ournal of ™ NATIONAL : EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE STATES SEP £6 ives ecutive Asso- ie. i Visit your schools American Education Week, November 7-13. See page 244. | October 1937 [ATION Making the Constitution * American Education Week, 1937 = General Science and Children’s Hobbies = The Educational Policies Commission * Art and Democracy New York “attention span.” They answer the increasing demand of schools that fewer topics be taught in primary grades in order to insure the pupil’s clearer understanding and better mastery of the fundamentals. In this new distribution of topics the authors have been guided largely by the social utility of each topic and by what the psychologists call the This new scientific placement makes possible a much more detailed step-by-step JUST PUBLISHED For Better Mastery of the Fundamentals STRAYER-UPTON Social Utility Arithmeties These new books incorporate the findings of the latest psychological research in the grade place- ment of arithmetic topics. gradation of difficulties in the exercises. All problems relate to experiences with which pupils are familiar—the home, school sports, hob- bies, vacation trips, community projects, ete. Arithmetic thus becomes not only an interesting but also a useful part of each pupil’s life. The numerous projects and problems are simple, wholesome, and practical. The vocabulary has been selected with extreme care; 90 percent of the words are in the authoritative word lists. The series is remarkably attractive; in the books for grades 3 to 6, color brightens up the pages. Published in a Three-Book and a Six-Bocok Series AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY Cincinnati Chicago Boston Atlanta Dallas San Franeiseo 4 4,500,000 Copies Sold Designed for supplemen- tary use in English work in Grades Il through XIil. Each book provides ex- ercises in language work suitable for the grade. The books may be used | in conjunction with any textbook. This fact, in part, accounts for the de- sirability and popularity of the series, Workbooks for all Grades and Subjects Send for Free Catalog loiiaiass SHARP’S SERIES OF ENGLISH EXERCISES 11 Books... A Book for Each Grade THE SHARP SERIES Language Practice for Third Grade... .14c Drill and Test material Language Practice for Fourth Grade.. .14c Drill and Test material Language Drills and Tests.............14¢ Fifth grade Language Drills and Tests............. 140 Sixth grade aS ko oie a abs Rae ee 25c Seventh grade ee ee 256 Eighth grade o/s a kp sge anes ckana 28c Book I for High School, [LX grade See ee ee 28c Book II for High School, X grade IT OT POET Ere 28s Book III for High School, XI grade ee 28c Book IV for High School, XII grade Prices subject to usual school discount A Teacher’s Manual for each book contains brief directions and correct answers for each group of exercises, These books lay great stress on the fundamen- tals, save teachers’ and pupils’ time, create a new classroom interest and add no additional cost to the pupil. WEBSTER PUBLISHING CO. 1808 Washington Ave., St. Louis, Mo. NEW GREGG BOOKS Published Since January, 1937 Bookkeeping and Accounting Practice, Part II— Accounting. Lenert and McNamara ...... $1.50 Economics—Basic Principles and Problems. Michels 1.60 Progressive Business Law with Graded and Classified Cases and Modern Tests. Filfus and Kasden 1.20 French Commercial Correspondence and Readings. Fish and Snow 1.20 Business Offces—Opportunities and Methods of Oper- ation. Harris 7 2.00 Gregg Dictation and Transcription. Renshaw and Leslie 1.50 Functional Method Dictation. Leslie 1.50 The Law Stenographer. Baten, Kelley, and Weaver 1.40 Stenographer’s Transcription Reference. Hobson .60 Gregg Typing, Second Edition. SoRelle, Smith, Foster, and Blanchard: Book I WE aiSeasas Aix wis ay 8a kw Acbtatee 1.32 | I See ee ede a ; 1.32 Complete 1.60 Typewriting for Personal Use. Blackstone and Yerian 1.32 Write our nearest office for further information. THE GREGG PUBLISHING COMPANY New York Chicago San Francisco Boston Toronto London Sydney col Between Editor and Reader HE QUESTION often comes: Shall we advise T young people to take up teaching as a pro- fession? By all means, yes, if they have the nat- ural fitness for it and a real purpose in their hearts to do good. Great questions like that are not decided on the basis of salary or material conditions at a particular time and place. Their roots go deeper. If the state of civilization im- proves, the position of the teacher will be one of greatest usefulness and happiness. If the collapse of civilization is not soon arrested and grows steadily worse, the need for teachers of purpose, character, and clear vision will be greater than ever. In either case, every teacher should unite in an open conspiracy to keep out of teaching those who would seek to enter it primarily for selfish reasons or because they are looking for an easy path in life. We must bring into teaching the young men and women of greatest promise and cultural excellence, who will find their greatest happiness in developing their talents of leader- ship. Teaching by its very nature is a great heroic calling or it is nothing. Among the values which teachers may daily exalt are: (1) The practice of mutual helpfulness. (2) Cultivation of kindliness and goodwill. (3) Sincerity of manner and a love of truth. (4) The development of the voice and bearing as an expression of fineness of character. (5) The joy of family life. (6) The happiness of being friendly and of having worthy friends. (7) The beauty of nature—trees, birds, flowers, the sky, the clouds, the stars, and the changing seasons. (8) Satisfaction in reading materials selected with discrimination and the building up of a personal library of the best. (9) Joy in useful work well done—in the per- fection of skill. (10) A sense of duty and responsibility which makes one desire to conserve all the good hu- manity has achieved and to add to it. Why not talk with young people more about these things? Every child wants to make the most of his life. The Journal goes to all members of the National Education Association The payment of $2 active membership dues entitles a member to attend all meetings of the Association and its departments, to vote for delegates to the Representative Assembly, to hold office, and to teeive THE JOURNAL. The payment of $5 instead of $2 entitles an active member, in addition to the privileges of the $2 member- ship, to reccive the Research Bulletins and the Annual Volume of Addresses and Proceedings. The payment of $100 gives the priv- ileges of the $5 active membership for life. Subscription to non- Members is $2 per year; single copies, 25 cents. Advertising rates on application. Please report at once any change of address, giving old as well as new address. THE JOURNAL is a member of the Educational Press Association of America. Published monthly, except June, July, and August, by the National Education Association of the United States, 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington, D, C. Entered as second-class matter October 23, 1920, at the Dostoffice at Washington, D. C., under the act of August 24, 1912. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, act of October 3, 1917, authorized January 26, 1921. ‘Journal ofthe NATIONAL EDUCATION JOY ELMER MORGAN, Editor ASSOCIATION VOLUME 26 H. A. ALLAN, Business Manager OF THE UNITED STATES NUMBER 7 CONTENTS FOR OCTOBER 1937 The World WeLiveIn. . .....:+.s «6s ou » ee, oes The Mental Aspect of Our Civilization. On Being in Two Places at Once . ALEXIS CARREL 212 LYLE W. ASHBY 213 Asperjeam Educetion. Weels,.t937. 20 6 «4 sah Seine ee General Science and Children’s Hobbies . A Matter of Life and Death . ROSALIND M. ZAPF =. 216 IVAN A. BOOKER 218 Making the Constitution . . . . . . . . . . H. L. DONOVAN The Colonies Facea Comms... <=, .0::k: isi ist oh, oe Mabers of ie Coes. a ea The Constitutional Convention Convenes . . . .. . . . . 222 ee ee ee ee, err Great Compromises ae ‘ [a 225 The Work Completed . . . . + ORY o> a The Fight for Adoption. . . . : . 228 The Amieninemte 56554 oR OE ee a Sh The Constitution in the Life of Today. . . . . . .. . . . 232 New Activities of the Educational Policies Commission . Xeport of the Conference on Elementary Education Eva G. PINKSTON 236 Alcshel Gvoutl’s World. 2. Wor Se ee Ast and Democracy. ..... . ROY BREG 237 . FRANK E. BAKER 238 Artamees Cling Bille we ng es ds te © A, New Service ap Teachers. ©... as: We Ee, ee Our Affiliated State and Local Associations AGNES WINN 240 Pec eee NEA. wk i ee ee eee poe Gee Amamowennss 8 a The articles herein printed are the expressions of the writers and not a statement of policy of the Association unless set by resolution Published by the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION of the UNITED STATES 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. CAROLINE S. WOODRUFF, President WILLARD E. GIVENS, Executive Secretary J. W. CRABTREE, Secretary-emeritus Directors of Divisions Accounts & Records....... Mary J. Winfree ee ORS a re et ee H. A. Allan Classroom Service Agnes Winn Field Service ..Charl Ormond Williams Membership.......... T. D. Martin Publications Research marie, oer eee Joy Elmer Morgan William G. Carr Frank W. Hubbard .. Howard A. Dawson Harriett M. Chase Associate Director. . . Rural Service Secretary's Office Secretaries of Departments Located at NEA Headquarters Deans of Women Kathryn G. Heath S. D. Shankland Elem. School Principals .Eva G. Pinkston Mary F. Hazell Secondary School Principals. . Walter E. Myer School Administrators Supvrs. & Dirs. of Instr... Director, Discussion Group Project VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; OCTOBER 1937 | A-r15 | eee E NOvEMBER 7-13, 1937 EDUCATION AND OUR NATIONAL LIFE Is the general theme of American Education Week 1937. During this observance millions of American citizens will consider the fundamental relationship of education to the future of our democracy. See article on p. 214. Write at once for the supplies which