education but must not make a virtue of weakness. When the time comes to resolve the issue he must be ready to strike blow for blow and not be willing to hide behind a philosophical absolute which too easily renders him impotent. Hazel Murray CLEVELAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS F I UNDERSTAND Dr. KILPATRICK CORRECTLY, indoctrination I implies the inculeation of a set of ideas as desirable, per- mament and infallible; education involves the choice among all available ideas, based upon an examination of all facts con- nected with them. With this I can substantially agree, believing, or wanting to believe at least, that democracy can stand the test of exam- ination if all facts with reference to its origin and development are fully and freely available and its relation to the sanctity of the individual is made clear. I am conscious, however, of something like a reservation, based upon the assumption that intelligent decisions depend upon the under- standing of permanent and ultimate values —values often obscured or even opposed by immediate considerations. Can a youth be expected to see far enough ahead to choose wisely, when present values seem most real, and since he is at an age to which emotional rather than rational factions appeal more strongly? Can a youth be expected to make a choice grounded upon ethical principles when he sees about him “right forever on the 24 scaffold, wrong forever on the throne”? Will he not, in a socicty which still is far from justly rewarding ethical conduct, choose to succeed rather than to be right if he cannot do both? I would not imply that the results inferred above to be de- sirable are impossible of attainment without specific indoctrina- tion, but I am aware of the delicacy and difficulty of the task. The solution lies, perhaps, in the careful and concrete practic: of democracy in the schools, a procedure which ought to produce more effective results than a mere passing on of ideas and which cannot fail of ready acceptance. The necessity of a practical as well as a theoretical democracy is forcibly brought to attention these days when every kind of group and organization is rushing to the defense of demive- racy, offering in many cases lip service only. They are deny- ing, right in the schools upon whom the defense of democracy really rests, the right of freedom of contract, freedom of speech and other supposedly inalienable rights of the teacher. When autocratic policies and procedures are a thing of tie past in the schools and the teacher is free to practice what \ie preaches, then the advantages of democracy should be so obvi- ous that they will need no special indoctrination nor skillfully directed propaganda. Frank E. Baker MILWAUKEE STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE AM IN ENTIRE ACCORD with the author’s arguments and con- I clusions on propaganda, but I cannot accept as sound thie rather arbitrary distinction between indoctrination and full edu- eation. Just as we all agree that propaganda is not inherently either good or bad and that its dangers lie in its purposes and its control, similarly indoctrination must be measured by its aims. To label all indoctrination as bad, which the author seems to have done, is an implied contradiction of the statement that some indoctrination is socially necessary. If some indoc- trination is necessary in the molding function of education, then from the social standpoint it is not bad. Furthermore, I cannet agree with the author’s negative answer to the question, “Shall we not in self-defense indoctrinate our youth in democracy?” We not only should, but must indoe: trinate them in the fundamental principles of democracy, which to me are unchanging. While the practices of democracy have and will continue to change, the fundamental ideals of person- ality, freedom, rationalism and equality are unchanging and must be indoctrinated. Walter G. O’Donnell CLEVELAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS trination are inconsistent with democracy cannot be ac- cepted withut substantial qualifications. Under favorable con- ditions, quite unlike the present state of affairs, the theories set forth in his theme would be almost logical enough to war rant indoctrination; but when a theory, however attractive and worthy of promulgation, runs head-on into the conerete world of reality, the theory requires some revision if it is to survive. While granting the social dangers involved in the abuse of either propaganda or indoctrination, both are not only inevitab'e, but necessary, under present conditions in a demoeratie society. Theoretically, it is probably a sound educational ideal to reduce indoctrination and eliminate what Dr. Kilpatrick calls “bad” propaganda, but one accords scant credit to the vitality of demor- racy when it is inferred that the preservation of this system of social contro] hinges upon the elimination of these two Peg KILPATRICK’S CONCLUSION that propaganda and indoc- THE AMERICAN TEACHER factors that enter into the moulding of public opinion. If they are inevitable, destructive to democracy, then democracy is inev- itably destroyed. Such a conclusion marks a radical departure from the rugged facts of realism. Proceeding from a sufficiently inclusive definition of propa- ganda, Dr. Kilpatrick immediately narrows the whole con- ception of the term by a rather vague distinction between “good” and “bad” propaganda, introducing an ethical ele- ment that adds to the uncertainty of the concept. Every influ- ence entering into the formation of public opinion constitutes propaganda. The free play of intelligence, which is one of the essentials of democracy, according to Dr. Kilpatrick, is im- possible without the organized influence of propaganda. We are living in a highly organized modern world in which the influ- ence of individuals, acting singly, is overshadowed by group action. In order to influence the minds of many people ef- fectively and obtain action on matters of public policy, large- seale propagandist operations are required. The function of the individual as such, in a democratic state, is to appraise and select alternative policies presented through the channels of group action. It is the function of the state to compromise and compose the conflicting interests in the crucible of free public discussion, arriving at sound public policy without depriving any group of the right to propagandize. While it is possible to distinguish between logical and illogieal propaganda, and judge propaganda according to the fairness of its methods, Dr. Kilpatrick’s over-emphasis upon the distinction between what he calls “good” and “bad” propaganda is likely to give rise to an attitude of intolerance that would endanger the whole structure of libertarian government, introducing a superficial discrimination against certain kinds of propaganda to which the ethical label “bad” happens to be applied. To expect large numbers of people to distinguish between “good” and “bad” propaganda upon the basis of the worthiness of its end, the unselfishness of its sponsors or its absolute connec- tion with general welfare is to assume that ordinary men can solve what experts shun. It is the tendency of each group to regard their particular brand of propaganda as “good,” identifying their special interest with the general welfare, while condemn- ing that of the opposition as “bad.” The next step is to sup- press the “bad” propaganda, and, with it, freedom of speech and the “free play of intelligence” which Dr. Kilpatrick rightly regards as vitally important in a democracy. With absolute truth so elusive in the realm of social science, it would be prae- tically impossible to judge the “goodness” of propaganda from the standpoint of ethical ends, yet this is the basis of judgment in the minds of most persons. All that remains, and Dr. Kil- patrick has made the best of this, is to train individuals to judge the methods of propaganda upon the basis of rules of sound reasoning and objective evidence, enabling individuals to choose intelligently between various forms of propaganda. But to prepare “good” and “bad” labels for various kinds of propaganda, with definitely ethical implications, would seri- ously impinge upon the main function of organized interest groups—the exertion of influence upon public opinion—and would set one group against another in an intolerant struggle to lay claim to having the righteous propaganda. Free speech would be the victim of such contention. Propaganda, then, good or bad, is not only inevitable, but quite necessarily toler- ated in a democracy in order that greater evils may not follow. Our problem is not to segregate and suppress “bad” propa- ganda, but to teach a more enlightened generation to avoid its influences. The other phase of Dr. Kilpatrick’s thesis, setting forth the incompatibility of democracy and indoctrination, is equally commendable from the theoretical standpoint and equally ob- jectionable from the practical standpoint. For those select few who are trained and capable of critieal thinking, indoetrina- NOVEMBER, 1939 tion is an obstacle to development, but every teacher, including Dr. Kilpatrick, is frequently obliged to resort to indoctrination. Because of the press of time and the natural limitations of mental capacity among those with whom we work, little would be learned if much were not accepted upon the basis of authority. The problem of educators, then, is not to attempt to eliminate indoctrination entirely, but to determine, upon the basis of a democratic philosophy of education, just what ideals and atti- tudes are worthy of indoctrination. We are too inclined to take democracy for granted and listen to the attack upon its principles with a smug complacency hardly warranted by the conditions of our time. The creed of democracy, enlivened by freedom of discussion and subjected to the critical tests of the scientific method, is deserving of indoctrination. To this extent, democracy needs indoctrination. Joseph Ehrenreich PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS N THIS BRIEF SPACE I can best comment on Dr. Kilpatrick’s I article by raising some questions. Some of these questions are rhetorical; others might not be asked if I were more cer- tain of Dr. Kilpatrick’s meaning. Can an overburdened teacher teach a class of forty-five the art of “independent thinking and decision”? Should teachers really and truly be fair to both sides of a question? For instance, should every school play which teaches tolerance be immediately counteracted by another play which arouses racial prejudice? Or does the new philosophy imply that we should have no teaching that arouses emotions; that all teaching should be impartial and at a cold intellectual level? Will enemies of organized labor, of peace or of demo- eratic rights withhold their blows until our millions of per- sonalities make up their individual minds, after impartial and thorough discussion, to defend democracy? Is a common social purpose no longer one of the aims of education? Cannot an individual, within the framework of a common purpose, retain his personality and his critical faculties? Edgar Dale OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY SHOULD LIKE TO SET FORTH a series of assumptions about propaganda which earry Dr. Kilpatrick’s arguments one step forward. 1. There is far less danger of the American people suc- cumbing to war propaganda from abroad than many people imagine. The propagandas which we need to fear most are American products. 2. Propagandas adverse to democracy feed upon the pres- ent insecurities, fears and frustrations of the American people. 3. By removing the threat of eco- nomie insecurity through active effort on the part of our citizenry to solve the dilemma of poverty in the midst of plenty, we de- vitalize or eliminate dangerous anti-democratic propagandas. 4. We need to develop in our chil- dren, our pupils, our citizenry an intense devotion to the worth and dignity of all individuals, to the need for solving our problems cooperatively and to the method of science in the solu- tion of problems. 5. We must learn to recognize our own prejudices—get them out into the open where they can be examined. 6. We must constantly analyze all attempts to get us to make up our minds in a predetermined direction. Let’s suppose that we carried out this last idea in the field of the movies. What would we do about it next week? First of all, we would not surrender our minds at the box office of the movie theatre. We would realize that the critical barriers that we may ordinarily set up are lowered under the conditions of heightened suscep- tibility in the movie theatre. We would not accept uncritically the movie assumption that the best people live lives of swank and suavity, that one is really living when he is driving a big car, wearing tails or an evening gown. We would recognize that the skillful dramatist is now, perhaps un- wittingly, pressing the button of racial prejudice, now nationalistic superiority, and making us respond accordingly. Second, we would ask ourselves some critical questions about current treatment of the European war. For example, in the treatment of the current war is there danger in the fact that in the last month 50 per cent of all the items in the five leading newsreels dealt with war or the preparation for war? Is there danger that in the past few years the ratio of such items to peace items has usually been about twelve war items to one peace item? Or more basically, is there danger that in radio dramas, movies, comic strips and fiction stories such heavy emphasis is put upon violence as a method of solving problems? Shall we blandly accept the proffered explanation that violence thus vicariously entered into actually acts to prevent real violence, or what shall our attitude toward it be? My basic objection is not that violence is portrayed, but rather that too little atten- ion is given to the dramatization of non-violent methods for solving human problems. To exercise discriminating taste in the viewing of movies, listening to the radio or the reading of newspapers is of course to eut through this whole problem of propaganda. Indeed, one of the basic tasks of the school is to develop the art of dis- crimination in regard to all communication—printed, pictorial or spoken. Nor should we see our task merely in the light of a negative approach. We need the positive approach of radio, movies and a press which tell us the truth about the world in which we live—radio programs like “Americans All, Immigrants All,” which informs us about the rich contributions of the various nationalities of which America is made; foreign news sections like that of the Chicago Daily News, which helps the reader to make up his mind about foreign affairs with the assistance of able foreign correspondents; movies like the story of Dr. Carver, which portrayed the struggles of Dr. Carver of Tuskegee in winning international success as a scientist. An approach to this problem of propaganda which does not rest merely with analysis and detection of propaganda but which goes forward to the development of a program for understand- ing the reality of America can be put into effect right now in American schools. No new subjects are necessary, no new ar- rangements of schedule, no new courses of study. All that we need is a conviction on the part of teachers that they will edu- eate for critical-mindedness, not for the gullibility that inevitably comes from the memorizing of what “authorities” in science, history or other fields have said. What we must realize is that boys and girls, young men and women, must be helped to arrive ‘at thoughtful answers to all significant problems which they are facing not only in school but in the home and community as well. 26 Kenneth Burke AUTHOR OF ATTITUDES TOWARD HISTORY HANK YOU FOR INVITING ME to participate in the discus- sion of Dr. Kilpatrick’s engrossing and stimulating arti ele, embodying a spirit so sensitive and humane that one could have full confidence in a world educated in its image. And in commenting on so valuable a statement, I should dare to tinker with it but slightly. In a few spots the argument seems to be settled by epithet. Where “propaganda (bad sense)” is pitted against “education (full sense),” all men of goodwill must necessarily vote for the second. But though Dr. Kilpatrick occasionally treads about the edges of this temptation, his essay as a whole is obviously concerned with much deeper issues. To approach those, I should begin by adding one more term to his “education-ethics-intelli- gence-personality-freedom-democracy” equation (as against the “propaganda-indoctrination-authoritarianism” equation). This added term would be “dialectics.” In conformity with Mead, as I understand him, I take democracy to be a device for insti- tutionalizing the dialectic process, by setting up a political struc- ture that gives full opportunity for the use of competition to a cooperative end. Allow full scope to the dialectic process, and you establish a scene in which the protagonist of a thesis has maximum opportunity to modify his thesis, and so mature it, in the lig:.t of the antagonist’s rejoinders. I wish 1 knew in advance whether Dr. Kilpatrick concurs in my proposal that “dialectics” be added