you will need. GENERAL PUBLICATIONS Handbook—64 pages, size 54, x 7% inches, Contains gen- eral suggestions, daily activities, and brief accounts of American Education Week observances in scores of schools and communities. Price: 20¢ per single copy. Sourcebook—32 pages, size 4 x 9 inches. A new feature of the American Education Week publications. Contains two main sections—one devoted to basic source material on education in the United States and the other to a collection of facts, ideas, and quotations on the daily topics for the Week. Useful for writers, speakers, and program planners. Price: 10¢ a copy. Poster—1142 x 17 inches in three colors. For calling attention to American Education Week thruout the com- munity. Price: 40¢ per package of 10; sold only in mul- tiples of 10. Leaflet—Four pages built around the general theme. Ex- presses sentiments of great national leaders, illustrated by thumbnail sketches. In two colors on white stock. Price: 30¢ per package of 100; sold only in multiples of 100. Stiecker—1%2 x 2 inches with attractive lettering and illustration on white gummed stock. Printed in red and blue ink. For report cards, letters, menus, etc. Price: 25¢ per package of 100; sold only in multiples of 100. High-school Manual—32 pages, size 54% x 75% inches. General suggestions, daily activities, sources of material, and brief accounts of how a few highschools observed AEW in 1936. Illustrated with cartoons on the various AEW topics drawn by students. Price: 15¢ per single copy. Elementary-school Manual—Same size and general plan as highschool manual. Also contains a play for Horace Mann Day. Price: 15¢ per single copy. Rural-school Manual—Same size and general plan as highschool manual. Also contains a play for rural schools and a section of basic materials on the problems of rural life and education. Price: 15¢ per single copy. *COMBINATION PACKETS Specially priced combinations of posters, leaflets, stickers, handbooks, manuals for use in the type of school indicated by the name of the packet, and other items: Kindergarten and Primary Packet (50¢) Elementary School Packet (50¢) Highschool Packet (50¢) Rural School Packet (50¢) Teachers College Packet (50¢) No further discounts allowed on packets. SPECIAL HORACE MANN MATERIALS Biographies—Life of Horace Mann by his wife. Fac- simile edition of a 600-page biography first published in 1865. “Readable—instructive—inspiring.” 1937, $1 post- paid. Chautauqua Text-Book on Horace Mann by Phelps. A famous study outline suitable for senior highschools. 64 p. Single copy, 15¢. *Leaflet—Letter to School Children by Horace Mann. 16-page leaflet for elementary-school children, parents, and other citizens. 25 copies, 50¢; 50 copies, 75¢; 100, $1. Wm. F. junior and | A-116 | American Education Wee American Clucation Wee. 1937 RAND BOOK » EDUCATION AND OUR NATIONAL LIFE« NOVEMBER SEVENTH EDUCATE FOR PEACE? MONDAY NOVEMBER EIGHTH BUYING EDUCATIONAL SERVICES TUESDAY NOVEMBER NINTH HORACE MANN CENTENNIAL WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER TENTH OUR AMERICAN YOUTH PROBLEM THURSDAY NOVEMBER ELEVENTH wr P, F tee 5 ut ovss Bay wend oe 2 a FRIDAY NOVEMBER TWELFTH OPEN HOUSE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION *Packet—Horace Mann Packet, containing bibliographies and plans for observing “Horace Mann Day”; also a copy of the 150-page book Horace Mann: His Ideas and Ideals by Joy Elmer Morgan (published by National Home Library Foundation, Washington, D. C., and selling separately for 25¢ single copy plus 5¢ postage). Price of Packet is 50¢; no discounts. Pageants and Plays—Those Who Bear the Torch, a pageant by the Horace Mann Schools of Teachers College, Columbia University. Five Episodes and a Finale cele- brating the contribution of Horace Mann to the story of edu- cation. Ideal for junior and senior highschools and colleges. 160 p. Single copy, $1 clothbound ; 50¢ paperbound. Horace Mann Pageant, an original production of the Horace Mann School, Seattle. Mimeographed, 10¢ a copy. The Greatest Discovery, a four-act play for highse hools. Mimeographed, 10¢ a copy. Dramatic Episodes in the Life of Mann, one-act plays for elementary schools. 25¢ a copy. QUANTITY DISCOUNTS *Kacept for the items starred, the following discounts are allowed on all quantity orders for the above items: 2-9 copies, 10 percent; 10-99 copies, 25 percent; 100 or more copies, 331% percent. On the poster, leaflet, and sticker each package is considered as 1 copy, 2 packages as 2 copies, etc. Send your order today to THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 Sixteenth Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION * Aura pet O HELP YOUNG This is just one instance of the way _we strive for accuracy at every point in the making of a book. Authors, art- ists, a large editorial staff with special- ists in many fields, and expert proof- readers—all work hand in hand to make Ginn textbooks dependable. GINN AND COMPANY Boston New York Chicago Atlanta Dallas Columbus San Francisco VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; AMERICA TO SAY WITH CONFIDENCE Bm OCTOBER 1937 * a wee“ mT rae ae “ae thet way in my 1. Before the artist made the illustration shown below for Rugg and Krueger's ‘‘Man at Work: His Arts and Crafts” he spent hours in the Egyptian sec- tion of New York City’s Metropoli- tan Museum making the preliminary sketches (shown at the left) of the tools and other objects to be shown in the picture. [Cont. from page 242] best publications. I am not one who believes in clothing stark realism with sentimentality, but it seems to me that there should be a limit to what is put in the hands of young people whose ideas and judgments are in the formative stage. And I believe that as counselor to youth we of the teaching profes- sion should show our disapproval of such maga- zines as American Mercury and Story, both of which are on the subscription award list of Scho- lastic. Also there have appeared in Stage, Harpers, News Week, and Time articles that border on or are frankly indecent. And certainly some of the new picture magazines are unfit to come off the press. The new Life, which started off so well, has gradually degenerated with each succeeding issue. Isn’t there something that we as an organization can do about it? Certainly there must be enough decent-minded members of our profession and of other professions, who, if concerted action were taken, could help to put the brakes on. The battle is not only against material which is indecent and vulgar, but against that which is dishonest and anti-demo- cratic. What stand does your school take? According to a letter from Repre- sentative Jennings Randolph of West Virginia, the Randolph-Lee Bill to provide federal aid to the states for adult civic edu- cation thru public forums is being held in abeyance pending the report of the Presi- dent’s Advisory Committee on Education. It is expected that the movement will go forward and become a permanent part of the public-school system. | A-120 ] For your personal library on Horace Mann— [1] Life of Horace Mann by his wife. Committee on the Horace Mann Centen- nial, 1937. $1 postpaid. Facsimile edition of a 600-page biography. “Readable—in- structive—inspiring.” [2] Horace Mann: His Ideas and Ideals by Joy Elmer Morgan. Prepared especially for the Centennial; published by National Home Library Foundation, Washington, D. C. 1937. 150p. 25¢ a single copy plus 5¢ postage. “I wish every American could read this book and appreciate what this country is doing fér the people thru our public schools.”—Senator Arthur Capper. [3] Chautauqua Textbook on Horace Mann by Wm. F. Phelps. Centennial Com- mittee, 1937. Single copy 15¢, quantity dis- counts. “You have done a good work in making the text of such a rarity available to this generation.”-—J. Wyer, director, New York State Library. [4| Horace Mann, Educational States- man by E. I. F. Williams. Macmillan, N. Y. 1937. 367p. illus. $2. “Ranks with the great biographies of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln—a book for every man who loves his country.” [5] Educating for Democracy. Antioch Press, Yellow Springs, Ohio, 1937. 148p. $1. The Proceedings of the Horace Mann THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Conference at Antioch College, opening event of the Centennial. [6] Horace Mann and Our Schools by Payson Smith, A. E. Winship, and Wm, T, Harris. American Book Co., N. Y. 1937. 100p. $1. Published especially for the Cen. tennial. [7| Horace Mann and the Common School Revival in the U.S. by B. A. Hins. dale. Scribner’s, N. Y. 326p. $2. A special Centennial reprint of a wellknown biog- raphy, long out-of-print. [8] Testament of Faith, a new Horace Mann play by the Antioch College Faculty, Dramatists Play Service, 6 East 39th St, N. Y. roop. 75¢ a copy. Royalty fee of $10 a performance. Presented at the Antioch Conference in October 1936 and at the NEA Convention in Detroit, July 1, 1939. [9] Those Who Bear the Torch, a pageant by the Horace Mann Schools of New York City, celebrating the contribv- tion of Horace Mann to the story of educa- tion. Committee on the Horace Mann Cen- tennial, 1937. 