to the benign side of his agon. For I believe that the addition might make a slight but important difference in the nature of his argument. Hence, I should properly not proceed until I had assurance that he consented to my offer (particularly since the offer- ing is made with mildly Trojan-horse designs). For I should want to insist that the all-important desirability of full opportunity for the enacting of the dialectic process should be absolutely affirmed and indoctrinated. In fact, is not Dr. Kilpatrick in effect doing precisely this in pleading so persuasively for “the free play of intelligence”? Yet he is unnecessarily handing advantages to the enemy in trying to avoid the “charge” of indoctrination, for he thereby gives the impression that the educator would retire from his proper role as guide to the uninitiated in offering them the fruits of his greater maturity and knowledge. I should contend, therefore, that the dialectic process abso- lutely must be unimpeded, if society is to perfect its under- standing of reality by the necessary method of give-and-take (yield-and-advanee). And on the basis of this absolute, I should next absolutely and undeviatingly place dictatorship as an im- perfect medium whose imperfections are heightened to a maxi- mum by organizational efficiency. Only if all reports were in and if there were no vital questions still unanswered, could a social body dispense with the assistance of a vocal opposition in the maturing of our chart as to what is going on, whicli social functions are helpful and which harmful. Dictatorships, in silencing the opposition, remove the intermediary between error and reality. Silence the human opponent, and you are brought flat against the unanswerable opponent, the nature of brute reality itself. Insofar as your meanings are incorrect, and you spawn them and maintain them by organizational eflii- ciency without the opportunity of correction, you are hurled without protection against the unanswerable opponent, the op ponent that, not speaking, cannot be quashed by the quietus. This “unanswerable opponent” is the actual state of affairs that is of one sort while the authority would decree it another. Let the gradual sifting and selection of persons best fit for pivotal roles in the authoritarian situation progress sufficiently, and the dictator that began by saying only what he would like most THE AMERICAN TEACHER — @2& we me te me & to say ends by hearing only what he would like most to hear—whereat of a sudden the fatal heckler enters, and he must hear what he would like least to hear. With so much affirmed absolutely, as gospel, I should next move into the area of “complicating factors.” Such an area would be exemplified by Dr. Kilpatrick’s observations about the propaganda of the public utilities. This would be placed as an instance of the way in which our doctrinal absolute is violated. One could note other violations. Thus, when our press, radio and newsreels play up the doctrines of some factions and play down the doctrines of others, we are again confronting the dictatorial function, with its risks. And insofar as these dicta- torial functions gain organizational efficiency, making partial truths act as whole truths, they too move us closer to the unan- swerable opponent. As part of the dialectic process, this unanswerable opponent takes social embodiment in the vessel of a counter-dictatorship. Two forms of efficient over-emphasis break into dissociates— and the debate, being balked on the parliamentary plane, moves to the plane on which an interchange is still possible, the plane of foree (with its own dialectic of parry and thrust, and its ramparts “disputed” ). I do not flatter myself that, by repeating this old story kere, I am informing anyone of anything. My point is simply to emphasize that, from this approach, got by the addition of “dialectics” to his cluster of terms, the educator’s message can be presented in terms of positive indoctrination (with all the psychological advantages of such a mode) as against the tonali- ties of tentativeness in Dr. Kilpatrick’s strategy of presentment. And its affirmation is based squarely on a body of thought and information, that is, on a tradition. Yet, though affirming his position as a doctrine, to be indoctrinated, the indoctrinator need not encumber himself with the claim that his doctrine is a finished product as regards accuracy and scope in the filling- out of its implications and the tracing of its ramifications (the road to further development thus being left open). Dr. Kilpatrick would even concede that democracy may, at some future time, need to be abandoned, or at least to be so modified as to have a radically different meaning from the mean- ing it has for us. But need he make this concession, through fear of “indoctrination” and its absolutes? Even if times were such as to convince a reasonable man that, within the dialectic process as institutionalized in a given structure of property, parliament and publication, a large degree of dictatorship had arisen in function (regardless of what it might be called in name) and if he felt that, within the limitations of the seene, this error-breeding fune- tion could be removed only by the act of a counter-dictator- ship, he could still, as an edu- cater, acclaim as his ideal di- rective the reestablishment of full dialectic opportunity. And thus, even in raw times, he would affirm a doctrine, grounded in tradition, that tugged in the direction of ma- turity, towards the abating of the rawness. And where he could not do this greatly, he could do it somewhat. There are several passages in Dr. Kilpatrick’s essay that implicitly embody this position in favor of doctrine based on tradition, for all his reluctance NOVEMBER, 1939 to subscribe explicitly. Thus, having equated democratic free- dom with ethics, he observes that his ideal “is no higher than our best morals has taught for some thousands of years, and it is no higher than scientists now sternly exact of each other” (whereat we see a past tradition and a contemporary tradition merged). Or when he speaks of “decent ethics” and “proper democratic standards,” he is again referring to public, or tradi- tional, matters that impose restrictions upon the individual. Nor, if this traditien, or doctrine, is a good one, need we con- sider its restrictions as an infringement of an individual’s liber- ties; hence we need not feel that an educator would be imposing his will upon the educated in indoctrinating it—a free act, a good act, and a rationally motivated (i.e., induced) act being the same. Dialectically, the individual’s freedom depends upon the traditions of the collectivity. What, in brief, is the function of doctrine? Doctrine is em ployed in the attempt to coach or induce a reasonable act which, without doctrine, could take place only through spontaneous illumination on the part of the individual. And without either doctrine or spontaneous illumination, the act could be induced only by force or threat of foree (which impairs the freedom, or full rationality, of the act). The doctrinal device, as localized for particular scenes, does to be sure become irrelevant in pro- portion as the scene undergoes change. Or the doctrine remains relevant, too relevant, relevant malignly, as it is employed by authorities consciously or unconsciously to block the develop- ment of doctrine more socially useful (doctrine better suited to chart the scene). But to attempt eliminating the problem of bad doctrine by eliminating doctrine per se is like trying to elim- inate heart disease by eliminating hearts. Only by doctrine could one “act on thinking,” for only by doctrine could one describe the nature of the scene in which the act is to take place. However, the dialectical, historical processes by which good doctrine becomes bad doctrine should eertainly be studied, and the results of this study patiently indoctrinated, as a “doc- trine of doctrines.” A perennial embarrassment in liberal apologetics has arisen from its “surgical” proclivity: its attempt to outlaw a malfune- tion by outlawing the function. It is happier when in the sign of “emancipation” than when in the sign of “control.” But since it has so many just claims to its role as the repository of much “good” doctrine, why should it take on unnecessary handicaps by allowing “bad” doctrines to enjoy alone the strat- egie advantages that go with the doctrinal act? Among the New Beaks SCHOOLS FOR TOMORROW’S CITIZENS: Public Affairs Pamphlets Number 30, by MAXwELL 8. Stewart. New York: Public Affairs Committee. 31 pages. $0.10. HAT KIND OF schools do we want? What kind have V \ we had? Are they of all the people for all the peo- ple? How effectively have they prepared their popu- lation for citizenship in our modern scientific-technological so- ciety? Are they worth what they cost? How shall we deter- mine their worth? All these and other issues involving our schools are raised and discussed in the short 30 pages of Schools for Tomorrow’s Citizens which is based mainly upon the findings and recom- mendations of the Regents’ Inquiry into the Character and Cost of Education in the state of New York. The schools, like other social institutions of modern America, are characterized by a failure to adjust themselves to the demands and possi- bilities of our rapidly changing scientific and technological society. As in other institutions, this social lag is due to vested interests within and without the institution, general social inertia and the absence of well defined, charted and agreed upon goals. Although teachers of the American Federation of Teachers have been aware of many or most of the shortcomings of our public schools, few will be prepared for the startlingly reveal- ing findings of the Inquiry. All local educational policies committees received the call of the National Educational Policies Committee which asked that all Locals re-excite the interest of the American people in our schools, to implicate them in the examination of the purposes of our schools and to help the community in the formulation of broad educational policy. During these years of deepening domestic and international economic crisis apologists for the schools have replied to the eriticism—that youth has not been prepared for or aided in obtaining jobs—that to teach students to make a life and not a living was the first aim of the school. Teach men how to live together and all else will follow, they said. Now if there is anything dem- onstrably true about our democratic life, it is that its fullest realization demands greater insights and skills in working and living together than ever before. What have been our successes in reaching the goai to which we have dedicated ourselves and our profession? What did the tests of attitudes, knowl- edges, insights and skills about group relationships and demands reveal? That students will make little if any personal effort or sacrifice for the things they say they believe in! That most jobs involving civie responsibility and cooperation are left to George!! And further, that the longer our youth stay in school the more extensive these traits be- come!!! In other words in reply to the question, “Should a student volunteer to help clear up the school yard during the lunch hour?” one of three seventh graders said “yes,” while only one of six twelfth graders said “yes.” In reply to the question “Should a businessman accept nomination for mayor if loss to business and social interests is involved ?”’ one of four seventh graders said “yes” but only one of seven twelfth graders said “yes.” Would society have benefited more by their graduation after the seventh grade? 28 12TH GRADE From Schools for Tomorrow’s Citizens. For the educators to acknowledge these shortcomings is not, of course, to accept full responsibility for them. However, it does not assuage the conscience of the thoughtful teacher to be able to point out that many undemocratic attitudes are devel- oped by the emphasis on pecuniary values in our movies, his- tories, press and business civilization in competition with the school. The report does not, of course, place full responsi- bility for these and other shortcomings on the shoulders of teachers, supervisors or administrators alone “who have been more anxious than any one to make the school fill a vital place in American life. The difficulty has lain rather with the or- ganization of aims of the schools which have never been fully adjusted to our streamlined industrial age—a failure which is squarely up to the public as a whole.” The encouraging note of the report is not in the last quote but in the fact that of all the 45,000 persons interviewed in the two years during which this inquiry was conducted all agreed that our schools needed changing, all were eager to see im- provements, all believed “America does not want a caste sys- tem of education in which children, except under unusual cir- cumstances, rise above their parents. America believes in giving everyone a chance, and in giving special opportunities for those of special abilities. . . . It wants them not only to believe in democracy but to play their part in making it work. It wants them to know the happiness to be derived from hard work, as well as the joys of a profitably invested leisure. In short, it expects the school to develop rounded, balanced lives, to con- tribute to the students’ personalities, and to the enrichment of society.” In this report lies a challenge and an opportunity for our profession and especially to the local educational chairmen of the AFT. The Regents’ Inquiry into the Character and Cost PUPILS ATTITUDES SHOULD A STUDENT VOLUNTEER TO HELP CLEAR UP THE SCHOOL YARD DURING LUNCH HOUR? YES -_ mal 1 LLL Sf | 2 @&. @ Tiittiiad SHOULD A BUSINESS MAN ACCEPT NOMINATION FOR MAYOR IF LOSS TO BUSINESS AND SOCIAL INTERESTS IS INVOLVED 2 7TH GRADE iy 12TH GRADE ES # NO ULLL LLL rv Each symbol represents 8 per cent of all students. PICTORIAL STATISTICS, INC. for Pubtic Affairs Commitee, Inc THE AMERICAN TEACHER of Education in the state of New York can and probably will be a significant milestone in the history of American educa- tion. (Various volumes were reviewed in last year’s issues of the AMERICAN TEACHER and completed in the last issue.) Its significance will lie, however, in who uses it and for what purpose it is used. If we allow the opponents of our public schools who oppose a people powerful because of their knowl- edge of their rights as free men and- women of the instru- mentalities for retaining and extending this freedom to assume leadership in the use of this report, its significance is clear. There will be excuse for an intensification and extension of the drive to curtail and redirect American education. If, however, the educational chairmen of the Locals of the AFT use the full report as a basis of study with their com- mittees and the pamphlet, Schools for Tomorrow’s Citizens, as a basis of study with labor, fraternal, civic, religious, parental and service groups of the community, hope lies ahead for Ameri- ean education and American democracy. Here again is a chance for the American Federation of Teachers to demonstrate through their educational chairmen a realistic professional approach to the problem of American education. xk THE SCHOOLS CAN TEACH DEMOCRACY by Georer 8. Counts. New York: John Day. 32 pages. $0.25. k. COUNTS ENTITLES his pamphlet The Schools Can Teach Democracy. By implication he suggests in his title that they have not. With this thesis there is little disagreement. In the body of his dissertation he argues that unless the schools do teach democracy there is little hope for the survival of our liberties and our peculiarly American institutions. With this contention there is also little disagreement. The schools of America are the hope for those who wish to preserve our civil liberties, our free institutions and our oppor- tunities for creative experimentalism. They are the bulwark of our democracy, Dr. Counts rightfully insists. Teachers assent to this thesis. On the whole all of them believe they are teaching democratically and thereby strengthening the American way of life. Nevertheless, it is here the danger lies, for it is the exceptional teacher who is ezpable of inspiring her boys and girls to a nobler life and of rising above the dull routines of the classroom which, by their very nature, regiment life. This is particularly true in our large cities where line and staff administrative practices prevail and where school teachers are so markedly influenced by the society of which they are a part. Teachers who see that idealism does not pay are often prone to sell out for their own advancement and are too often willing to give only the demanded time to their task. It is at this point that the reviewer wishes that Dr. Counts had put more emphasis, for unless the spirit of democracy is maintained in the classroom itself and the techniques of democ- racy are strengthened in the schools and in society, there will be little opportunity in the future for those who believe in its philosophical implications. To be even more specific, teachers must be functional citizens both within their organizations and in society without. Merit systems must be protected, civil- service laws enforced, examinations honestly given and promo- tions fairly earned. Stated in another way, teachers who par- ticipate in the struggles of their own organization, in party poli- tices and in government itself are helping preserve democracy because they are maintaining the public faith in it by raising the levels of leadership and of civic efficiency. Furthermore, teachers as well as pupils learn by solving their problems, by WANDA TAESCHNER For special rates on “The Schools Can Teach Democ- racy” by George S. Counts in lots of ten or more, write to George T. Guernsey, Editor, the American Teacher, 506 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill. NOVEMBER, 1939 making adjustments in the tough struggles of everyday life. We in America need democracy in the market place even more desperately than in the ivory tower and only by teachers becom- ing active as citizens can democracy in the schools continue. This point is emphasized, for those who live differently think differently and act differently. Dr. Counts, as a great teacher, knows that boys and girls in school and adults with whom we live are influenced more by our attitudes and activities than by our theology. It is for this reason that Dr. Counts’ position is so significant both as an author and as president of the Ameri- ean Federation of Teachers. The American Federation of Teachers has many advocates of democracy today. It is through the implementation of these expressions of faith that the Ameri- ean Federation of Teachers will significantly indicate its real position. It is through the American Federation of Teachers organization of the teachers of America and its protection of the pioneers who lead the way that democracy will be best served. This pamphlet should be read by every member of the Teacher’s Union because Dr. Counts deals with the problems which they face. Of course, Dr. Counts is not expetted to produce a blue print. It is only that we who are facing specific problems feel the need for handles to take hold of. KERMIT EsBy x** STAFF STUDY NUMBER 12, SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF NEGRO EDUCATION, prepared by Doxry A. WILKERSON for the Advisory Committee on Education. Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office. 171 pages. $0.25. HE PURPOSE OF Staff Study Number 12, prepared by the "hao vice president-at-large of the American Federa- tion of Teachers, as stated in the introduction, is to do three things: (1) To determine the relative adequacy of public education for the white and Negro populations in those eighteen states which require complete school segregation on all educa- tional levels; (2) to evaluate the present status of the Negro separate school; and (3) in the light thereof, to suggest meas- ures for making more nearly adequate the public education of Negroes in states which maintain separate schools. According to data presented, which cover the years 1933-34 and, to some extent, the years 1935-36, there is a relatively low standard of education for Negroes in the southern states. The situation is summarized thus: “In general, and especially in rural areas, Negro elementary pupils attend extremely impov- erished, small, short-term schools, lacking in transportation service, void of practically every kind of instructional equip- ment, and staffed by relatively unprepared, overloaded teachers whose compensation does not approximate a subsistence wage. The vast majority of pupils progress through only the primary grades of these schools. The few who finish the elementary grades find relatively little opportunity, especially in rural areas, for a complete standard secondary education. Opportunities for education in public undergraduate colleges are even more limited, and opportunities for graduate and professional study at publicly controlled institutions are almost nonexistent. In most special and auxiliary educational programs and services— public libraries, vocational education, vocational rehabilitation, agricultural research, and agricultural and home economics extension—the same low standards obtain. Only in case of one or two Federal emergency programs is there an approach to proportional provision of public education for Negroes in these states.” The recommendations which are made by the Committee for equalizing racial opportunities are based not only on recog- nition of the fact that justice demands an improvement in the social effectiveness of the Negro but on an understanding of the relation which any large group of uneducated citizens bears to the security of the nation as a whole. EDMUND HOOSER 29 Edited from the Labor Press #2 and the Federated Press ORGANIZED LABOR’S BATTING average before state legislatures dur- ing 1939 was one of the poorest in many years, the Department of Labor reveals in its annual digest of new state laws affect- ing workers. Forty-four legislatures held sessions, but ‘only a handful enacted measures favorable to labor, the report showed. Some of them put over statutes drastically restricting labor’s rights, and in other states unions had to wage terrific fights to forestall equally repressive laws. One of the blackest records was chalked up in Pennsylvania, the digest disclosed. The Keystone state was described as hav- ing completely “reversed its 1937 policies on labor relations,”’ which were laid down during the administration of Governor George H. Earle. Under the new Republican regime, Pennsylvania passed a sweeping anti- labor law which strait-jacketed unions in strikes, picketing and other activities. On top of that, it emasculated its work- men’s compensation and occupational dis- ease laws, which had been among the most liberal in the country, the Department’s summary set forth. Wisconsin, through its legislature, and Oregon, by referendum, were listed as having adopted equally stringent “labor relations” laws, which wiped out liberties unions had won after many years of struggle. Somewhat milder laws, limiting labor’s rights in strikes, were put into effect by Michigan and Minnesota. Many states went backward in other respects also, the‘report pointed out. New Hampshire took away from employees in canning industries and in telegraph and telephone offices the benefits of a state law requiring that workers be given one day’s rest out of seven. New Mexico was cited as having aban- doned its law which limited employment of women workers to six days a week. Colorado, Minnesota and Rhode Island weakened state labor departments by shifting some of their functions to other agencies. In over 30 states, “little wage-hour acts,” modeled along the lines of the fed- eral law to cover local industries, were introduced, but not one passed. Seven states, however, voted to authorize their labor departments to cooperate with the Federal Government in enforcement of the national act. The state legislative picture wasn’t entirely black, the Department of Labor explained. There were some bright spots, among which the Department named these : Arkansas, Idaho and Maryland enacted laws covering compensation for occupa- ‘ tional diseases. Utah and Montana improved their 30 maximum laws for women. California, Nevada, Minnesota and North Carolina authorized establishment of state councils to promote apprentice- ship training. West Virginia and California clamped restrictions on industrial homework. Connecticut and New Mexico put through laws curtailing the issuance of injunctions in labor disputes. * PAID-UP MEMBERSHIP OF THE AFL for August, 1939, was 4,006,354, representing an increase of 383,267 in the past year, according to a report to the Cincinnati convention. As in 1939, the teamsters reported the largest membership of any affiliated union—350,000, a gain of 30,800 during the year. Thirteen other unions re- ported gains of 5,000 or more members, the increases being: operating engi- neers, 28,800; electrical workers, 25,300; retail clerks, 18,600; stagehands, 14,200; bakers, 10,900; butchers, 10,800; laun- dry workers, 9,800; hotel and restaurant workers, 8,900; hatters, 7,500; hod ear- riers, 6,700; state, county and municipal workers, 5,700; maintenance of way employees, 5,300; and brick and clay workers, 5,000. Expenditures for organizing declined from $1,174,014 to $889,549. Receipts for the year ending August 31, 1939, were $1,800,249, as against $1,844,203 for the preceding 12-month period. * DECISIONS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE to organized labor are likely to be handed down before the nine justices of the U. S. Supreme Court, who gath- ered for the Court’s one hundred and fiftieth session in Washington, D. C., on October 2, hang up their black robes next summer. Pending before the Court is the Na- tional Labor Relations Board’s certifica- tion of the Pacific Coast longshoremen in a geographical unit. The case is being contested by the American Fed- eration of Labor. Also coming before the Court this year will be the Ford and Republic Steel cases against the NLRB, it was expected. At present both eases are pending in the courts after decisions in favor of the unions by the Board. It is thought likely that the wage- hours law will be brought before the Court during the present term for a review of its constitutionality. In the one decision handed down on this sub- ject so far the law has been held con- stitutional. x THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF Labor will soon start an _ intensive organizing drive, with more than 800 local committees in every industrial community in the country designated to seek out unorganized plants in their sections and prepare the way for or- ganizing campaigns, the Federation stated today. The local committees will be named by the city central labor bodies affiliated with the Federation. * THE TWO AFL PAPERMAKERS’ unions ended successfully a_ three- week strike at Gouverneur, N. Y., which granted them a contract with an immediate 5-per-cent wage increase and another 5-per-cent increase on No- vember 24. ... Kenneth Thomson, sec- retary of the Screen Actors Guild (AFL), has urged movie actors to re- sist any pay cuts which the producers may propose because of the European war. ... The new Typographical Union eontract for New York City includes paid vacations for the first time—also wage increases of $1.85 per week and the continuation of the 5-day week and 744-hour day. ... The Teamsters Union (AFL) at Tucson, Ariz., recently won a wage increase for unorganized cow- boys who were serving as movie extras. . . The Baldwin Locomotive Works signed the first union contract in its 130 years of existence. It was with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (CIO) at Eddystone, Pa. ... A union- shop contract providing $300,000 in annual wage increases for 1,500 clerks in New York City’s small retail stores has been signed by the Retail Drygoods Employees Union (CIO) and the New York Retail Drygoods Association... . The SWOC is demanding a $5.00 daily minimum wage effective immediately in all Bethlehem Steel Corporation plants. Present minimums are $4.48 and $4.64. . . . Production workers of the Warner Gear Company, Muncie, Ind., struck in order to take a $20,000-a-year wage cut so that their non-production brothers could have a $40,000-a-year boost. All workers are members of the United Automobile Workers (CIO). * DURING ITS FIRST YEAR THE wage-hour law increased wages to the 25-cent hourly minimum for 300,000 low-paid workers and shortened the work-week to 44 hours for 1,400,000 over- worked employees. Effective October 24, the required step-up from 25 cents to 30 cents will raise wages for an ad- ditional 250,000 workers, while the shortened work-week of 42 hours will benefit 400,000 more workers. Fifth in the New Deal unpopularity contest in Fortune magazine’s recent Forum of Executive Opinion, the law was favored in its present form by only 29.8 per cent of employers, with 47 per cent voting for an emasculated measure and 21.4 per cent voting for none at all. Despite their opposition, THE AMERICAN TEACHER SUL ee a ee - > -— ms the majority of employers have complied. A number of efforts to amend the law failed in the last session of Congress. Exemptions were unsuccessfully sought for white-collar workers, telegraph messengers and all han- dlers of agricultural products. The only workers exempt under the original provisions are seamen, agricultural work- ers, executives and canning and packing workers “in the area of production.” Although the law has affected the un- organized far more than the organized, it has benefited the unions by eliminating sub-standard competition to the ad- vantage of employers operating under union conditions. In 27 of the 47 criminal prosecutions made during the first year of enforcement, employers pleaded guilty and fines totaling $80,000 were imposed. In 39 of the 43 injunction suits filed by the administration, employers agreed to pay back wages due under the law. * THREE MILLION UNION MEMBERS OUT OF 8,000,000 are now covered by closed-shop agreements, according to the U. S. Department of Labor. ... President Reid Robinson of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers (CIO) has charged that 50 out of 500 claimants have died of silicosis while waiting for the decision on NLRB charges against the Eagle-Picher Company in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The case has been pending for four years.~. . Leona Atherton told the State Industrial Commission of Colorado recently that after graduating from beauty school she landed a job which netted her from 80 cents to $3.00 a week and was allowed 20 cents for carfare. . . . The wage-hour administration is seeking an early court test on the practice of the majority of railroads of deducting redcaps’ tips from the legal 25-cent (now 30-cent) hourly minimum wage. .. . Violators of the National Labor Relations Act would be barred from Government contracts for three years under the terms of an amendment to the Walsh-Healy Act adopted recently by the Senate. .. .The Screen Actors Guild has raised $220,000 for the Motion Picture Relief Fund Home for Aged People through the Screen Guild show which is broadcast over CBS. ... Although an investigator for the Connecticut State Labor Department found 6-year-old children tying strings in tags for the Dentner Manufacturing Com- pany at wages of only a few cents an hour, the firm escaped conviction for violating the state child-labor law. . . . An NLRB election at Armour and Company will be held Novem- ber 21 at which 7,000 workers will decide their bargaining agent. ... The Employers Association of Chicago, which in- cludes the anti-union R. E. Donnelley Company, and the Pin- kerton Agency issued a letter to all Chicago employers urging them to join “the Association” in an open-shop offensive against labor unions. * THE WORKERS’ EDUCATION PROGRAM OF WPA HAS been hit by the recent reduction in the WPA program. At one time the workers’ education program reached 75,000 workers in 35 states. Nine hundred teachers were employed. In 25 states there were full-time supervisors of workers’ education. Since the curtailed program went into effect only 16 state superintendents are left. In New York City no more classes are to be held in union centers and labor is no longer to have a voice in formulating the educational program. Leaders of AFL, CIO and independent unions, including Max Zaritsky, Sidney Hillman and David Dubinsky, protested this change. In Wisconsin more than 150 workers’ education classes are in operation. These include courses in most of the towns throughout the state. Best new crop TREE RIPENED ORANGES and GRAPE- FRUIT for the teacher. Fifty-pound box $2.88 express prepaid. Cheap, isn’t it? Let us send a Christmas Gift Box to your friend under your name. Recipe for making Orange Marmalade 20 cents. Address: NICHOLS AND COMPANY, Kingston, Ga. NOVEMBER, 1939 Contributors to This Issue Mabel June Janusch (“The Schools—Whvose Respon- sibility”) submitted her article to the AMERICAN TEACHER through a member of our Detroit Local, while “Students and the Teacher’s Union” was submitted by a member of another local. After pondering over the matter we decided it would be much better for the author of the latter article, especially if he is still in school, to remain anonymous. . . . Franklin Fearing is a member of Local 430 and teaches at the University of California at Los Angeles. ... Another West Coast representative is Percy E, Davidson, School of Educa- tion, Stanford University, who is a charter member of Local 442. .. . William Heard Kilpatrick’s article is based on a talk which he gave this summer for the North Shore Teachers Union (Evanston, Ill.). He has promised to write us a short article on the complete symposium. . . . Wanda Taeschner (Local 1) is chair- man of the National Educational Policies Committee. . . . Edmund Hooser is a teacher in the Chattanooga, Tenn., schools. . . . Kermit Eby, consulting editor of the AMERICAN TEACHER, is executive secretary of the Chicago Teachers Union. . . . George 8, Counts is, of course, president of the AFT... . Irvin R. Kuenzli is ~ secretary-treasurer of the AFT and a member of the Permanent Committee on Education of the AFL. . George T, Guernsey is editor of the AMERICAN TEACHER. ... All the contributors to the symposium on “Propa- ganda and Indoctrination” are members of the Teachers Union