160p. illus. Clothbound, *1 a single copy; paperbound, 50¢ a single copy; quantity discounts. Ideal for “Horace Mann Day,” November 9, of American Education Week. Canadian airways to be free of liquor broadcasts—On the first day of October the Canadian Broadcasting Cor- | | | _—___4} ning poration is putting into effect a new board of governors’ order that bans all liquor- Is by rises Raye gs nT | sponsored advertising thru the facilities of ‘ ie a corporation. Subtle forms of pro-liquor ie 937: propaganda that have been “bootlegged | Cen- ae | a in” are also outlawed. A Soldiers of Science, an educational ; !mon 4; health playlet, depicts the romantic and Tins. cn, neil historical events which led to the discovery big of Vitamins A, B, C, D, and G. Written for junior and senior highschool students, it offers teachers excellent material for casswork, school programs, and parent- teacher meetings. Free copies may be ob- tained from the Wisconsin Alumni Re- search Foundation, Madison. The strength of organized labor— William L. Green addressed his Labor Day message to 3,600,000 members of the AFL. John L. Lewis addressed his Labor Day message to the 3,718,000 workers enroled in the CIO. The persistent caricature of school days as one of unpleasantness isa_ | potent contributing factor to preventing school children from having the right atti- tude toward the opportunity which is theirs. Likewise, it has been contended with considerable propriety, is the summer | vacation which once was expedient when this was primarily an agricultural country and the children were needed in the fields. Eventually the 12 or at least 11 or 10 months’ school is coming. Then with edu- cational methods reformed, the coming generation will be engaged the year round in profitable work beneficial to the com- munity as well as to themselves. Until that happy day arrives the kids should have common sense enough to It’s an ideal classroom map — 4’ feet wide, 39 inches deep—printed in four colors on good heavy stock, with riveted holes for hanging. Around its border is a series of colorful illustrations tracing the story of salmon, from cool mountain streams laugh at the cartoonists’ efforts and to | right - sate Spagonen table. realize that school days are lived thru only | You will find this handsome map extremely once. Opportunities lost during them never | helpful for geography and nutritional courses. Fill can be obtained again—Curtis D. Mac- out the coupon below—you pay only the small Dougall in the Evanston, Ill., Daily News- | ae Index. mailing cost. Have you ever considered becom- ing a Life Member of the National Hume Zeonemite Department Education Association? Such a step has marked the turning point in many a pro- 4 M E R | C 4 N C A N C 0 M P A N Y fessional life. It is a fine investment, both | 230 Park Avenue, New York, N. Y. in your own future and America’s. Cooperative medicine—Many people would like to find a practical, here- and-now solution to the problem of getting | adequate medical care at reasonable cost, | and the Cooperative League of the United States believes it has the right answer. The method is the formation of coopera- tive health associations. When one of these is set up, there are individual and family memberships and for a fixed monthly fee each member is entitled to as nearly com- plete medical service—including hospitali- zation—as the total assets of the group will permit. Some [ Cont. on page A-122| TION VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; OCTOBER 1937 [ A-r21 | ‘Better than a thousand words. are maps like THE TRYON ILLUSTRATED AMERICAN HISTORY MAPS Not for mere decoration was this modern map series illustrated with bears and bison, boats and Indians. Things our eyes see, we remember—so too, these interesting and authentic pictures make it easy for your pupils to understand WHAT was happening, WHERE it was happening, and WHY it happened WHEN it happened. Find out for yourself what TRYON ILLUSTRATED AMERICAN HISTORY MAPS can help you do for your pupils. There is a free copy of “History Teach- ing Aids” waiting for you. Ask for it. Address Dept. M1015. WEBER COSTELLO co. PULLLISHEELRS - - CGHICACO HEIGHIS, ILE. Radio Programs of the NEA Six o’clock Eastern Time! . 5 o'clock Central . . . 4.0’clock Mountain . . 3 o'clock Pacific... across the continent they are tuning in on Our American Schools. ma Uwe 11:00 o’clock EST every SATURDAY morning on the red network of the National Broadcasting Company—Our A merican Schools. oes October 16. Promotes understanding between home and school. :30 o’clock EST every MONDAY afternoon on the Columbia Ri tcasting System—Exits and Entrances. Begins October 18. Dramatic news program for classroom and home. 00 o’clock EST every WEDNESDAY evening on the red network of the National Broadcasting Company—Our A merican Schools. Begins October 13. A story of what the schools are doing and why. bo ¢ ~ Attractively printed announcement leaflets for distribution to homes in your community, free in quantity—as long as they last. Write now to the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION WASHINGTON, D. C. | A-122 | All the way | | activity. [Cont. from page A-121] advantages of the plan, in addition to its relatively low cost, are the stress laid upon periodic ey. aminations and preventive medicine 4s well as group consultations of physicians in difficult cases. The Cooperative League has established a Bureau of Cooperative Medicine at 5 East 57th St., New York City, to assist consumers’ cooperatives and other groups to form medical cooperatives, Already such medical groups are actively functioning in St. Louis; New York City: northern New Jersey; Elk City, Okla. homa; San Francisco; Milwaukee; and many other communities, large and small, thruout the country—New Republic, July 14, 1937- Choral speaking at Ontario, Calif. —Stuart McLaughlin, an Ontario teacher, has written to THE JourNat describing the progressive development in oral expression which is a part of the program of the On- tario Speech Arts Department. He reports that “the sterling character of choral speak- ing quickly demonstrates its worth by sud- den and wide appeal to children once they have experienced it. Those who have native taste for poetry naturally like it. Shy pupils are encouraged to join in because they lose their identity in the group thru this social It is found that even the most recalcitrant are caught by the spirit of rhythm and mingle eagerly with the other happy members.” Ten-point program for farmers— L. J. Taber, master of the National Grange, proposes the following program: [1] Use larger proportions of tariff revenue in finding new uses for farm products, in finding new markets for farm crops, and equalizing mar- ket conditions and prices. [2] Place emphasis on the family-sized farm. Keep farm costs and supplies, including transpor- tation, interest, and taxation within reason. [3] Develop cooperative marketing and collec- tive bargaining so that the farmer can have a fair voice in determining the price of his products. [4] Develop national unity and oppose section- alism and class warfare. [5] Ample support for education, extension, re- search, and youth activities. [6] Return to the farmer the American market “for those commodities which can be efficiently produced.” [7] Emphasize rural organization and selfhelp agencies. [8] Continuation of the soil conservation pro- gram, “but place it more directly under farmer control.” [9] Develop a longtime farm program, empha- sizing ‘“‘sound land use,” and retire marginal land by increasing forestry. [10] Use the principles of the ever-normal granary and crop insurance. Officials of the Tennessee Valley Authority announce that 787,460,000 kilowatt hours of electricity were generated at three TVA dams in the fiscal year end- ing July 1, for a gross revenue of $1,650,- THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION S of low me . 2 eC as cians ague ative York and ‘ives, ively City; Ykla- and mall, July alif, cher, y the ssion On- ports yeak- sud- they ative upils ’ lose ocial most it of other rs— ange, Jue in nding mar- farm. Nspor- collec- a fair ‘ts. ction- ym, re- narket iently ‘Ifhelp 1 pro- ‘armer mpha- | land ormal alley 0,000 rated end- ,650,- TION ooo, The TVA is serving 33,569 customers in 17 municipalities, 14 farm cooperatives, and TVA communities in four states. It has in service 1100 miles of high voltage transmission lines, connecting Norris, Wheeler, and Pickwick landing dams. The American Youth Congress held its fourth annual meeting July 2-5 at Milwaukee, Wis., meeting as a Model Congress of Youth. About 2000 were in attendance, representing all parts of the country and all types of youth orgzniza- tions. The chief business of the Congress was done in six committees: Agriculture; Civil Liberties; Education; Labor; Peace; and Recreation, Leisure Time, Housing, and Cultural Opportunities. Among the 150 bills and resolutions passed were: an amended version of the Harrison-Black- Fletcher Bill; expansion of the CCC edu- cational program; inclusion in the school curriculum of instruction in peace, labor movements, and consumer interests; in- creased vocational, adult, and extension education; and a federal Department of Education. Willard E. Givens, executive secretary of the National Education Asso- ciation, was one of the leading speakers of the conference. Nazi activities in the United States—According to a press dispatch of September 9, 1937, Senator Borah of Idaho advocates a Congressional investiga- tion of the extent of Nazi activities in this country. Students’ day at Raymond, Kan- sas, Highschool—The first Wednesday in each month pupils are given charge of the school. Each class selects one of its members as teacher, and one pupil is se- lected from the student body to be prin- cipal. These responsibilities are distributed to as many pupils as possible. The teachers are free to visit classes and are treated as guests. H. E. Zimmerman, principal of Raymond Highschool, writes, “The stu- dent principal calls a meeting of the stu- dent teachers and the student council a few days prior to his taking over his adminis- trative duties. Subjectmatter to be taught, methods of presentation, and other phases of teaching duties are discussed. Each stu- dent teacher chooses his own subjectmatter | and makes his own assignment the day | before he is to teach. The student council takes over the responsibility for discipline. Student teachers derive much benefit from | these experiences and a better understand- ing is created between the entire student body and the faculty. In China—Russia certainly has the drop on Japan. Nearly a decade and a half ago, Russia started her peaceful pene- tration of China, and today communists control an area with nearly 100 million population. The [Cont. on page A-124] | 0 Will the Doctor the Nurse and the Board Bill —When You Are Sick or Injured? This