except Kenneth Burke, who is a student of prop- aganda and semantics. The AMERICAN TEACHER Official Organ of THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS 506 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois Organized April 15, 1916 Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor Editor, Gzorce T, GUERNSEY Consulting Editor, Kermit Epy Editorial Board Mary J. HERRICK: S. AMELIA YEAGER George E. AXTELLE IrvIN R. KUENZLI Secretary-Treasurer Irvin R. KvENZLI President GEORGE 8S. CoUNTS EXTRA COPIES AVAILABLE Extra copies of the AMERICAN TEACHER for organiza- tional purposes may be obtained at the cost of 5¢ each. Only a small quantity of each issue is available. If orders are given before the magazine is printed, the special price of $4.00 per 100 can be secured. Copies of the Septem- ber newspaper are still available at $8.00 per 1000, $4.50 per 500, or le apiece for quantities under 500. Maybe it’s the subversive S| Pa ment. As we write, the Association of National Adver- tisers is devoting half of its thirtieth annual meeting to the subject. A Gallup poll has been taken to get the low-down on pene- tration of consumer doctrines among the public. Tz: business world is all agog about the consumer move- Erwin, Wasey & Company, a large advertising agency, is setting up a new “technological division” to test products that are to be advertised. (The president of the company argues that this will “offset much of the adverse criticism of advertising by consumers’ groups.” We'll wait to see.) The National Better Business Bureau, in what Printers’ Ink calls “one of the most significant developments in the consumer movement,” is expanding its operations so as to “serve more actively as a cooperating medium” between man- ufacturer and the consumer. And in our “better” magazines, articles and editorials are beginning to touch for the first time on consumer activities. Not in many a moon has the poor, benighted consumer experienced such a glittering interest in his problems. Through all this hullabaloo, we at Consumers Union intend to go on making unbiased tests of products to find out their comparative value, criticizing advertising where we find it misleading or false. Maybe this is the subversive in us. One of the articles mentioned above—“Guinea Pigs, Left March!”, in a recent issue of Readers Digest—thinks so. It says, in effect, that our activities are “aimed to destroy the American economic system.” Well, we don’t think that the American economic system is going to collapse from having abuses of it pointed out. We don’t think it’s that weak. So long as advertisements continue to appear which are unfairly misleading, so long as products are marketed which fail to live up to the claims made, we think consumers have a right to know about them and we think an organization of consumers has a right to find out about them and report its findings. If this consti- tutes an attack upon the American economic system Readers Digest will have to make the most of it. 85,000 American con- sumers, who know better, are already making the most of it as members of CU. To us, our work seems based in plain common sense. To those readers who agree, we extend an invitation to join Consumers Union and to share in the benefits. CONSUMERS UNION of United States, Inc. 17 UNION SQUARE W., NEW YORE, N. Y. I hereby apply for membership in Consumers Union. I enclose [] $3 Please send me ConsUMERS UNION Reports for one year and the annual BuyING GUIDE. C] $5 for two years. (C $7 for three years. I agree to keep cénfidential all material so designated. SIGNATURE ADDRESS Nd bh / veuvvy bbb bbb bh bh bh hh bh hb hb hhh hhh hh hhh htt tht hhhhhrhrhrehrrrr-—@ v v v VeVi VuvVvVVVVVVYVVYYVYVVVVY CU PREVIEWS THE 1940 CARS Consumers Union’s expert automotive consultants have made technical comparisons of the new cars as displayed at the 1940 Auto Show. They have spent endless man-hours examining mechanical specifications point for point. The results of their analyses appear in a preliminary survey of the 1940 automobiles in the November issue of Consumers Union Reports. This survey gives a car-by-car description of the new models. It evaluates the new features and it gives provisional recommendations for those who want to buy a ear right away. Following further examinations and driving tests, a second and more detailed report will give complete technical data and ratings of the 1940 models as “Best Buys,” “Also Accept- able,” and “Not Acceptable.” Both these reports should be read by anyone contem- plating the purchase of a 1940 auto. They will help him to make substantial savings not only on the initial purehase price but on operating costs as well. MUEILK: is Grade A milk worth the three extra cents per quart that you pay for it? With milk prices scandal- ously high, this long-debated question assumes special im- portance. New light is shed on it by laboratory analyses which compare the bacteriological and butterfat content of Grade A and Grade B milk. More than 130 samples of 20 brands distributed in Greater New York were tested. MEN’S SUITS: Before long, marked price advances may be expected in men’s suits. Those who buy now will find this report helpful in determining which suits in which price ranges will give the best value for the money. Fifteen brands are rated. SMALL RADIOS: riis report discusses and rates by brand name a number of small 1940 radios ranging in price up to $30. It will be followed in an early issue by a report, with ratings, on higher-priced 1940 models. WAR & PRICES: Continuing CU’s policy of ad- vising members on the special problems created by war, this report covers the latest developments in the price situa- tion and, as before, indicates what consumers may best do about it. DENTAL DECAY: v’s Medical Section offers a discussion of the factors involved in dental decay. A brand report on dentifrices is scheduled to appear in next month’s issue. LABOR: For the guidance of those who wish to be assured that the goods they buy are made under satis- factory working conditions, reports on wages, hours, and employees relations in the radio and men’s suits industries are included in this issue. ~wrwfe TTT '''T Tt tt ttt** ~rrrrererefefTg''''''''’''''''''*''''''*'**'''*'*''*''*'"*'*"*"'''""''"'"'''"''"'"'"'"'""""rrrr.rw7.,rtgfrrterrrrerrrrrvrrrvvewyyey VVVVV VV VV eee e bbb bbb bb bbb hb bb bh bib bh bh hhh bbb bbb bbb hhh hb hh hhh hhh hhh hhh hhh hhh hhh hhh hhh hh hh hh hhh hhh hhh hh hhh hhh hh hhh hhh he ee bebe bee Se eee be te te te te te te Me Me Me te te ABBA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAA AAD hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh hh i i ip ip ep pa Ree eee peepee eee peepee spp pbb bbb bbs bbb bbb bbb bbb sb sbi bbs wef 'g''''''''''''"T"TT"",* A _wrffetrfteenrgrfgrTr,r,jqr TY. -»ApAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAS ‘UNION FLASHES AFT Locals in Action Dismissed because he helped to organize the Teachers Union in Seymour, Ind, Albert Judd, Shields High School teacher, has been reinstated by the School Board. This action comes after a bitter struggle and the demand for the resignation of Superinten- dent Lasher by the Seymour Cen- tral Labor Union. ed Celebration of the twentieth anniversary of Local 111, Port- land, Ore., was held in the form of a first-of-the-season roundup. Members congratulated President Clarence E. Oliver upon being named head of the education com- mittee of the Oregon State Fed- eration of Labor; for his election as vice-president of the Affiliated Council, an organization of repre- sentative teaching groups of Port- land, and for the awarding to the Jefferson High School newspaper, published under his direction, an all-American rating by the Na- tional School Press Association, s+? Vernon Sigler, president of the East Chicago Teachers’ Union, East Chicago, Ind., has been ap- pointed to membership on the Lake County Board of Tax Ad- justments. Mr. Sigler won na- tional attention two years ago when he ran for the state leg- islature despite the opposition of the local board of education, which passed a rule forcing him to take a payless leave of absence for’the duration of the campaign. . * s Dr. Dorothy Wolff Douglas of Smith College spoke at an open meeting of the Simmons chapter of the Boston Federation of Teachers on November 3, outlin- ing the program of the AFT and emphasizing its significance to college teachers. * ¢ @ The West Virginia legislature has passed a “continuing con- tract” law which adds to the tenure protection of teachers. The law establishes a regular pro- cedure for terminating contracts of teachers. It requires advance notice of dismissal and specifies that a written list of charges be submitted, * . * Teachers of Anderson, Ind., were restored to their proper places on the salary schedule at the end of a three-year period, according to an agreement be- tween the Anderson Teachers Union and the Board of Educa- tion. This will involve a $50,000 addition to teachers’ remunera- tion. * * @ Cc. P. Titus, member of the Gladstone Teachers’ Local 407, Gladstone, Mich., was elected president of the Michigan County School Commissioners for 1939- 40 at a recent meeting. Titus is commissioner for Delta County, and succeeds Lynn Clark of Grand Rapids. Also a member of Local 407, Raymond Nadeu, French and Latin teacher and debate in- structor for Gladstone High School, applied for a year’s leave of absence in order to use a scholarship received from the Knights of Columbus national headquarters entitling for study at the Catholic University, Wash- ington, D.C. * * * J. C. Harger, president of the Indianapolis Teachers’ Union, In- dianapolis, Ind., has been appoint- ed a member of the Resolutions and Legislative Committee of the Central Labor Union of Indian- apolis. * > ia Grossman, Mrs. Mary Foley AFT national vice president of | the Pennsylvania, New Jersey area, has been made a member of an executive board of seven for a newly formed organization known as the Pennsylvania Com- mittee on Public Education. Its purpose is to make a complete survey of Pennsylvania’s educa- tional needs and financing, and to eventually act in an advisory capacity to the state and to cities. The permanent chairman is Dr. Luther A. Harr, former state banking commissioner and now city treasurer of Philadelphia. * * Members of Local 411, Newark, Ohio, are conducting an active campaign in favor of the renewal of the three-mill tax levy for the benefit of Newark City School District. House to house can- vasses, speakers addressing local unions and service clubs and newspaper articles are being used in the campaign for the Novem- ber elections. ss This year for the first time cal 438, Ohio State University, sent delegates to the convention of the Ohio Federation of Labor. The delegates were David Wil- liams, local president, and Gordon Price. Of special interest to teachers were resolutions advo- cating labor candidates for school boards and demanding genuine tenure legislation. o o = Eighty-seven per cent of the candidates for the New York city council and the state legislature favor restoration of the curtailed school funds, according to a re- cent survey. + + > Making its bow in October, The Gary Teacher, a two-page news letter, is being published at intervals by the Gary (Ind.) Teachers’ Union, Local No. 4. The Local also announced the election of a labor representa- tive, E. T. Doyne, as president of the Gary Board of Education. (Continued on page 2) IN TWO PARTS PART Il ~ TEAC OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF T EACHERS VOLUME XXIV November, 1939 De 6 No. 3 AFT Changes Organizing Procedures Various new techniques and methods for organizing teach- ers’ unions are being worked out by the National Executive Coun- cil of the AFT in line with the discussion of the post-convention meeting of the Council. Strong state federations are be- ing emphasized as the organizing centers for the future growth of the Union. No nationally paid organizers are being used during 1939-40. The national office is carrying on a study of deceased locals of the AFT and has sent out a 21-point questionnaire. Sec- retary-Treasurer I. R. Kuenzli has prepared a mimeographed state- ment on methods of organizing teachers’ unions. Special Rates Set Special bundle rates of a cent apiece for the American Teacher newspaper or $8.50 per thousand have been announced by Editor George T. Guernsey. Magazines may be purchased in limited quan- tities at the rate of five cents apiece or $4.00 per hundred. Spe- cial reprints of articles such as “Who Runs Our School Boards?” will also be prepared by ee Lo- Anwerivcan Teaches staff: A’ special subscription price 7 the American Teacher will be an- nounced in the December issue for those who are interested in giving it as a Christmas gift. Several attractive combination offers with other educational publications are being worked out and will be available by Novem- ber 25. r’ > Joint Action NEW YORK, N.Y.—United ac- tion by members of Locals 5, 537 and 453 will be taken against ed- ucational retrenchment at a joint board rally to be held November 17 at Washington Irving high school, Acting President George Shus- ter of Hunter College and the Rev. Robert W. Searl, secretary of the Greater New York Federa- tion of Churches, will be speakers. Representatives of other unions and organizations are expected to attend. EXPLORER JOINS AFT Complaining that no union exists for polar explorers, Vil- hjalmur Stefansson, Arctic ex- plorer, joined Local 537 at Columbia University this sum- mer. He expressed the need for scientists to preserve de- mocracy. Addressing the an- nual summer joint meeting of AFT Locals from Columbia University, New York Univer- sity and City College, he said: “Until a few years ago I took democracy for granted, never realizing the danger that confronts all of us. The writ- ten history of mankind is the struggle for freedom. The last 20 years have been like a nightmare where we take two steps upstairs and three down.” a Union Helps Start Community Forum BELLEVILLE, ILL.—Enlisting the interest’ of various Civic, re- ligious, professional, business and fraternal organizations, Local 434 inaugurated a community forum last year. It was so successful that *se forum is now indepen- dently organized and started the season of some seven or eight lec- tures with an address on Novem- ber 2 vy in. Otto Rosenberg, for=| mer secretary of the Austria Bankers Union, who left Austria after Hitler’s annexation in 1938. Congressman Roy Dickerson of Peoria will speak at the “1 aed 29 forum. More Activity, Asks Youth Commission The government, schools and all organizations concerned with the welfare of youth were called upon to expand their programs and redouble their efforts in the face of a war-torn world in a statement issued recently by the American Youth Commission. “This country is called upon to put its house in order at all costs,” said the Commission in a statement issued by Dr. Floyd W. Reeves, its director. Dr. Reeves is a member of Local 259, the Cnicago College Teachers Local, of the AFT. Counts Visits More Than 20 Chapters Since taking office as president of the AFT in August, George S. Counts has spoken to more than twenty locals throughout the country, according to reports to the AMERICAN TEACHER. Besides these visits President Counts spent two weeks at the AFL con- vention in Cincinnati, where he represented the AFT, as did Irvin Kuenzil, John Fewkes and Mary Foley Grossman. In New York City on Septem- ber 29, President Counts spoke to Local 5. While at the AFL con- vention he visited Teachers Un- ions at Cincinnati, Ohio, Ander- son, Ind., Oxford, Ohio, Yellow Springs, Ohio, and spoke at the Lincoln Park Baptist church of Cincinnati as an AFL representa- tive. Speaks in Detroit On October 17, President Counts met with the Ann Arbor, Mich., Local and spoke to a mass meeting of 450 teachers in De- troit the same evening. Gn Octo- ber 20 he met with the board of all Minnesota Locals and many labor leaders in Minneapolis, Minn, . \ Téachers in’ Tad, heard the newly-elected president on October 27, and the same eve- ning 2,500 Chicago teachers crowded the Auditorium Hotel to celebrate their second anniversary with speechcs by the national president and the local head, John Fewkes. Over the same week- end Dr. Counts met with the North Shore Locals (Evanston, Ill.), the Lake County, Ind., Lo- cals and the Springfield, Il, Union. During the last two months President Counts also addressed the Cleveland teachers and the Springfield, Mass., group. He is scheduled to appear in Columbus, Ohio, for Locals 438,538 and 411 on November 3. He will also visit the Michigan area the same week- end. — ————- Journal Deadline All materials for the December issue of the American Teacher. must be in by November 25. WHAT'S BEHIND THE MONTANA CASE? The following article on the dismissal of five professors from the University of Montana was written by a person thor- oughly familiar with the situation. Be- cause of certain circumstances, the au- thor must, for the time being, remain anonymous, N MARCH OF THIS YEAR the Na- tional Academic Freedom Committee published its pamphlet: The Keeney Case: Big Business, Higher Education, and Organized Labor. In the summary of the investigating committee’s con- clusions (p. 30) occur the following sen- tences: “Since Professor Keeney’s com- petence as Librarian and Administrator cannot be successfully challenged .. . the American Federation of Teachers is compelled to conclude that other and unacceptable facts lie at the base of the Board’s action. . .. A fourth factor, basic to the others, is the undue influence ex- ercised by certain corporations and po- litical interests over the affairs of the University. Professor Keeney’s ouster is a flagrant breach of academic freedom. .«- The AFT Committee is of the opin- ion that developments at the University since President Simmons took office in January 1936 have demonstrably berne out the adverse report of the faculty committee and of the overwhelming ma- jority of the faculty regarding Dr. Sim- mons’ qualifications for the presidency.” The last six months have seen no ces- sation of turmoil in this unhappy insti- tution, Its lamentable history of breaches of academic freedom and ten- ure’ reached a climax on September 11 when the Montana Board of Education at its quarterly fheeting approved a reso- lution demanding the resignations by October 15 of Professors Atkinson, Kee- ney, Lennes, Merriam and Mollett. All are full professors on permanent tenure; the last four are chairmen of the de- partments of Library Economy, Mathe- matics, English and Pharmacy, respec- tively. Their periods of service aré six- teen, eight, twenty-six, twenty and twenty-three years, also respectively. To show what is behind this latest purge, and to show further that the NAFC did not err in its conclusions on the Keeney case, it is necessary to re- view the events of the last academic year. After the pamphlet on the Keeney case had gone to press, the investigating com- mittee appointed by the 26th Legislative Assembly to inquire into the situation at Montana State University made its report on February 28, 1939. G. M. Moss, chairman, and Ray L. Lowe sub- mitted a majority report which was adopted. Among the eight conclusions were the following: 4. We believe that in some cases supervision has reached the near censorship stage. However, we feel that there have been no un- reasonable efforts to restrict freedom of teaching or freedom of speaking. eo Keeney Case, pp. 9-15, for in- Professor Keeney's . fringe ts prior to men missal, . 5. We feel definitely that there has been too much downtown inter- ference in University affairs, and also that some University con- nections downtown may work seriously to the disadvantage of the institution. . Our investigation convinced us that there is serious dissension within the faculty and adminis- trative groups. This we most severely condemn, and we em-’ phatically feel that a spirit of cooperation must be established and maintained or great harm’ to the institution will be the in- evitable result.’ Motion to reconsider the report was carried on March 1, and reconsideration” set as a special order of business on the 60th (and final) day, March 2. At this’ time H. O. Ekern, third member of the investigating committée, submitted a (Continued on page 6) IE reg Y the’ Beate of of the 26th PABMOT | Health, WPA Fight Topics at Twin Cities MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. — A panel discussion on “The Health | of the Teacher” was one of the nea ga features of an educa- tional conference November 3, held under the auspices of the {Twin City Locals. Principal speakers included Dr. R. E. Ellis, of the University of Minnesota, and Dr. Fred Brown of the Minneapolis Child Guidance Clinic. Participating in the dis- Eva Synder, and Dudley F. Par- sons, of the Minneapolis high schools. Ora McLaughlin, presi- \dent of Local 59, presided. Seham Heads Committee The committee arranging the ‘affair was headed by Dr. Max| 'Seham, of Local 444, and con- ‘sisted of Elizabeth Nissen, Mar- | garet Blenkner, and Paul Beck. At the evening dinner session, & symposium was held on, “the Dilemma of American Education,” in which faculty members of the | University of Minnesota partici- pated. Dr. Joseph Warren Beach, head of the English department of the University, served as toast- master. Aid for WPA Teachers ‘An appeal for aid in the de-| ense of four WPA teachers | who were indicted on a conspir- | acy charge in connection with a} protest demonstration against | ssage of the Woodrum Bill last | ummer has been issued by Lo- cal 496, the Minneapolis Adult ducation teachers. , Already two trials have been held with four acquitals ‘eight convictions. \were arrested following the derm- ,onstration. The Minneapolis Federation of (Teachers last month established a credit union. Officers are Carl ‘Nelson, secretary-treasurer; Fred M. Curtis, president; and Dor- othea Clow, vice president. Studies Vacations To determine how Minneapolis teachers spend their Summer va- cations, the superintendent of schools recently queried all local teachers at the Madeline Long, publicity chair- man of Local 59. The survey found that of 2,650 teachers in the Minneapolis pub- lic schools, i:ore than 40 per cent have returned to some university at their own expense during the last three years. This situation prevailed, Miss Long said, in spite of salary cuts sustained since 1932. Results of the survey ap- peared in two well-illustrated articles in the Minneapolis Times- | Tribune, written by Miss Long. cussion were Katharine Irvine and ' and | A total of 162) suggestion of | | vy IVI0O1 LV SNVadS SUES POST | Jerome Davis, former professor at Yale University and former president of the AFT, has just entered a libel suit against the | Saturday Evening Post for $150,- 000 damages. N. J. Meet Hits Propaganda, Urges Neutrality in War TRENTON, N. J. Strict neu- | trality and opposition to involve- j ment in the war was urged in a resolution adopted during the Oc- tober convention of the State | Federation of New Jersey teach- ers. The resolution stressed that, for the welfare of the pupils, propaganda must be detected and | war avoided. In closing the two-day session, the group endorsed an appeal to the New Jersey legislature to en- act a law setting $1,200 as a mini- mum yearly salary for public- | school teachers, The Federation resolved to sup- port the progressive aspects of the New Deal, to back the WPA, the NLRA and to ask for, the passage of such bills as the Gava- gan Anti-Lynching Bill. Official support of the Herbert Cole case, with voluntary assess- ments from state Locals to aid the family until Cole is reinstated and opposition to an amendment to the tenure act which is being sponsored by the New Jersey Edu- cation Association were also in- cluded among the resolutions. Herbert H. Cole, whose dismis- sal case is holding the center of attention for teachers, was re- elected president of the State Federation. Frank L. Godshall of Camden, is first vice president; Elmer A. Beller of Princeton, sec- ond vice president, both re-elec- tions. Secretary is Charles Allen of Newark; treasurer, William | Long of North Bergen, and legis- lative representative, Lois St. John of Trenton. UNION FLASHES. (Continued from page 1) Results of activity by the AFT Local 246 in Hamilton County, Tenn., of a minimum pay provision for teachers in their third year as they go on tenure and the first sick-leave payments ever made in the county system. * . * An attempted attack on the Milwaukee Vocational Teachers’ Union by demoting Union faculty members and thus depriving them of tenure and retirement rights has been blocked, according to an announcement in the Wisconsin Union Teacher. . * ? The Ohio Federation of Teach- ers, which for long has advocated a state board of education, op- posed the amendment for a state board at the November general elections. s So Miss Wenonah M., Lowell, of the Cleveland School, Chicago, and member of Local 1, is the author of a song, “Poor Little Foxes,” ‘published by Hall & McCreary. (The lyrics are by Lew Sarett, poet. . sees the adoption this year | ATF Locals in Action NEW YORK, N. Y.— Protests | by Teachers Union representa- tives to WPA administrators at a meeting in Washington, D. C., October 16, brought assurance from the administration that qualified workers who have been demoted, improperly assigned or classified will be given their proper assignments and that places on. the education program will be found for all qualified per- sons on the relief rolls. Dean Ned Dearborn, adult edu- cation and WPA vice president, and William Le®ner, president of Local 453, were present at the meeting with Colonel F. C. Har- rington, national WPA adminis- trator, and Colonel Brehon Som- ervell, administrator for New York City. Dr. Dearborn and Mr. Levner protested the curtailment of the quotas on education proj- ects, the declassification of teach- ers and other personnel on the education projects and the at- tempt to eliminate the remedial projects and the recent wage cuts. ‘Peru ‘Teachers Test Tenure Law in Court PERU, IND.—Suit has by Elder L. Moore and Robert Nash, local teachers, to enjoin the school board from enforcing the been | filed in the Miami Circuit. Court | | newly adopted Class E of the} Peru salary schedule. Nation- | wide attention has been attracted | to the provisions of this classifi- | cation, which, if. upheld by the | courts, will nullify the entire In- | diana Tenure Law, say legal au- thorities. Class E was adopted at the in- sistence of the present superin- tendent of Peru, M. P. Crodian, long after the adoption of Classes A, B, C and D in the salary schedule. Any Peru teacher may be placed in Class E without a hearing and without warning, the decision resting with the board of | trustees. Teachers demoted in | this rank are reduced to the mini- mum state wage. Classifications Given Teachers placed in Class E are supposed to be classified as one or more of the following: inef- ficient; lacking sufficient control over technique of teaching; lack- ing sufficient classroom disci- pline; without initiative; failing to put forth a sufficient amount of effort to secure justifiable re- sults; having a non-professional attitude; failing to carry out recommendations, suggestions or requests of principals, supervisors, superintendent or board of trus- tees; neglecting further training in an accepted and recognized Summer school; under-qualified; any other justifiable causes. On Staff 15 Years Moore, Peru high-school teacher for 15 years, was placed in Class E with a salary reduction from $2,600 to $1,140, and Robert Nash, Peru teacher for 15 years, received similar treatment with a salary reduction from $1,800 to $900. Both were denied hear- ings. Under the tenure law, a teacher found guilty, after a hearing, of any of the provisions of Class E would be dismissed, not demoted. The Indiana Council of Teach- ers Unions, the Indiana State Fed- eration of Labor and the Amer- ican Federation of Teachers have joined forces to bring about jus- tice in Peru. The Division of Labor of Indiana has also an- nounced that it will enter the case. Supporters declare that the case will be carried to the U. S. Supreme Court if necessary. Illinois Locals Set Up Committees CHICAGO, ILL. — Delegates representing sixteen locals of the AFT affiliated with the Illinois State Federaticn of Teachers at- tended a special meeting at the Chicago offices on October 21. A number of committees were set up including one to organize a publicity campaign to promote tenure; another to establish an academic freedom and_ tenure fund; and an organization com- mittee. Speakers at the meeting in- cluded Prof. George Axtelle, of Northwestern University, and Miss Mary Herrick, of Chicago, both national vice presidents of the AFT. Local 460 Plans Fund- Raising Event EVANSTON, ILL. — To help raise a fund to assist in paying the salaries of the two Proviso teachers who lost their positions because of Union activity, Local 460 is holding an indoor and out- door party at the Isaak Walton Cabin on Sunday, November 19. The North Shore College Teach- ers Union, the Private Teachers Local and the Proviso Local have been invited to join in the day’s fun. _97e[S UOTU/) OsvOTY’ uisToay “The Curriculum Expert” Buffalo, Madison Locals Flay Attacks on Unions BUFFALO, N.Y.—An attack on teachers unions by Dr. Samuel P. Capen, chancellor of the Univer- sity of Buffalo, brought a chal- lenge to a public debate on the issue of membership in_a teachers’ union from George W. Provost, vice president of the State Fed- eration of Teachers Union and president of the local union. Recently in an address before the New York Stat: Teachers As- sociation, Western Zone, Dr. Capen declared, “We can play no favorites. We must be absolutely impartial. Therefore, organiza- tions of teachers cannot properly join forces with any other group within the body politic. They can- not properly make common cause with labor or capital or any other collection of citizens organized for purposes that lie outside the purposes of the teaching profes- sion itself. “i Letter Published Provost made his offer of a de- bate in a letter to Dr. Capen, which was later reprinted in full in a local newspaper, the Buffalo Courier-Express. In his letter Provost declared: “In the exercise of their duty to aid in defending the schools, with what friend of the schools can the teachers ally themselves so devoted and powerful as organ- ized labor? You cannot be una- ware of the historical role of labor in American education. Whose voice was raised loudest for the schools in the present state aid crisis ? “Had not the labor bodies re- acted in their customary way, the cut in social aid might well have been even more disastrous. Teach- er affiliation with labor is a vital supplement to the equally neces- sary activity of sharpening the educational concepts of the entire public, the vast majority of whom are by the ve-y nature of things potential defenders of the schools.” Elyria Local Backs Drive for Tax Levy ELYRIA, OHIO.—A campaign for the continuation of the three- mill tax levy was conducted by members of Local 334, and di- rected by Mr. Maston. The levy means approximately $120,000 ad- ditional revenue. This, according to. Mr. Maston, is essential to the operation of Elyria’s schools. A cut would be largely absorbed by the personnel, and. in addition to reduction in salaries, would entail the possible shortening of the school year, and the curtail- ment of the school program, Mas- ton said. ‘on] MADISON, WIS.—A reply to Dr. William A. Neilson, former president of Smith College, whose article “Education Can’t Be Bet- ter Than the Teachers” appeared in the October issue of the Stér- vey Graphic, has been sent by Local 223, drafted by Mem bers Lewis E. Drake ‘and Harold M. Groves. This followed a re- view of the article in the Capital Times, a local newspaper, which used Dr. Neilson’s remarks as propaganda against, the Union. The Capitol Times review quoted Dr. Neilson as sayin 3 “Demands for fair compensation and decent working conditions should, of course, be _ insisted upon; but if the teachers’ unions should produce on the public the impression that such things are their main concern rather than the successful training of the young in intelligence and char- acter, the prestige of the pro- fession is gone.” The policies and progressive program of the AFT were incor porated in the Local's reply, and the group offered to aid in clariy fying the matter if the Madison newspaper reviewer had mis+ understood and misinterpreted Dr. Neilson. A review of this issue of Sur- vey Graphic will appear in a forthcoming issue of THE AMERI- CAN TEACHER. Workers’ College Opens 60th Term Commonwealth College in Mena, Ark., opens its sixtieth resident term on January 8, 1940, according to an announcement by Morris Engal, educational direc- tor. New courses on international affairs, labor and politics are be- ing offered in the three months’ intensive course, in addition to regular courses in economics, union problems, civil liberties, public speaking, labor journalism. Minimum cost of board and tuition is $120 for the th months. Many students r this to $60 by doing 20 hours’ work a week. Students’ ages range from 16 to 60, and no previ- ous education ms required. ATLANTA, GA. — — Forty-nine Atlanta teachers who had com- pleted three years of probation- ary service were elected to the “civil service” list at the Spring meeting of the Board of Educa- tion. In addition, a number of probationary teachers were re- elected to serve during the year 1939-40. : Chicago Union Slate Wins in IEA Election CHICAGO, ILL., All candidates sponsored by the Chicago Teach- 31ers’ Union were elected officers of ,the Chicago division of the Illinois -Education Association at the an- ‘nual meeting, November. 4. Frances M. Kenney, chairman ‘of the election, reported an _ap- ‘proximate. two-to-one majority jafter a preliminary count of the ‘3,640 ballots cast. This vote is Leven more significant after a move -to defeat the Union candidates ithad been made by bringing about 300 last-minute members into the Association. Winning candidates were: pres- ‘ident, Lyle H. Wolf; vice presi- dent, Edward E. Keener; recording secretary, Helen A. Hurley; cor- responding secretary, Thelma ‘Hicks; membership _ secretary, ‘Mary S. Hunter; treasurer, ‘Michael M. Pollack; member of executive committee, Alice Mc- Shane, and chairman of appropria- itions committee, Maurice Crew. : + * © The local was’ successful in negotiating a revision of the ma- ternity leave rules. The Union’s recommendations were covered in the new board of education rule adopted in September, which pro- vides that a teacher may be grant- ed a two years’ leave for ma- ternity during which time her po- sition will be held open for her return. Mrs. Pearl Drubeck was chairman of the Working Condi- tions Committee which carried through the research prior to the final negotiations. . > + > .