is the question you must decide, and you are deciding it right now—whether you will continue to carry the risk of financial loss and embarrassment in time of need, or whether you will let T.C.U. assume the risk and share the burden when the loss comes. Bad Luck Hits 1 Out of 5 Teachers Every Year It is an actual fact, proven by the records, that every year one out of five teachers suffers en- forced idleness through Sickness, Accident or Quarantine. You may be that unlucky fifth teacher this year. Why take the risk of being compelled to use up your savings, or to run into debt, to carry you through a period of enforced idleness, when the T.C.U. stands ready to help bear that burden? What the T.C.U. Will Do For You The Teachers Casualty Underwriters is a national organization of teachers for teachers. For the small cost of less than a nickel a day, it will assure an income when you are sick or quarantined, or when you are accidentally injured. It will also pay you Operation and Hospital Benefits. Send Your Name—No Obligation Just fill out and mail the coupon. We will then send you full particulars of how we pro- tect teachers. Please do it today. No agent will call. Teachers Casualty Underwriters 666 T.C.U. Building, Lincoln, Nebr. All These Benefits Are Yours at a Cost of Less Than a Nickel a Day $50 a Month when you are totally disabled by confining sickness or accidental injuries (including auto- mobile accidents). $50 a Month when you are quar- antined and your salary has stopped. $25 a Month for illness that does not confine you to the house, but keeps you from your work. In ad- dition, hospital and operation benefits. $333 te $1000 for major accidents, or for accidental loss of life. Double these benefits for travel accidents sustained in railroad, street car or steamboat wreck. Policies paying larger benefits will be issued you if you so desire. ALL CHECKS SENT BY FASTEST AIR MAIL FOUNDED 1899 GS ean ee Ee Pere me me FREE INFORMATION COUPON To the T.C.U., 666 T.C.U. Building, Li , Nebr. I am interested in i about your Protective Benefits. Send me the whole story and booklet of testimonials. NMam@occccccccccccescce (This coupon places the sender under no obligation) NO AGENT WILL CALL ‘he Perm Pictures TWO CENTS EACH for 30 or more. Size 5% x 8. Assorted as desired. Postpaid. 2250 subjects. ONE CENT EACH for 60 or more. Size 8 x 3%. 1000 subjects. Valuable aids in teaching Language. Lit- erature, History and Geography. Beginning in October, interest your pupils in beautiful pictures, one each month, using “‘Our Own Course in Picture Study.”’ 72 pictures; 72 Leaflets describing them. Ask for a leaflet about this ‘“‘Course’’, a sample picture, 5% x 8, and that picture’s Descriptive Leaf- let, FREE, in October to every teacher who gives name, address, school and grade. CATALOGUE of 1600 miniature illustra- tions and a Two Cent, a Four Cent and a Ten Cent Perry Picture, in the Catalogue, for 15 cents in coin or stamps Miniature Colored Pictures. 400 subjects. One and Two Cents Each. Free list to teachers naming this Journal. NOW. For October and November send 60 cents for 30 pictures about Columbus, Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims, etc., each | 5% x 8; or for 60 pictures, 3 x 3%, including the above 30 pictures and 30 Art Subjects we will select for you. A customer writes: ‘‘The fine quality of Perry Pictures explains their long continued popularity.’’ The above picture is ‘““The Horse Fair’’, by Rosa Bonheur. The Perry Pictures Company AWARDED Fourk GoLp MEDALS Box 4, Malden, Massachusetts VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; OCTOBER 1937 [ A-122 | re oe pe or) Joy Elmer Morgan, Editor, National Education Association cf the United States ly MULTIPLIES THOUGHT ...adds to the working power of both Teachers and Students”’ HIS statement from so authorita- tive a source is but one more evidence of the ever-widening interest in the teaching of printing in schools. Were it only for the important weapon of intelligently directed publicity which a course in printing places at the command of school executives, a department of printing instruction would be abundantly justified. But this is just one of twelve cogent reasons. The others are briefly but clearly ex- plained in the booklet,“Why Teach Printing?”, ) PRI N a copy of G > 7 which is awaiting your re- quest.Why not write for it to- day? AMERICAN TYPE FOUNDERS Department of Education 200 ELMORA AVENUE « ELIZABETH, N. J. Types used: Stymie Family, Tower, Kaufmann Script | American jin Atlantic City. and Stencil [| A-124 | | [ Cont. | mended both by President Roosevelt and sored by this Department, will be held at | |ing the NEA convention in New York | ° . | ‘ment will be sent complimentary to every | is an extra service to members this year, | of the National Association for Nursery | lishers, 347 Fifth Ave., New York. | Drake Hotel, Chicago. from page A-123| Communist army in China is welltrained.—People’s Lobby Bulletin. The public budget of the com- munity should be studied in the school. It can be used in the classes in arithmetic or civics or as a topic of general current in- terest. This budget is often given on the back of local tax receipts. A heavy overhead—According to figures given in the People’s Lobby Bul- letin, the total of mortgages on urban and farm real property, exclusive of mortgages on real estate of corporations, is approxi- mately $45,000,000,000. Is it any wonder that rural communities and some towns are going down under the load of absen- tee ownership? Honorary degrees that are worthwhile—An honorary degree well awarded is the best degree in the world because it recognizes distinction in some difficult field of action or living. Reed Col- lege, Portland, Ore., has caught the sig- nificance of this fact as indicated by its 1937 commencement for which it sought out candidates whose great service had been rendered quietly and without osten- | tation. The degrees were given to Willard | W. Beatty, formerly superintendent of schools of Bronxville, N. Y., now director of Education in the Federal Bureau of In- | dian Affairs; Ruth West, teacher of his- tory in the Lewis and Clark Highschool, | Spokane, Wash.; Louis Stark of the staff of the New York Times; Rudolph Forster of the White House staff, who was com- expresident Hoover; and William Lewis Brewster, Portland lawyer and civic leader. The Department of Elementary | School Principals—The second annual | Conference on Elementary Education spon- New York University immediately follow- City, July 1938. An 8o-page annotated bibliography of | the first fifteen yearbooks of the <= apt DESP member for the year 1937-38. This and only members will receive it. Dates to be remembered— October 20-23—Seventh Biennial Conference Education, Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. November 7-13—American Education Week. See page 214. November 14-20—Book Weck. For informa- tion address the National Association of Book Pub- November 29-December 1—Second National Conference on Educational Broadcasting at the February 26-March 3—Convention of the Association of School Administrators | See page 239. | ' THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION | Vol. XIII, No. 5 BALOPTICONS AB & L Balopticon will prove the most econom- ical as well as the most efficient means of teach- ing visually. There is a B & L Lantern Slide or Opaque Balopticon for every still projection purpose. Write for a catalog. Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., 684 St. Paul Street, Rochester, N. Y. PROGRAM CLOCKS ELECTRIC or SPRING DRIVE PRICED AS LOW AS $90 COMPLETE MASTER CLOCK SYSTEMS THE CINCINNATI TIME RECORDER CO. CINCINNATI, OHIO Branches in Principal Cities Perry Kindergarten Normal School Founded 1898 by Annie Moseley Perry Preparing high school graduates for nursery school, kindergarten, primary and playground teaching and for training children in the home. Limited enrollment in- sures personal attention. Supervised practice teaching. University credits. Send for booklet ‘‘Training Children.” HARRIOT HAMBLEN JONES, Principal, 25 Huntington Ave., Room 316, Boston, Mass. BETTER READING INSTRUCTION A Survey of Research and Successful Practice ReEsEARCH BULLETIN N.E.A. 56 pages | 25 cents each NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 1201 16th ST. N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. Funds must accompany orders for $1 or less When It Comes to Duplicating... . listen to what one school teacher tells another about the Standard New Process Duplicator “Is that the new duplicator just in- 1 stalled at your school, Grace?” * “Yes, Alice, and we find the Stand- ard so much cleaner and faster than our old machine.” “Do you really mean that you don’t need to use any messy gelatin rolls?” 