-Thanks to Union pressure, steps are: being taken to eliminate over- time in the high schools. The order on the adjustment of over- time problems sent out from the board of education follows exactly the recommendations of the Union. Mr. Arthur Walz handled the details of the overtime inves- tigation and negotiation. - * “Union efforts also were success- ful in reducing the Christmas va- cation from three to two weeks. Superintendent William H. John- son’s schedule for 1939-40 called for a vacation from December 15 to January 8, and school until June 28. The present schedule provides for a vacation from De- cember 15 to January 2; with pay for January 1. +. . . Regular negotiations with the Superintendent and his assistants were held on September 21 and October 16, Matters under nego- tiation were ‘cumulative sick leave, certification of teachers teaching off their certificatés, seniority, and assignment prob- lems. * * « The chief matter of interest this fall has been the consideration of a single salary schedule. Mr. Raymond Cook, chairman of the Single Salary Sub-committee of the School Finance and Taxation Committee, reported recently on the activities of this Committee. A referendum will be held in the schools to determine member re- action. The Union Teacher went to 16,500 members and _ interested citizens in September. The theme of the magazine was “School and Community Cooperation.” Coming issues will deal with “Taxation in Illinois” and “Democratic School Administration.” Detroit Opens 12-Point Drive; 35 Join l Union DETROIT, MICH. — Thirty-five new members are reported by Local 231, Detroit Federation oi Teachers, as the group launches a 12-point program to increase its membership. One of the points, the holding of a large tea with Union officials and representatives | of the Newspaper Guild and the | Lawyers Guild as speakers, met with immediate success when tried recently with National President George S. Counts as featured speaker on October 17. was an audience of over 400 teach- ers and friends gathered at the Women’s City Club. Eleven mem- bers signed that night; many membership cards were mailed following the meeting. Other points include contacting AFL and CIO locals to request members to influence their teach- er friends to join the Union, also getting in touch with such pro- fessional organizations as_ the PEA and the Professional League for Civil Rights. Special voca- tional school and district meetings and a “School Representative” plan with a_ contest between schools for “ne largest member- ship increase are also included. The Local hopes to secure radio time for educational broadcasts. _—_— -- Workers’ Education Bibliography on Way Preparation of a _ bibliography on the labor movement is under- way following.a meeting of the New York members of the AFT Workers’ Education Committee, led by Eleanor Coit. The work is in charge.of Orlie Pell. The meeting is part of a gen- eral plan to hold regional meet- ings of the committee members. Reports of these various groups will be made at a full meeting to be held at the time of the Wash- ington’s Birthday Conference of Teachers in Workers’ Education. Members of the committee in various parts of the country also are planning to study workers’ education programs in their areas and to work with AFT locals in planning new programs. —@—___—=» Local to Back Co-Op Union Paper KENOSHA, WIS. — Establish- ment of the Union Co-operative Publishing Company has been as- sured with _ subscriptions for $9,500 worth of stock already taken by 21 unions. Kenosha Teachers’ Local 557 and School Janitors’ Local 168 are _ both shareholders in the Co-operative. Sites for the new printing plant are being considered. H. H. Paddock, a member of the Local, has been named to serve on the press committee. Springfield Teachers Grill School Board SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — Can- didates for the local school board were questioned on educational policy at a special “candidates’ night” sponsored by Local 484. Eight candidates participated in the questioning. Questions included, “Will you personally investigate every ma- jor change of educational policy?” and “Do you believe teachers Should be free to question admin- istration policies?” . Among civic groups attending Candidates the meeting were the League of Women Voters, the Jewish Wom- an’s Club and the Junior League. More than 160 attended the ses- sion. As a result of the meeting, local officials reported many fa- vorable comments. President George Counts was guest of the Local last month at an open meeting for teachers of the Connecticut Valley at Spring- field College. He spoke on, “Why I Joined the Teachers Union.” Dr. William C. Hill, principal of Clas- sical High School, presided. There | Dr. George S. Counts is shown after addressing a meeting of the | AFT public-school teachers. To President Counts’ left is Charles J. | Hendiey, president of the New York AFT Local; to the right is Dr. | Bella Dodd, legislative representative of the New York State Federa- } tion of Teachers. Local Five Fights Drive ‘to Bar Married Teachers | NEW ‘YORK CITY, N.Y— Running fights along the “econ- | omy” front mark the most recent porate of Local No. 5. Storm | centers are the five day ban on ithe hiring of substitutes, imme- diate appointment of eligibles to | existing vacancies and attacks on | the right of married teachers to | hold jobs. The local is making progress in its drive to combat influences aimed at the efficiency of the schools. Protest meetings voice objections of the local to the five day ban on the hiring of substi- tutes, termed a “vicious prac- tice.” Teachers Union Attorney Herman E. Cooper has appealed to Commissioner Graves to ap- point William Hayett to a high school English vacancy. The married teachers, seeing a threat of retrenchment in the move to bar them from teaching posts, declare that unemployment is not a sex problem. They also point to the Massachusetts firings of married women. These _ dis- missals were not followed by the hiring of men or unmarried teachers. + > = The local sent a letter ad- dressed to Franklin. Delano Roosevelt requesting the Presi- dent to “use every influence at his command”. to insure the de- feat of the several anti-alien bills (the Reynolds Bill, the Starnes Bill, etc.) which would “reduce non-citizens within the United States to a status dis- tinctly similar to that of resi- dents in one of the foreign dic- tatorships.” On November 1 the local will present “Child’s Story,” a living newspaper on overcrowding by Allan and Joel Borden. . - The Union will participate in a meeting on the question “Can Teachers Stand Alone?” Chair- man will be Prof. Alonzo F. Myers, and speakers will be Dr. George N. Shuster, the Rev. Robert W. Searle, Dr. Ned H. Dearborn, and Dr. Bella V. Dodd. General subject ... so- ciety and the educational system. . > A brief was submitted “on the mismanagement and unfair con- ditions obtaining in the recent regular examinations” for teach- ers of Fine Arts in the junior high and day senior high schools to Mayor LaGuardia, all mem- bers of the Board of Education, all members of the Board of Ex- aminers, Paul Kern and A. A. Berle. e 7 * Members are _ soliciting one million signatures on a petition for full state aid. 7 * = A delegation called on Mayor LaGuardia protesting consolida- tion of classes. More than 800 consolidations have thus far gone into effect, with more threatened before February, 1940. > > > Inclusion of New York state teachers in the civil service sys- tem is sough in a request ad- dressed to Governor Lehman aft- er his appointment of a commit- tee for the extension of the civil service system to all state work. Suburban Local Fights Dismissal of Two Teachers CHICAGO, ILL.—Local 571, comprising the teachers of the western suburbs of Chicago, is furthering plans to continue the fight for teacher rights. The most serious controversy facing the Local i; with the Pro- viso Township Board of Educa- tion of Maywooc, Illinois, which refused to renew the contracts of two qualified teachers last May because of AFT activities. Re- peated attempts at arbitration have so far brought no results. In the meantime Local 571 has voted to pay the salaries of the two teachers. The Local consists of four sep- arate. councils, Morton High School of Cicero, Proviso High School of Maywood, Cicero gram- mar schools, and North Berwyn grammar schools. There is also a scattered membership among other suburban schools. The teachers of Morton High School as well as those of the Cicero grammar schools’ were placed on salary schedules for this year, largely because of Union activity. Plan Drive NORTHAMPTON, MASS.— Western Massachusetts Teachers Federation met October 10 with Robenia Anthony, vice-president of the AFT for New England, as special guest. Plans were made for an open meeting in Novem- ber to be the first step in the annual membership campaign. Reports of the AFT convention in Buffalo and the Massachusetts AFL convention were given. Howard Union |Stops Firing of Professor WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new era in teacher tenure was in< augurated at Howard Universit when the board of trustees, at their October meeting, refused td approve a dean’s recommendation for the dismissal of Dr. M. Whar ton Young, assistant professor of anatomy and a member of the Howard Teachers Union. : Dr. Wharton's case was the firs to be considered according to new procedure for review 6 recommendations of dismissal b an elected faculty committee which was recommended by t Liberal Arts ¥aculty Committ on Tenure and Retirement and approved in principle -by the trus tees last year. The board of t tees based its decision on ft findings of the faculty commit tee which examined the case and found evidence did not warrant! the recommendation of dismi Callis Dismissal : The Howard Teachers Union activity in behalf of another med. ical teacher, Associate Professo Henry A. Callis, was the initial step in winning the present vic tory. In April, 1938, Prof. Doxe A. Wilkerson, AFT vice presi dent, informed a Liberal Arts faculty meeting of the circum stances of Dr. Callis’ dismissal, which was made without proper, and formal hearing or even .a statement of charges. The faculty, unanimously voiced its desire. for protection against such abuses of tenure and gave its tenure com- mittee a mandate to that effect th Campaign Against Budget Cuts SEATTLE, WASH. — School budget reduction of. $250,000 for the year, with. public-school teachers of the city receiving’a 4% per cent salary reduction ef- fective October 5, brought immedi- ate action. from. Seattle Local 200 and protests from the Central Labor Council, trade unions and the Washington _Commonwealth Federation. ‘ A campaign for the restoration of the salary schedule has been organized by Local 200. Figures from the county assessor were quoted to prove that no redue- tion was necessary and that actu- ally the Board of Education had a small increase in funds over. the previous year. a Fight for Tenure CHATTANOOGA, TENN.—Four distinct problems, a fight on the city tenure law, the use of state aid funds to city education as re- placement instead o° supplement, a new hearing on the city salary suit, and sick pay and minimum salaries for county teachers, are on the slate of activities of Local 246, Chattanooga-Hamilton County, Teachers’ Federation. One of the “pleasanter” activi- ties of Local 246 is the sponsoring of a lecture by H. V. Kaltenborn, popular radio commentator on Eu- ropean affairs, who will “edit the news” for a Chattanooga audi- ence on December 16. $8.00 for 1,000 Enclosed find Newspapers Available! September or November Issue For Distribution to Non-Union Teachers le apiece for less than 500 $4.50 for 500 State George T. Guernsey, 506 8S. Wabash, Chicage, Il. SNe ae Nine Indiana Locals Plan State Membership Drive GARY, IND.—Nine locals of the American’ Federation of Teachers were represented at a conference in Gary, Indiana, on Saturday, October 28. The meet- ‘ing was called by Jesse Stuts- man, of Anderson, president of the Indiana Council of Teachers’ Unions, to formulate a policy of expansion throughout the state of Indiana. The conference, which held a morning and an afternoon ses- | STOMP IT OUT r sion, preceded a banquet at which | >.> 350 teachers anc guests filled = Hotel Gary’s ballroom in the eve- ning. Dr. George S. Counts, pres- |, ident of the American Federa- tion of Teachers, principal address. Others Address Group Carl Mullen, president of the Indiana Federation of Labor; Miss Mary Herrick, AFT vice president of the Indiana-Illinois district, and Stutsman were among the other speakers. in attendance were members of the Gary school board and a rep- resentative from the mayor's of- fice. At the afternoon session dele- gates and officers attended from Frankfort, Anderson, Hammond, East Chicago, Indianapolis, Peru, Seymour, Michigan City and Gary. Plans were formulated for the launching of a drive to estab- lish Locals in Fort Wayne, Marion ana Richmond. Michigan Schools Hit by Republican Legislature Cuts LANSING, MICH.—Shortening of the school year, curtailment of special classes and reduction in teachers’ salaries are included in reports alreaagy coming in from districts as initial results of the effect of the action taken by the _ Republican majority in the state ' Jegislature cutting aid to schools $8,000,000 below maintenance needs, National Vice President Arthur Elder reported. According to surveys, reduc- tions are out of proportion to the curtailment in state aid in many cases, and re-emphasize the need for a revision of the state aid set-up so as to ensure that local communities meet certain definite educational standards. John Reid, secretary of the Michigan Fed- eration of Labor, has sent out communications to all central labor bodies emphasizing the con- cern of labor in seeing fhat pro- gressive educational policies are adopted in the state. A warning against the activities of many tax-dodging groups that are springing up in Michigan was issued recently by the Detroit Bureau of Governmental Re- search. The Bureau points out that the “reduce tax” slogans adopted so readily by such groups are frequently based on little knowledge of governmental needs or sound tax policy. + > Seek Reelection of Labor Candidates CLEVELAND, OHIO.—Organ- ized labor forces conducted a vigorous campaign for the return of three labor candidates to the board of education in the Novem- ber elections. The candidates were Edwin J. Bradley, Thomas J. Martin, and Frank T. Jamie- son. In outlining the accomplish- ments of the present board, the union found that the amount of funds for classroom supplies had been doubled and $100,000 an- nually had been provided for free textbooks; that wages had been restored to the standard wage schedule; that the _ eight-hour work. day had been restored as had the prevailing wage for all classes of school employees; that a $4,500,000 school building pro- gram had been undertaken; and that the right of collective bar- gaining had been recognized by the board. delivered the |&# Also |** = This challenging poster against war was drawn by Joseph F. Ber- | trand, Polytechnic San Francisco, Calif, Culpeper Union Works With NYA in Aiding Schools CULPEPER, Va. — Co-opera- tion with the National Youth Ad- ministration in the work it is carrying out in Culpeper County has been included in the activi- ties of members of Local 645, the Culpeper County Teachers Asso- ciation. T. L. Spraggins, president of the Local and principal of Cul- peper County Training School, stressed the benefit to the Negroes in the community who have received employment and training through NYA projects. A one-room Negro school has been built at Atlanthus, Va., with NYA labor. A playground was started at the Culpeper Training School, with 28 workers used at the employment peak. A tennis court was built on the commu- nity playground where some 200 Negroes played tennis this Sum- mer. A volley and _ basketball court will be erected during the Winter. A _ similar playground project was carried out at the Eldorado school. Union officials declare that “Of all the ‘New Deal’ agencies the NYA has been the most per- tinent factor in reducing the employment problem in Culpeper and the Negro citizens have been benefited as a result of these projects.” High, Trenton Loca Aids in City Election: Drive TRENTON, N. J. — Mercer =| County Teachers’ Union, Local || 437, was an integral part of the recent local political campaign, backing Labor’s Non-Partisan League candidates, which swept a progressive majority into Tren- ton City Hall as commissioners. Elected on a New Deal platform and pledged to a nine-point pro- gram of Labor’s Non-Partisan League were John A. Hartmann, Leo Rogers and Bernard J. Walsh. Members of Local 437 active during the campaign were Addie L. Weber, secretary of LNPL, and Bernard Forer, publicity di- rector for the campaign. Both AFL and CIO unions backed the progressive candidates. Teachers Aided Of importance to teachers is the pledge of the three commis- sioners to restore salaries to all public employees The Trenton Board of Educa- tion, sensing the teachers’ opposi- tion to waivers, has maintained a cut of 5 per cent for 1939-40, but has worded contracts so_ that teachers may sue for the remain- ing 5 per cent. Charging discrimination, the Local last month demanded that the Board of Education place all teachers involved in the recent salary test case on a regular salary schedule “in such a man- ner as will render their salaries equivalent to those of teachers who waived their legal rights.” The demand was contained in a letter sent to the board over the signature of Bernard Forer, sec- retary of the Union. Attend Educational Meet Members attended the confer- ence on “Education for Democ- racy” held in Trenton the _ last of May. Sponsored by prominent local persons, including clergy- men, businessmen, jurists and teachers, the conference featured three panel discussions. Topics were “Democracy and Racial and Religious Tolerance,” “Democracy and the Curriculum,” and “De- mocracy and the Administration of Education.” New officers are John Kelsey, president; Maude VanNatta, first vice-president; Julian B. Honey- cutt, second vice-president; Mrs. Mary Inman, third vice-president; John Tregurtha, treasurer; Mrs. Elizabeth Hankinson, guide; Reu- ben Jones, recording secretary; Bernard Forer, corresponding sec- retary; Arthur S. Hancock and George Krall, trustees; Wallace L. Larrabee and Austin LaVigne, delegates to Central Labor Union. Minnesota Teachers Plan Drive at State DULUTH, MINN. — Seventeen teachers representing seven teach- ers’ locals were delegates to the convention of the Minnesota Fed- eration of Labor at Duluth, Minn., in September. Appointed to the Education Committee were: Walter Loban of Local 444; Helen Conway, Local 28; Verna Neprude, Local 59; Peter Fugina, Local 469; Ruth Bergquist, Local 28; Mary Mc- Gough and Mercedes Nelson of the State Federation. Miss Nelson was elected secretary of the Com- mittee. Ask Federal Aid Resolutions passed stressed the importance of labor electing its members to school boards, the need for courses on labor prob- lems in the University and teach- ers’ colleges; urged the contin- uance of workers’ education and the establishment of a bureau of education by the executive coun- cil to acquaint the public with the achievements of labor and developments of all vital issues. The delegates endorsed the Wag- ner Health Bill, urged the main- tenance of high standards already achieved in education and the Labor Meet equalization of educational oppor- tunities through aid by state and federal governments; and opposed the establishment of compulsory military training at the Uni- versity. Flay State Leaders The constitution was amended to permit the endorsement of political candidates. Demand for the repeal of the State Labor Relations Act was made and a resolution passed condemning anti-labor practices of the pres- ent state administration. Teacher delegates, at the sug- gestion of Walter Loban, state organization chairman, conferred with labor representatives on techniques and plans for organiz- ing teachers in key localities. Oliver Wilbur of Duluth was chairman of a committee to ar- range a meeting for discussion of school finance and taxation to be held concurrently with the Min- nesota Education Association sec- tion meeting, October 13. Speak- ers included Senator George Lommen, Superintendent Lewis Harris of Floodwood, and Miss Amelia Yaeger, regional vice- president. WOMEN MAY WORK, STATE COURT RULES BOSTON, Mass.—Legislation prohibiting the employment of married women in public serv- ice sustained a blow when the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts advised that such measures would be uncon- stitutional if enacted into law. Declaring that proposed legislation against public em- ployment of married women would be arbitrary, the major- ity decisions stated that ‘“mar- ried women are not, by reason either of being women or of being married or unmarried, excluded from citizenship.” The court declared that Women, whether married or unmarried, are members of the State and therefore are sub- ject only to constitutional and valid statutory limitations. As such, they share with all citi- zens “the duties and privileges of citizenship,” and “like other citizens they are entitled to the benefit of the constitutional guaranties against arbitrary discrimination.” Budget Approved INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — Ap- proval of the school budget with- out change was made recently by the Marion County Board of Tax Adjustment. In contrast with previous years, few attacks were made on the budget. Last year a continuous battle was directed against the budget, although it had already been lowered by the school board. e LAC Plans F orum December 9 NEW YORK, N.Y.—An impres- sive list of s-2akers and leaders will conduct the annual educa- tional forum of the New York College Teachers Union, Local 557, on December 9. The theme of the seminars is “Sey and Democracy.” President Frank Kingdom of the | University of Newark and Presi-| dent Harry A. Gideonse of Brook- lyn College will address the gen- eral meeting, and President George S. Counts of the AFT will preside at the tea. Speakers Listed The speakers include: Clyde Miller, Teachers’ College; James McDonald, Brooklyn Institute; Paul Tillich, Union Theological Seminary; Max Lerner, Williams; Goodwin Watson, Teachers’ Col- lege; Stringfellow Barr, president of St. Johns College, Annapolis; Emmanuel Chapman, Fordham, and Granville Hicks. Other speakers are; Louise R. Rosenblatt, Brooklyn; Charles H. Fisher, Eda Lou Walton, N.Y.U. William Rafsky, C.C.N.Y. student council; \Vvilliam Kilpatrick, T.C., emeritus; Arnold Shukotoff; Jer- rome Davis; E. ~. Hollis; Ned Dearborn; Max Yergan, C.C.N.Y.; Bella Dodd of the State Federa- tion of Teachers’ Unions; J. H. Randall, Jr., Columbia; Clinton Keyes, Columbia; and Philip Foner, C.C.N.Y. AFT LITERATURE . Six Major Strike? ~ wore Union ot 9 92 i > = Teachers hth - Teachers Should O (Irvin R. The following literature dealing with the problems of the American Federation of Teachers has been pre- pared by the national office. In many cases you will find a complete and convincing answer to the puz- zling question asked by a non-Union teacher. All prices are per hundred copies unless otherwise stated. Information about the AFT eeceeweeeweee Secon ceccneeeceesece - Purposes Can Teachers Unions Be Called Out on 3 Ra y Why I Am a Member of the Teachers Six Reasons for Joining the AFT (Jerome Davis) Questions and Answers _.. ‘ The Historical Setting of the AFT Why I Am Glad to Be a Member of the AFT (Goodwin Watson) The Constitution of the AFT (Correct as of Oct. 1, 1939) A Program of Action for Classroom A Critical Evaluation of the AFT, per copy (Aileen W. Accomplishments of the AFT (Frank Baker) A Golden Opportunity e Re RY Robinson) Kuenzli) Convention Millions of Workers Council (1939) Organized Labor and the Public Schools___.. (Irvin R. Kuenzli) A Challenge to Classroom Teachers (Blotter) The National Union of Teachers of England 1.00 (Elsie V. What 17c Will Do in AFT Dues Mr. George L. Googe Address 1938 AFT 15 Parker) Excerpts 1938 AFT Convention Legislative Report of the Executive AFL Convention Address (George S. Counts) AFT Pins may be ordered at the following prices: 50 cents each; $5.00 per dozen; $38.00: per hundred. Order Now From The American Federation of Teachers 506 S. Wabash Ave. Chicago, Ill. AFL PROMOTES EDUCATION ROM the first convention of the American Federation of Labor to this hour labor has placed the subject of education as one of its central concerns, because education was so central to the future welfare of America. Moreover American labor believes firmly that one of the cri- teria by which to judge of the level of civilization attained by a people is reflected in the proportion of pub- lic funds expended on the education of the citizenship. Education is not for democracy but is in the highest sense democracy, because the full growth and development of individ- uals can take place only in a society of free men. In the year that has just closed since the last convention the Perma- nent Committee on Education has given careful consideration to various educational bills before the Congress of the United States and has given invaluable aid to the formulation of By PRESIDENT WILLIAM GREEN (Excerpt from Address to 1939 Convention) labor’s policy toward such legisla- tion. This committee has addressed itself to such matters as vocational educa- tion, the representation of labor upon school boards and boards of trustees of public libraries, federal grants-in- aid, the youth problem, and on the extension of apprenticeship programs. It is the considered opinion of the Permanent Committee on Education that the time has come for the broadening of the principle of repre- sentation by labor on such local edu- cation boards in accordance with la- bor’s interest and responsibility for the sound administration of these agencies. The Committee has urged upon every central labor union the task of undertaking such a campaign for adequate representation. It also urges the need for wise planning by labor to bring its maximum contri- bution to bear in the development of vocational education, juvenile place- ment and adult education. YOUR DOLLAR by Consumers Union War and Prices N the basis of price trends to October 5, CU can offer a few buying hints. Price changes may have altered the pic- ture somewhat by the time this column appears. 1. Don’t stock up on foods. high prices may recede. 2. Buy wool clothing now—but shop around to get it at the pre-war price. Retailers bought their fall and winter stocks before the price of wool ad- vanced, and there’s no justification for higher prices on these lines. 3. If you need wool blankets and rugs ‘and plan to buy them anyway, get them now. Prices are almost certain to go up. 4. Don’t stock up on sheets and cotton Present f goods. In the face of a Huge cotton sur- ‘plus and reduced exports, it’s doubtful : if the price advances already made in some lines can be held, 5. Shoe prices will probably rise and continue rising for a time. If you need shoes, it may be wise to buy them early. Mayonnaise Real mayonnaise must contain at least 50 per cent edible vegetable oil, mixed with vinegar and a small amount of egg yolk. Samples tested by CU actually contained from 63 per cent to 80 per cent of oil. Products sold as “salad dressing,” at about the same price as mayonnaise, have no set standards. They contain much less oil and more vinegar, starch fillers and sometimes water, which may run as high as one-third of the bulk. CU found the following brands of mayonnaise offer best value: Home- De-Lite (19c pint); Reeves’ Best (21c pint); Krasdale (23c pint). Women’s Shoes Eighty-six per cent of women wear badly fitted shoes, a university survey showed. Any shoe clerk can probably confirm the fact. Intelligent looking, carefully dressed women who would not think of buying a dress or a hat too small will accept—and even demand—~ 5A shoes for 6B feet, pointed toes that make walking painful, high heels that throw the body into graceless posture. If design and fit of a shoe are good, next most important are material and construction. Good quality leather up- pers and insoles are points to look for, and “welt” construction is probably first choice for everyday wear. Consumers Union rates 23 brands of women’s shoes on the basis of compara- tive quality, as determined by labora- tory tests and examinations by a shoe expert. In general, it was found that best values are in the $5 to $7 price range, good buys can be found at around $4, but shoes selling at much less than $4 are not worth buying for steady wear. Antiseptics “Good for Germs” should be the label on certain widely advertised “antisep- tics.” For when tested under conditions resembling actual use, not only do they fail to kill disease organisms; but they permit these organisms to grow and multiply. The greater the advertising ballyhoo, the less, it often happens, is the germ- killing power. Merphenyl Borate, an un- advertised product, is vastly more effec- tive than such products as Pepsodent, Vick’s Voratone, or Listerine. Mercuro- chrome, often used as a painless substi- tute for iodine, is comparatively inef- fective. Lysol, though it is an active antiseptic, is too poisonous for use on the human body. Iodine is still one of the most satis- factory general antiseptics. It may be used either in the 2-per-cent alcoholic solution—Mild Tincture of Iodine, U.S.P. —or in one of the relatively non-irritat- ing watery solutions—Iodine 1.85 per cent, sodium iodine 2.2 per cent in dis- tilled water; or the 5-per-cent Lugol’s Solution. Highly effective, too, are Mer- phenyl Borate Tincture, 1:500; Tincture Metaphen 1:200; Tincture Merthiolate 1:1000; Mercresen Tincture. Electric Toasters Toasters that pop up, toasters that flash lights and ring bells, toasters that deliver your toast on a conveyor, were among the models recently tested by Consumers Union in an effort to im- prove American breakfasting. Points to look out for in testing a toaster were found to be: freedom from table scorch- ing and shock risks such as excessive heat radiated downwards, or electrical connections between the frame and cur- rent-carrying parts; convenience; and ability to make good toast. Of the 34 toasters tested, 9 made exceptionally good toast, 20 were average and 5 made toast that was burned and underdone. A fairly satisfactory non-automatic turn-over toaster was found as low as $1.95, good semi-automatic toasters which ring a bell and turn off when toast is done on either side can be bought at around $3.50 (Sears Heatmas- ter, Cat. No. 1973, $3.29, plus postage; Procter Model 1444, $3.95) and well made, completely automatic toasters cost from $7.25 up. Complete ratings of the 34 toasters, by brand name, are carried in Consumers Union Reports for August. Slips Good fit and good wear are what a woman wants most in a slip. In spite of standard construction and compara- tive freedom from style changes, Con- sumers Union found in tests of 60 slips that it’s still hard to find these simple qualities at a reasonable price. Getting a good fit is not so difficult if you try the slip on before you buy. Try to get a written guarantee against excessive shrinkage, to make sure the garment will still fit after it is washed. Look for a closely woven (or knitted) fabric, well made seams with not less than 16 stitches to the inch, carefully attached trimmings and straps. Rayon or silk and rayon fabrics can be made to give as good wear as many silks. Weighted silk is not apt to wear well. YOUR DOLLAR is a _ regular monthly feature. The facts and opin- ions given are based on Consumers Union Reports, the monthly maga- zine of Consumers Union, 17 Union Square West, New York City, a non- profit organization whose main object is to safeguard buyers by testing and reporting on consumer goods. aA | TEAC E Teachers Must Fight . to Preserve Liberties By NED DEARBORN AFT Vice President The following speech was delivered on September 6 by Ned H. Dearborn to the delegates to the first International Con- gress of American Teachers held at Havana, Cuba. Dr. Dearborn was the only delegate from the United States to attend the Congress. HE madness of greed and fear and hate has been let loose in the Far East and now in Europe. It matters not whether this madness is English, French, Polish, German, or Japanese. It is a madness that destroys the spirit. Under it intellectual freedom, the arts, religion, and political liberty cannot endure. It must not seize upon the American peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Let us in- oculate ourselves against this dread mad- . ness. Let us preserve for our own nations a sanity of thought and feeling so that liberty shall not disappear from the hearts and homes of mankind. This is no small task. We have learned to our sorrow not to depend upon politi- cal leaders who represent special inter- ests. We have ample cause to distrust the selfish ambitions of self-appointed political messiahs. We know that eco- nomic autocracy is just as untrustworthy as political demagogy. We have seen bigotry and isolationism among social groups. We deplore the lack of unity among religious leaders in advancing the high ethical standards of their several creeds. We see liberals everywhere fighting each other instead of consolidating their powers against the enemies of progress. Even organized labor, as in the United States, reflects the conflicts and con- fusions of the world. Who then can carry forward the banner of liberty? The answer is simple. We have it in ourselves —the American teachers. This is a time when modesty should give ground to realism. Who better than teachers can objectively scan the social scene? Who better than teachers can apply scientific methods to the problems of society? Who better than _ teachers can critically analyze the conditions of everyday life