9 “No, they aren’t needed. You see, » this is a direct process machine which doesn’t require a transfer medium.” or use stencils or ink or something, don’t you?” “No, we don’t, Alice. We can type a master as easily as a letter, then at- tach it in the drum and run copies right away. No make-ready is neces- sary.” “But surely you have to set up type, 3. “We get longer runs of much brighter copies in about a third the 4 time. The Standard is clean and 5 always ready to use,—and economi- cal too.” “I’m certainly going to ask our school to buy a Standard. It looks like the best possible machine for our work!” Find out more about this new way of mak- ing copies by direct fluid process. Learn how to prepare bright legible copies easily, quickly, economically—+the fluid way. Find out how other schools are using the Stand- ard New Process Duplicator to real ad- vantage. Send for free illustrated booklet ‘How Standard’s Direct Process Lowers Copy Costs” which gives complete information regarding the Standard machine. There is no obligation. Use the attached coupon for reply. Duplicating Machines Div. Standard Mailing Machines Company, Second Street, Everett, Mass. Without obligation, please send me free 20 page booklet ‘‘How Standard’s Direct Process Lowers Copy Costs’’ giving complete information on the Standard New Process Duplicator. Name School Address YN VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; New | SPublications Research Memorandum on Education in the Depression is the title of a bulletin re- cently prepared by the Educational Policies Commission and published by the Social Science Research Council (230 Park Ave., New York, N. Y., $1). This monograph is one of a series of thirteen sponsored by the Council to stimulate the study of de- pression effects on various social institu- tions. The bulletin is accompanied by a bibliography of 1500 titles published sepa- rately by the Educational Policies Commis- sion, 1201 16th St., N. W., Washington, D. C., 50¢. The Changing Curriculum, Joint Year- book of the NEA Department of Super- visors and Directors of Instruction and the Society for Curriculum Study, has just been published. This volume, prepared by a committee of nationally known educctors under the chairmanship of Henry Harap, contains not only an uptodate report of progress in curriculum development dur- ing the past ten years but also makes an original contribution to the discussion of curriculum planning which will be found invaluable to administrators, supervisors, and teachers. Copies bound in cloth match- ing earlier yearbooks are being supplied to the members of the Department of Super- visors as its Tenth Yearbook. Non-mem- bers may order this 340-page book from D. Appleton-Century, New York, $2. A handbook for local teachers organiza- tions has been prepared and published by the NEA Department of Classroom Teach- ers and is being widely distributed. It is de- signed to serve as a guide to groups desir- ing to organize but it will also be helpful to those already organized. Copies may be obtained free by writing to the Depart- ment, 1201 16th St., Washington, D. C. The Sixteenth Yearbook of the Depart- ment of Elementary School Principals, “Appraising the Elementary-School Pro- gram,” has been sent to all members of the Department for 1937-38. Copies may be secured by nonmembers for $2 each. The Research Bulletin of the Research Division for September 1937 will present the gist of the Congressional hearings on the Harrison-Black-Fletcher bill for fed- eral aid. The printed reports of the House and Senate committees totaled nearly a thousand pages and comprise one of the most complete presentations of the argu- ments for federal aid to education. It is ex- pected that the Research Bulletin will be a useful handbook for study groups and others who believe that the federal govern- ment should assume its rightful place in the financial support of education. OCTOBER 1937 DODSON PICTURES Industrials — Birds— Animals Flowers—Trees—Old Masters The finest and only au- thentic collection. Makes school work easier for teachers, more fascinating for pupils. 1500 sub- jects. 374 actual photo graphs, 7 x 9”, natural colors, of birds. Special selection of 33 bird pic- tures $1.00. Progressive views 6 x 8” of leading American industries, Cop- per, Coal, Lumber, Rub- her, Cotton, ete. Circular and price list free. JOSEPH H.DODSON Co. 705 Harrison Ave. Kankakee, III. Que Ss tion ? Who pays the teacher when she’s sick? Answer: T-.P.U. Membersof T.P.U. have protected incomes during sick- ness, accident, or quarantine when their regular pay checks stop. Question: Whois eligible for T. P. U. mem- bership? Answer: All teachers between the ages of 18 and 60. Membership may be con- tinued to ages 65 and 70. T. P. U. has several forms of protection ranging from $6 to $30 a year—one to suit the income and needs of every teacher. Write for our free booklet, ““A Word to the Wise” and become ac- quainted with T.P.U.’s liberal protection. TEACHERS PROTECTIVE UNION 112 T.P.U. Bldg., Lancaster, Pa. aaa EE EE EE EE | TEACHERS PROTECTIVE U NION, | 112 T.P.U. BUILDING, LANCASTER, PA. | Please send me a copy of your new book, “A Word to | the Wise.” This does not obligate me in any way. | Name A BE Publications of the NEA, The National Education Association of the United States publishes many valuable books and pamphlets. They are the contribution of some of the best minds in the teaching profession, and are an authoritative source of information and help to teachers, principals, supervisors, superintendents, and members of departments of higher education. Listed below are a few of the publications available. A complete list of publications will be sent on request. Teacher Welfare Health Education Minimum-Salary Laws for Teachers Health Education Report of the Committee on Tenure. January, 1937. A program for public schools and teacher-training Ty. 5.ak wba A440 0» Auman a wis wees e's & gg semi The Report of the Joint Committee on Health Problems in Education of the National Education Association and the Court Decisions on Teacher Tenure Reported in 1936 American Medical Association. 1930. (Second edition.) Report of the Committee on Tenure. April, 1937. 35pp... = .25 251 pp. RN I ee $1.95 Court Decisions on Teacher Tenure in 1935 A 09 eli \ Ai ciel cn iirkien nn n0 00nanie Send 1.75 This Tenure Report covers the calender year 1935. 48 pp. .25 Home and School Cooperation for the Health of School il A Handbook on Teacher Tenure i ee ee 2 A Report of the C ittee on Tenure. June, 1936.32 pp. .25 i a a = School Health Policies Teachers’ Contracts with Special Reference to Adverse Con- A preliminary study of group opinions, 1934-35. 64 pp... .20 ditions of Employment Open Air Classrooms A Report of the Committee on Tenure. June, 1936.32 pp. .15 MER oo vic eta ti catia. fo Ss oi ok anes 52 10 : : Athletics for Girls Teacher Retirement Systems and Sociel Security A Digest of Principles and Policies for Administrators Research Bulletin of the N.E.A. and Teachers in Junior and Senior High Schools. (De- Vol. XV, No. 3, May, 1937. 64 pp... ..........0008- 50 partment of Health and Physical Education.) 14 pp..... .10 Departmental Yearbooks The Improvement of Education—lits Interpretation for Teacher and Public Democracy Eighth Yearbook, Department of Classroom Teachers, 1934. Fifteenth Yearbook, Department of Superintendence, 1937. j§§ §§§ QAO pp... .. i rec cccccccccccececcuccuceceuceeees The Development of a Modern Program in English Ninth Yearbook, Department of Supervisors and Directors Or weruction, 1956... Tes ike. ccs ooo soe A Beas sc es 2.00 Appraising the Elementary-School Program Sixteenth Yearbook, Department of Elementary School eo ot) 2.00 Adjustments in Rural Education The Role of Research in Educational Progress A bulletin of the Department of Rural Education. 1937. Official Report, American Educational Research Asso- pS A ee ee Seer oe eo © EL 50 ciation, February, 1937. 256 pp... 0.0.60. c cee ewes | NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES Enclosed please find $- (Check-Cash-Money Order) in payment for publications of the National Education Association as listed below. eee a copies'of. ..... -- eee: SAD has gully Wy = Lien age A SR a Ce $ ae Win te Aabyi | ree $ -_*. HAE E SS copies Of: ...2.2-- $ —_—. Mailing Address—Street_ - strates — a eee ren ‘ , State ee ¥ a (Funds must accompany orders amounting to one dollar or less) (Make checks or money orders payable to National Education Association, and mail this order to 1201 Sixteenth St., N. W., Washington, D. C.) | A-126 | THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION a. better condit to rely what i pur ho | WORLD is now in the first stages Toi what is probably the greatest | * transition in human affairs since the dawn of history. This transition in- halves the uprising of the people who have been at the bottom of the human sale, and its corollary, the attempt to delay or thwart that uprising as in Italy, Germany, Japan, and parts of the United States. The uprising is overdue and we may well believe will eventually succeed. There is a tendency in the press to oversimplify the struggle that is going on as a contest between fascism and communism. Conditions in every coun- try are highly complex and confused, shifting now this way, now that. The words “fascism” and “communism” are hemselves misleading, having been used much in emotionalized propaganda s to be virtually useless for purposes of pular discussion. This perversion of language is a part of the campaign of special privilege to | confuse and mislead the people. It is _ better to pay more attention to actual tonditions in the various countries and torely less on confusing labels. After all, what is is whether we like it or not, and pur hope of wise action either in private r public life is to try to understand the ituation as it actually exists. The present phase of history—a col- psing capitalism and a rising proleta- iat—takes different forms in different untries varying with political and cul- al backgrounds and with the type of dership that happens to spring up. €can see this in our own country here the dominant wish of the people tobe democratic, often with little idea to what that means. We can see, how meaningless party labels have . The words “Republican” and Democrat” mean as little as fascist and mmunist. Even within groups like the New Deal or the CIO one does not mpect to find unanimity. ournal VOLUME 26 NUMBER 7 Meanwhile there are certain things which the ordinary citizen can do to maintain his bearings and to make his influence count in the right direction. First, he can insist on hearing all sides and on doing a little investigating of his own before making up his mind. Since ordinary sources of public information are so heavily dominated by special privi- lege, the citizen may well read one or two liberal weeklies like The Nation or The New Republic. How else can he understand his age? The citizen who reads the propaganda of but one political writer and who closes his mind to other sources of information is simply deny- ing the sovereignty of his own intelli- gence. Never in my lifetime have reports out of Washington been so misleading as during the past summer. Depend- able information is so essential