and constructively habitu- ate the masses of our peoples in orderly thought and controlled emotions. I proudly nominate the teachers of Amer- ica for this Herculean task. We can keep the Western Hemisphere free for our- selves and as a flaming example of free- dom to the rest of the world if it sur- vives this present madness. We will do these changes if only we do what intelli- gent teachers can do. We in the United States have many interests in common with you of other American nations. The Progressive Edu- cation Association, which I officially rep- resent this week, has about ten thousand members and primarily devotes its ener- gies to research, publications and dis- cussion conferences. The American Fed- eration of Teachers, thirty-five thousand strong, which elected me in Buffalo two weeks ago as its delegate to this Con- gress, is on the front line advancing the broad social purposes of our profession and defending its members against the illiberal forces which constantly threaten free teachers. American Federation of Teachers Fights for Federal Aid In the latter case the American Fed- eration of Teachers actively supports the idea of federal aid for education on the theory of equity in educational oppor- tunity. It works for the maintenance of fair salary schedules, adequate tenure, retirement, pension rights, and academic freedom. It is launching a campaign for a membership of one hundred thousand. It has an active organizing committee, planning committee, program committee and many others. It publishes the AMERICAN TEACHER as its official journal and hopes to extend its publica- tions by special studies and committee reports. The American Federation of Teachers is allied with organized, labor the Amer- ican Federation of Labor, for reasons obviously defensible. Organized labor from its inception about seventy-five years ago has been friend and supporter of public education. Its strength con- tributes to the strength of organized teachers. Its alliance, however, is based upon more than gratitude and immediate advantages. It is based upon ethical grounds. The greatest good for the larg- est number of people is the basic creed of the American Federation of Teachers. The workers of the United States con- stitute by far the largest percentage of our population. Workers are those who produce either goods or services for the welfare and advancement of society, Numerically there aren’t many others besides workers. Therefore teachers, be-. ing workers, through the American Fed- eration of Teachers identify themselves with organized labor as the only articu- late expression of the workers’ needs in terms of the advancement of our demo-: cratic society. The American Federation of Teachers stands for unity within its own ranks and now enjoys a laudable degree of it. The American Federation of Teachers stands for unity in organized labor and although affiliated with the American Federation of Labor hopes to see at an early date a unified labor movement in the United States. The American Fed- eration of Teachers stands for unity among liberal groups throughout the country and makes no discrimination in its policies or action against any social, religious, political or racial groups. There is room for all, freedom for all, in a liberal democracy. I, therefore, representing these ideals urge upon this First International Con- gress of American Teachers the careful consideration of a permanent Interna- tional Federation of American Teachers based upon a program of unity. We need each other’s idealism and experience. We need the strength and power that comes from solidarity. We must unite in our common interests which are the interests of civilization. We must keep the faith of freedom. We must advance our sev- eral cultures in the nations of the West- ern Hemisphere to the everlasting glory of mankind throughout the world. Once more I proudly nominate the teachers of America represented in this Congress as the indomitable leaders of our evolving liberties. Long may the teachers live in the faith of a new federation under ever- lasting laws of liberty. HOLLYWOOD SHORTS By Federated Press E SEASON’S best and most demo- cratic film has just been previewed: “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” By all odds the Academy Award winner for 1939, it is the story of a naive young man who gets appointed to the Senate and moves heaven and earth to break through the bureaucracy and the complacency of the Senate in the face of graft, frameup and corruption, to succeed finally in re- storing some respect for true American democracy in the minds of the solons. With Sidney Buchman’s_ crackerjack script, Frank Capra has made a film that has extreme importance for its defense of our great progressive traditions. ** * Hollywood's Motion Picture Demo- cratic Committee’s banquet, originally scheduled for September 7, has been in- definitely postponed. Attorney General Frank Murphy was to have presided at the function, but the European situation has necessitated his remaining in Wash- ington. When the banquet is held, it will be the occasion of a first annual award to the film which has made the greatest contribution to the cause of democracy. Some 12,000 film workers have voted in this rank-and-file Academy Award ballot, and leading contenders are believed to be “Juarez,” “Confessions of a Nazi Spy,” and “Young Mr. Lincoln.” -s **+F Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has definitely shelved Sinclair Lewis’ anti-fascist novel, “It Can’t Happen Here.” The story was bought by the studio four years ago and abandoned at the time under pressure from the dictator nations. s+ Charlie Chaplin has made an official announcement on his “The Great Dic- tator.” “I’m making,” he says, “a com- edy picture on the lives of dictators which I hope will create much healthy laughter throughout the world.” After several days’ shooting, he called a halt to polish some more on his script. But United Artists is definitely promising the film ‘for release before 1940. s**t “Time in the Sun” is the title of a new film cut from some of the excess foot- age which Sergei Eisenstein shot six years ago for “Thunder Over Mexico.” Marie Seton salvaged the film, which is to be previewed shortly... _ | Ba (Continued from page 1) verbal minority report and moved that a ninth section be added to the majority report, to read as follows: 9. That the State Board of Educa- tion ask for the resignation of Dr. George Finlay Simmons as President of the State University, effective July 1st, 1939; and that the said State Board of Educa- tion appoint a President to fill said vacancy not later than July Ist, 1939.° After seconding, Mr. Ekern’s motion lost, and the majority report was again adopted. Immediately afterwards a resolution was introduced and carried, reading as follows: Resolved, That the special sub- committee selected to investigate af- fairs in the Greater University of Montana,‘ consisting of Moss (Flat- head), Ekern and Lowe, be con- tinued as a committee during this biennium,’ with instructions to re- port to the State Board of Educa- tion as to any findings coming under their notice; said committee to serve without pay or recompense of any kind.’ Difficulties Arise from State Board’s Inefficiency In addressing the Assembly, Mr. Ek- ern made these revealing remarks: “My personal opinion is that we do not need to go to Germany to find a Hitler, we have one at the State University at Mis- soula. ... The report of the committee without (my) amendment would simply mean this: Go ahead Dr. George Finlay Simmons and raise all the hell you want with our students, faculty members and the taxpayer’s money and nobody is go- ing to bother you until the next two years when the next session of the leg- islature meets.” In concluding, Mr. Ek- ern recommended: “The chief cause for the difficulty at the State University seems to come from the inefficiency of our State Board of Education. The Board consists of three members as ex officios, composed of the governor, the attorney- general, and the superintendent of pub- lic instruction. The eight appointed members are appointed by the governor. As the Board is organized, you cannot prevent it from becoming a _ political board. If only the ex officio members could have exercised their voting power, and the appointed members acted in an advisory capacity, this trouble might not have arisen. Some solution should be arrived at to restore confidence among the faculty and take away that jittery feeling now existing within the faculty. I do not believe this can be done by the continuation of Dr. Simmons as President.’ ‘In support of his strictures against President Simmons, Mr. Ekern cited let- ters written in 1935 to the faculty com- mittee in Missoula which was consider- ing candidates for the presidency. P. M. Rea, former director of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, wrote: “Simmons Is Intensely Ambitious ... a Flair for Intrigue” “Answering your letter of No- vember 14, George Finlay Simmons is, as you have found, a man who makes a very pleasing first impres- sion. He is intensely ambitious, has a quick imagination in conceiving grandiloquent schemes, and a real flair for political intrigue. . . . As far as I know, he has left every previous position under accusations of intrigue and disloyalty.” And Harold L. Madison, director of this Museum, wrote: “Mr. George Finlay Simmons re- signed his position here at the Mu- seum at the request of the Trustees. There was a definite disagreement between Mr. Simmons and Mr. Paul — Mr. Rea. . . . I, myself, can testify that Mr. Simmons invited me to participate in a plan to force his superior out of office... . “So far as I know, Mr. Simmons has no administrative experience that would make him valuable for the position he seeks. It is true “Ibid. p. 630. *The Greater University is made up of the State University at Missoula, the School of Mines in Butte, the State College at Bozeman, the Teachers’ College at Dillon and junior colleges at Havre and Billings. *1939-1941. *Taken from official copy of his remarks furnished by Mr. Ekern. FaHOWS that he had charge of an expedi- tion sent out by this Museum to make collections in the Seuth At- lantic; that he was in constant dif- ficulty with his associates; that in spite of the fact that he.was often in ports where he could do so, it was only after repeated letters and telegrams that reports were secured from him. He has the ability to spend large amounts of money with which he gets small results. Among the members of this Museum’s staff he was known as ‘Alibi Simmons.’ It is my opinion that he would handle other people in a militaristic manner. At any rate, it is a method to which he himself responds.” Ex post facto evidence confirms the estimates of these gentlemen as to Dr. Simmons’ qualifications for the presi- dency of Montana State University. In the debate in the House following Mr. Ekern’s remarks, Chairman Moss of the Sub-committee admitted “that the state board of education made a mistake when it hired Simmons . . . but since the act has been accomplished every cooperation should be given the president in his task.’" School Newspaper Biased, Backed the Administration In view of the fourth conclusion of the majority report of the legislative investigating committee (“we feel that there have been no unreasonable efforts to restrict .. . freedom of speaking”), it is pertinent to mention here the role played by the Kaimin, the official stu- dent newspaper. During the censorship controversy of 1936 (see The Keeney Case, pp. 19-20), the Kaimin covered the situation quite fully, publishing many communications from students and state- ments of the principals. Since that time no reference, up to the autumn of this year, has ever been made in the columns of the paper to the serious issues in- volving academic freedom which has arisen on the campus. When one recalls that the Kaimin is edited by students in the School of Journalism, one has reason to question the sort of journal- istic ethics taught by the School. An editorial which appeared after the re- ports of the legislative investigating committee stated: “Editorially the Kaimin is backing the administration, because it is our opinion that in this course lie prospects for improvement of the university. However, we have done our best to keep our news stories free from our editorial. opinion, and in no case has one side or the other attempted to dictate what we print.’ After Professor Keeney was. illegally dismissed in April, 1937, his name was not mentioned in the Kaimin until April 11, 1939, when a front-page story was carried concerning the faculty salary cut which had been approved by the Board the day before to pay Keeney’s back salary in case he won in the Su- preme Court. (This ingenious method of turning faculty members’ resentment against Keeney, who haa already been victimized by the Board, was later found to be unconstitutional.) On June 17 the Montana Supreme Court handed down a_ four-to-one deci- sion upholding the judgment of the First District Court which on March 22, 1938, had ruled that Professor Keeney had been “unlawfully precluded” from per- forming the duties and services of his office as librarian and professor of li- brary economy on September 1, 1937. In the statutory period allowed him President Simmons applied for a re- hearing. This was denied by the Su- preme Court, and the case was thereupon remitted to the District Court for execu- tion of its writ of mandate of March, 1938, commanding members of the Board of Education and President Simmons to admit Professor Keeney to the full use and enjoyment of his duties and to pay him back salary from the date he was unlawfully precluded from perform- ing them. The Board at its quarterly meeting on July 10 approved unani- mously the motion of Attorney-General Freebourn that the order of the Court be complied with. Professor Keeney re- turned to his duties on July 17. Merriam Accused of “Failure to Cooperate with Simmons” Meanwhile the Board had appointed a 'Daily Missoulian, March.3, 1939, p. 2. *The Kaimin, March 7, 1939, NY po ab sub-committee to investigate the much- investigated campus at’ Missoula. Board members Borton and Gosman visited Missoula in April when they -held pri- vate conversations with a few people, but made no effort to conduct an im- partial inquiry. On July 8 they were again in Missoula, when a seven-hour discussion was held in President Sim- mons’ office between the Board members, the president and Professors Lennes and Freeman who appeared for the faculty. At this time the president made accusa- tions “of failure to cooperate” against Professor Merriam, whom the Board members had not seen in April or July, and charged that Professor Atkinson had absented himself from the campus without leave in order to appear before the Appropriations Sub-committee of the Legislative Assembly in Helena where he had complained that “the administration of the University was in a ‘mess,’ that funds had been misused, and suggesting that no appropriations should be made for the University until the Legislature had investigated Simmons.’” Professor Atkinson later wrote to Judge Borton, categorically denying this charge.” When Professor Keeney returned to his duties on July 17, he found the door of the librarian’s office locked and was told that the only key was in the posses- sion of the president, who was out of town. The two members of the library staff who had been added during his absence were not introduced to him, and he was asked not to use a typewriter in the outer office because such use interfered with the routine. When the president returned on the 19th, he and Professor Keeney had a two-hour con- versation during which the former stated that Keeney would be from now on a “fifth wheel” in the Library. What sort of treatment was in store for him, Professor Keeney learned from. the president's letters, excerpts from which follow: Keeney Told He was to Be Library’s “Fifth Wheel” July 19, 1939 “In view of the fact that the Library plans have all been drawn up very carefully for the summer’ session and the interval until the beginning of the fall quarter on Tuesday, September 26, and that this plan has been -carefully checked by the Library Committee and by me and approved for this period, it will not be necessary for you to do any of the routine service work in the Library at this time. Miss Winifred Feighner is quite familiar with the arrangements made for duty assign- ments and vacations and will con- tinue to supervise these internal ad- ministrative details. Miss Feighner will also continue for the present, until further plans can be made in detail and checked with Dr. Deiss as chairman of the Library Commit- tee, to serve as my representative, as custodian of the books and col- lections and in charge of Library personnel. Will you, therefore, re- frain from making suggestions di- rect to any of the Library staff, rather make the suggestion to Miss Feighner in writing as a matter of record for her to determine as to whether it fits into the plan we have laid out for this current period. Miss Duncan and Miss Peterson are going to be particularly busy, and I prefer at this time not to have their attention diverted from the schedule, already laid out for them.