to wise action that we dwell especially upon the use of farreaching agencies of press, radio, and movies to defeat the general welfare. Is it not plain that agencies which play upon the human mind in the United States are largely in the hands of people who have a stake in avoiding the reforms that are necessary to produce a livable social order for our people as a whole? What goes into the mind comes out in the life and it must be as clear as day that the stuff which radio, movies, and press are pouring into the human mind can produce nothing but chaos. Admitted that there is some good in them all, their total effect is to create an- archy of mind, to preserve into adult years the infantilisms that should be steadily outgrown. In the long run no agency can rise above its primary pur- pose. The primary purpose of press, movie, and radio as now organized is to make money. They can make more money by catering to the lower impulses rather than the higher. Thru advertis- ing they fall into the control of the para- sitic industries and the degradation of WLUME 26, NUMBER 7; OCTOBER 1937 of the NATIONAL * EDUCATION * ASSOCIATION OF * THE * UNITED * STATES—OCTOBER 1937 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN body, mind, and spirit becomes a mass- production enterprise. Our political sys- tem cannot survive if our cultural sys- tem is destroyed. Let us look at the great daily news- paper thru the eyes of a noted Italian critic, who had an opportunity to ob- serve the destruction of culture by the press in Italy before Mussolini came into power, and who now lives in exile from his own country: The third weak point in presentday de- mocracy is the daily press. A century ago, when freedom of the press was one of the principal demands of liberals everywhere, any group of men with talent and a small sum of money could start a newspaper and acquire an influence in the country proportionate to their ability. This was a period of free competition between small daily papers. But during the past half cen- tury the daily newspaper has become a great capitalist enterprise requiring mil- lions of dollars for its establishment. Hence whoever has the necessary millions is in a position to flood the country daily with tons of printed matter, altho his genius may consist solely in knowing how to find out what particular brand of crime and type of feminine legs most appeal to the sensibilities of the less educated section of the population. Many of these papers are the property of capitalist concerns, or are subservient to personal vanities, which too often do not promote the welfare of the community. The publisher of one of these newspapers can poison the mind of a whole country with mendacious stories or by the suppression of news. He is a despot who is not responsible to anyone for the man- ner in which he exercises his authority; he has liberty without responsibility. The press is now a dictatorship of a unique kind. Planted in the midst of free institu- tions, it insidiously disturbs and perverts them. The division of powers on which free government was originally based, has disappeared, and the Fourth Estate—the great daily press—having overcome all the other powers—the executive, the legisla- tive, and the judicial—reigns supreme in [ 211 | their stead. The omnipotence of the press is perhaps the most dangerous disease which infects free institutions today. If the daily press were not so corrupt and stupid —probably more often stupid than cor- rupt—even the vote-catching system would not work so badly; and congressmen di- rected by an intelligent and honest press would be able to cut a better figure. [From an address by Professor Gaetano Salve- mini, former professor of history at the University of Florence, Italy, before the American Academy of Political and So- cial Science, Philadelphia, Friday, April 5s 1935-] Second, the citizen who wishes to play his part well can insist so far as he is able, that those who represent him in city, state, and national legislatures or in ad- ministrative offices shall be honest and able men, free from obligation to those powerful, predatory, corporate interests which seek constantly to corrupt and control government. This implies the necessity not only of defeating undesirable candidates, but also of supporting desirable ones both during and after the elections. The task of the statesman who fights the people’s battles is not easy and he is entitled to the support of an active public senti- ment. There is inspiration in the way the state of Nebraska has kept George W. The Mental Aspect of Our Civilization ENTAL ACTIVITIES are influenced by social environment as pro- foundly as by the fluids of the body. Like physiological activities, they improve with exercise. Driven by the ordinary necessities of life, organs, bones, and muscles work without inter- ruption. Thus, they are compelled to develop. But, according to the mode of existence of the individual, they become more or less harmonious and strong. ... Mind, on the contrary, does not unfold spontaneously. The son of a scholar inherits no knowledge from his father. If left alone on a desert island, he would be no better than Cro-Mag- non men. The powers of the mind re- main virtual in the absence of education and of an environment bearing the stamp of the intellectual, moral, esthet- ic, and religious accomplishments of our ancestors. The psychological state of the social group determines, in a large measure, the number, the quality, [ 212 | Norris in the United States Congress thru the ups and downs of a long career. Fortunately an attractive biography of Norris is now available. [ Integrity: The Life of George W. Norris by Richard L. Neuberger and Stephen B. Kahn. Pub- lished by the Vanguard Press, 1937. | Third, the citizen can give particular attention to international affairs which have come to affect us all very closely. The nations of the world today face a situation quite comparable to that which our American states faced under the Articles of Confederation. World rela- tionships have grown and are growing rapidly—witness the problems in con- nection with fast spreading international aviation. There is no central authority or body of law adequate to deal with those relationships. The vicissitudes of the League of Nations show that it will not be easy to develop such an authority. It was not easy to draw up our Consti- tution and to obtain its adoption. But sooner or later the world must have or- ganization and some means of substi- tuting cooperation for war. Here is a field of study to which untold thousands of people might well give their leisure time. Fourth, the citizen can put his own house in order, making the most of and the intensity of the manifestations of individual consciousness. If the social environment is mediocre, intelligence and moral sense fail to develop. ... The education of the intelligence is relatively easy. But the formation of the moral, esthetic, and religious activities is very difficult. The influence of en- vironment on these aspects of conscious- ness is much more subtle. No one can learn to distinguish right from wrong, and beauty from vulgarity, by taking a course of lectures. Morality, art, and religion are not taught like grammar, mathematics, and history. To feel and to know are two profoundly different mental states. Formal teaching reaches intelligence alone. Moral sense, beauty, and mysticity are learned only when present in our surroundings. ... Civilization has not succeeded, so far, in creating an environment suitable to mental activities. The low intellectual and spiritual value of most human THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION himself in the sure knowledge that age needs purpose, strength, and cy acter. Here teachers and schools ¢g be a mighty force. They can do my than anyone else to make sure that i changes which lie ahead shall come; the light of intelligence and in a Spin of goodwill and fair dealing. Our yj. prob mate security is in the character of y, of ¢ people and in their purpose to gover to u themselves. They cannot govern thé visu: country if they do not assume gov, prof eignty over their own lives. After aj see: what one eats, drinks, buys, does, rea, end listens to over the radio, looks at, ora, are cupies his mind with, is mostly withiy serv the field of his own choosing if he wih fessi to have it so and it is the task of edu. tion to make sure that the choice sha) the be enlightened. Never before in histon ing! has the human mind been so importan, side and never before have the efforts to con _teac trol and mislead it been so powerful tem The future of civilized life is in the fre bers school, maintained by and serving al fiek the people impartially. Thi It is no accident that the organized pro» slo fession of education is growing rapidi stah and moving forward to a new power so This growth is a response to the eterni| *° need of the ages—the need of light. has —Joy Eimer Morey. Me tior 000 Lov beings is due largely to deficiencies of | their psychological atmosphere. The sv- premacy of matter and the dogmas of industrial religion have destroyed cul- ture, beauty, and morals, as they were understood by the Christian civilize tion, mother of modern science. Th¢ its small social groups, possessing theif be own individuality and traditions, hav4 also been broken up by the changes in act their habits. The intellectual classey re: have been debased by the immens po spread of newspapers, cheap literature, na radios, and cinemas. Unintelligence § en becoming more and more general, i) gr spite of the excellence of the cours qu given in schools, colleges, and univer th sities. . . . School children and students be form their minds on the silly program) % of public entertainments. Social em ! vironment, instead of favoring the th growth in intelligence, opposes it with ot all its might—A exis Carrex in May Ww the Unknown [Harper & Brothers]. | r 0, thin will luce. shal ton rant, ful, fret g all | pro pidl\ wer ernal! RGAN, es of € su- as of cul- were! iliza- The their hav es lassed nensd ature, ice is al, in| UTSES| niver- dents rams) | en ; th with Man s]. ATIO} On Bezng in Iwo Places at Once 0, THIS sTORY doesn’t N have to do with Hou- dini. But it presents a problem that many members of the teaching profession fail to understand. They find it difficult to visualize the returns from enrolment in professional organizations. They do not see that while they are on the giving end in paying the membership fee they are also on the receiving end of the services made available only thru pro- fessional organization. This is due in part to the fact that the teaching profession is still exceed- ingly transitory. But leaving out of con- sideration, say 50 percent of the million teachers who may be in the field only temporarily, there remain 500,000 mem- bers of the profession who are in the field with some degree of permanency. This group of a half million profes- sional persons certainly has enough at stake to warrant a $2 annual investment in a national professional organization. To date only a few more than 200,000 have ever been enroled in the NEA. Meanwhile the state education associa- tions enrol a total of approximately 800,- 000 members. This is as it should be. Local and state needs will never cease to be vital. But, with an increasing and inevi- table tendency toward problems which can be met only thru national action, it is time for our national professional organization also to go forward with new impetus. And it will go forward if its meaning and services to teachers can be made clear. The only way real growth can be achieved is thru the activity of those, al- ready members, who appreciate the op- portunity of helping themselves thru a national professional organization. Pres- ent members provide the nucleus for growth. At a distance from the head- quarters in Washington where much of the actual work is carried on, even mem- bers find it difficult to keep up with As- sociation activities. Hence, THE JouRNAL frequently carries articles describing them. During the coming year a number of such articles will be published. They will be recognized by the illustration above, at Our ssociat Wak NEA services include: Direct services: T he Jour- nal—This monthly profes- sional periodical reaches every member monthly dur- ing the school year. It is the Association’s most direct service to every member. Other publications of the Association include the Research Bulletin and the Annual Volume of Addresses and Pro- ceedings, which go to all five dollar and life members. Departments, committees, and the headquarters staff also prepare special publications. Other direct services—Among these are [1| the annual conventions attended by thousands of persons each year and [2] handling a tremendous volume of requests for information and service. INDIRECT sERVIcES—These services are often intangible and unappreciated by members of the profession merely be- cause they are unaware of them. Teacher welfare—In this general field of endeavor are included projects in such fields as tenure, retirement, and salaries. A steady stream of literature is prepared by special committees and by the Research Division. Such studies serve local and state groups interested in securing legislation in these fields. When such action is secured, it is due of course to local efforts but usually with the indispensable assistance of in- formation as to how similar problems have been solved elsewhere. Only thru the NEA is much of this information available. National legislation—Due to well- known conditions the federal govern- ment is being called upon to act in an ever-widening circle which touches all sections of the country. Federal partici- pation in the support of public educa- tion has come to be of vital, immediate importance to sections of the nation where economic resources are totally in- adequate. Due to mobility of popula- tion and the interdependence of regions the need is hardly less urgent in all other sections of the country. Only thru a strong, national professional organiza- tion will federal support of education in general ever be achieved. When achieved it will strengthen the financial support of every state school system and VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; OCTOBER 1937 will eventually be reflected in various aspects of teacher welfare. As another illustration, national or- ganization was an essential factor in securing the repeal of the“Red Rider” which Congress imposed upon the teachers of the District of Columbia. Public information—Many projects of the Association contribute to keeping the public informed about education. Take American Education Week, for example. [See next page. | Or take radio. Nearly every significant group in the country has time on the air. So should the teaching profession, rep- resenting education—and it does under the auspices of the NEA. [See p. 240. | Or take the stream of releases on edu- cation to nationwide press agencies. Professional studtes—Many _ special studies of a professional nature are con- ducted by the Association, Recent ex- amples are the report of the Committee en Social-Economic Goals for America; the report of the Educational Policies Commission entitled The Unique Func- tion of Education in American Democ- racy; studies by the Research Division such as “Better Reading Instruction,” “Safety in Pupil Transportation,” and “Financing Public Education” and the yearbooks and other publications of departments. Write for the free List of Publications. Contact with other organizations— The Association thru a Field Division and thru contacts of officers and mem- bers of the headquarters staff maintains essential relationships with scores of lay and professional organizations friendly to education and stands ready to op- pose those with unfriendly attitudes. THE Two pLaces—Every member of the Association helps to make the above and other services possible and helps himself when he does so. He stands at the giving end, yes. But he also stands at the receiving end. There are some—the non-members—who refuse to be on the giving end. But they remain on the re- ceiving end, nevertheless. Indirect bene- fits are not limited to members. The non-member much receives but nothing gives. He is a professional hitchhiker, one of the few types of persons who still ride free—Lyte W. Asupy. AMERICAN EDUCATION W/FEK— outD Washington, C Jefferson, and other early Amer- ican leaders pay us a visit today we have rea- son to assume that they would heartily approve of American Education Week. As indicated in the quotations on the leaflet reproduced be- low, they clearly recog- nized the key place of education among a free people. Furthermore, they strove to keep before their fellowmen the real- ization that only thru an intelligent citi- zenry could the young republic survive. In our times, the major purpose of American Education Week is to help keep public education and its meaning before the American people. With in- creasingly complex problems confront- ing the nation it is evident still that our democracy cannot endure without unf- versal education directed by the desire to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number. Most people recognize in a general " EDUCATION MERICAN EDUCATION WEEK 1937 Movember 7 to /3 The three-color sticker for AEW. See p. A-116 and OUR NATIONAL LIFE | As government gives force to public opinion, “> it is essential that pub- lic opinion be enlight- ened. WASHINGTON e I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hos- , tility against every form , of tyranny over, the human mind. JEFFERSON A popular government without popular infor- mation . . . is but the prolog to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both. MADISON of the two-color American Edu- Your child cannot rise above the countr power of self-government to survive and the success of the indi- vidual citizen alike depend upon the wise education of all the people. ar RES My deh arse "ded If there ever was a cause, if ever there can be a cause, worthy to be upheld by all of toil or sacrifice that the human heart can endure, it is the cause of education. In our country and in our times, no man is worthy the honored name of statesman who does not include prac- tical education of the peo- ple in all plans of adminis- tration. HORACE MANN cation Week leaflet for 1937. See page A-116 for complete infor- mation regarding size and cost. [ 214 ] CITIZENS in which he lives. The way that public education is vital in a democracy. But in the midst of other duties they are often unmindful of the progress being made in the science of educa- tion and of new educa- tional problems thrown to the surface by recent cata- clysmic changes in the con- ditions under which men live. For this reason Amer- ican Education Week is a movement in which every school thruout the entire country may well participate. Since American Education Week is sponsored nationally, information con- cerning it will appear in the daily and weekly press and in magazines thruout the entire country from now until the close of the observance; nationwide radio hookups will be placed on the air just before and during the week; scores of national civic and social organizations have already stressed the observance of the week by their constituent groups; and special proclamations for the observ- ance will probably be issued by over three-fourths of the governors of states. tion of our free institu- tions. Without popular edu-. cation no government which rests on popular action can long endure. WILSON } We have faith in ¢duca- : tion as the foundation of democratic govern- x b ment. ROOSEVELT THE JOURNAL OF ne Activities such as these on broad stat. and national fronts bring Widespread impetus to the American Education Week movement in all sections of the country and to every local community, In 1936 this great cooperative projec | resulted in about 7,000,000 school visita. tions by parents and citizens while mil. lions of others were reached by Amer can Education Week materials or mes. sages of various kinds. With still more schools participating | and increased effectiveness on the part of those already sponsoring this project, the goal of 10,000,000 school visitations by parents and citizens can be achieved during the 1937 observance. The general theme for 1937, “Educa tion and Our National Life,” is espe. cially appropriate to the times. The daily topics are: Sunday, November 7—“Can We Educate for Peace?”; Monday, No- | vember 8—“Buying Educational Sery- | ice”; Tuesday, November g—“The | Horace Mann Centennial”; Wednesday, November 1o— “Our American Youth Problem”; Thursday, November 11— “Schools and the Constitution”; Fri- day, November 12—‘‘School Open | House Day”; Saturday, November 13— | “Lifelong Learning.” Organizing your program—Among | the American Education Week com- | mittees which should be appointed, de- The five cartoons repro- | duced here received | Grand Honor awards in | the Nationwide Ameri- can Education Week | Highschool Cartoon Prot | ect for 1937. By Harry Easaman, student, Arsenal Techni cal Schools, Indianapolis, Ind. THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION pen faci sist mai as | day sele top rev loc dat no} cul ne inf | | ag | ct, Ns ed ay, pro- | ved | § in | ner | eek ro} VOLUME 26, 1937 pending upon community needs and facilities, are: [1] The general committee should con- sist of both school people and laymen. As many influential community organizations as possible should be represented. [2] The program committee plans the day-by-day programs around the topics selected. The general theme and daily topics are only suggestive and should be revised and adapted as desired to meet local needs. [3] The research committee provides data to be used during AEW. It works not only on local problems but it also se- cures state and national material. [4] The publicity committee handles newspaper and other avenues of public information including radio, window dis- By Edward Delbuch, student, Mission High- school, San Francisco, Calif. S SN (27, > e864) Ws By Anna Williams, student, Balboa High- school, San Francisco, Calif. Mats of these and other cartoons are available from the NEA, some in single and some in double newspaper column width. Write for clipsheet showing 24 cartoons and other drawings. They will help to enliven your AEW publications. Mats are 25¢ each or 20¢ each when more than one is ordered. NUMBER 7} By Eugene Foss, student, Mission High school, San Francisco, Calif. By Robert O'Neil, student, George Washing: ton Highschool, San Francisco, Calif. plays, billboards, streetcar placards, and motion pictures. [5] The community organizations com- mittee will seek the support of community groups such as the parent-teacher associa- tion, churches, service clubs, and the American Legion, Many national organi- zations suggest participation of local units in the observance of American Education Week. An example of such cooperation is the sheet reproduced elsewhere on this page which was sent by the National Con- gress of Parents and Teachers to all local units thruout the country. [6] The publications committee secures or prepares and distributes leaflets and other publications to the homes and to various community groups. [7] The school exhibits committee su- pervises the preparation of exhibits of school work. [8] The individual school committee is appointed to carry out the program for the week within each given school, including 1. through: homes and schools. the part of the child. PDUCATING FOR PE AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK November 7-13, 1937 Theme: Education and Our National Life SUNDAY—Can We Educate for Peace? MONDAY—Buying Educational Service TUESDAY—The Horace Mann Centennial WEDNESDAY—Our American Youth Problem THURSDAY—Schools and the Constitution FRIDAY—School Open House Day SATURDAY—Lifelong Learning Suggested Activities for Parent-Teacher Associations Acquaint the membership with the objects and program of American Education Week a. Publicity—telephone calls, notices, news articles, displays, personal contacts b. Participation in community or school program c. Presentation through study and discussion of topics of particular local interest d. Study and dissemination of facts concerning the cost of schools, and methods of raising and expending school funds 2. Visit the schools and participate in the programs presented through the week. 3. Cooperate with the school in observing School Open House Day. a. Provide hospitality b. Assist in conducting visitors through the school c. Present a program for the day, if desired 4. Develop and enhance a reciprocally confident and nappy relationship on the part of Suggested Activities for Parent-Teacher Members Become familiar with a day’s program of school work as followed out by the child. . Ascertain what provision is made in the school program for the health, intellectual growth, social cooperation, and emotional stability of the pupil. - Discover how the individual home may contribute to the effectiveness of learning on Learn how the home and school, working together, may function in relation to the com- munity with reference to the welfare of children and youth. Source Material—American Education 1201 16th St NW Washington DC. classroom activities, assembly programs, parental visitation, and other activities. Things to do—Here are a few sug- gested activities: [1] Incorporate the daily topics for American Education Week into the pro- gram of studies wherever possible. [2] Develop these topics as the basis for PTA programs as well as those of other community groups such as churches and civic and professional clubs. [3] Develop a variety of activities and displays for the “open house” program. [4] Send a special invitation to the parents of your pupils to visit school. [5] Plan a communitywide Horace Mann dinner for Horace Mann Centen- nial Day. Materials available from the National Education Association contain scores of other suggestions. See page A-116. T- nationwide observance of American Education Week affords an opportunity to focus the atten- tion of parents, teachers, and all citizens upon the importance of education to American democracy. Parents join with teachers in parent-teacher associations in fur-- thering the observance through Participation in school and com- munity programs. Se Ee gE et Week Packet, National Education Association, os This pla nines Poe ae teprint u Plateprint published by the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, 1201 16th SiN W Washington D C sas sent by the National Congress and Teachers to its state and local units. The NCPT is one Price le e4.; 100, 30c; 1,000, $3.30 SOMEONES LOA OEE TS of Parents of the national agencies cooperating in the observance of American Education Week. OCTOBER 1937 [ 215] Publishers’ Photo Service, N. Y, (seneral Science ¢ Children’s Hobbies T was twenty minutes after four. I was anxious to go home, but Steve Tyler, absorbed in drawing on the blackboard a chalk picture of yellow and blue tropical fish swimming against a background of bright coral, was ob- viously in no hurry. “Do I really have to go now?” he asked. “Then can I come in early tomorrow and work on it?” Steve had not always been anxious to stay after school or to come early. In fact he had skipped school at every op- portunity, and on days when he hap- pened to be present, had been a decided nuisance in my general science class. But, quite by accident, I discovered that he had a talent for drawing, and since then my blackboards and bulletin boards have been kept filled with Steve’s con- tributions. The only suggestion made to him was that his drawings ought to deal with things the class is studying. So the class periods have become a time for hunting new suggestions in the lessons with the result that he has not only de- veloped a leisuretime activity, but is also acquiring some of the scientific informa- tion contained in the day’s work. An interesting, welldeveloped science lesson stimulates children to do a variety of things. Some come back after school and talk it over. Others say little but go | 216 | to the library for further reading. Still others are fired with enthusiasm and inspiration and spend the next week’s free hours at home making a model, trying an experiment, or carrying on some other activity which had its source in the general science class. These ac- tivities are carried on outside of school in the child’s leisure time with no thought of getting credit, and serve not only to stimulate interest in the course, but also to lay the foundation for fu- ture enjoyment. It is being recognized more and more that the way in which a child uses his leisure time is a definite factor in the process of his growth and development. This training for leisuretime activities cannot be to any great extent a direct one. It must come largely as the by- product of his everyday living experi- ences; and since most of his school day is spent in classes, much of it should come thru interests arising in the work being carried on there. While many of the activities which develop out of the classroom work may well come to be hobbies, the child’s in- terests shift so frequently that it would be difficult to predict the length of time he would follow any one particular type. No attempt is made here to estimate the THE TOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION sounde peara the ul compl ) it Sat operat of a p i oil we large compl Rosalind M. Zapf duration of interest. The purpose has been to re | cord the leisuretime ac. / the ¥ tivities which have actu. | sitlsy ally developed directly our | ¢s of of work in the writer's | We * general science classes in | ‘igs: grades 7B thru gA. the di The activities fall into { C seven definite classes: con- | neede struction of models, col- joyful lecting, experimentation, | flies! gardening, drawing, car- | Mate! ing for animals, miscel- | “ “ laneous. units Construction of models | study —The construction of | me models of every conceiy- | book: able sort is one of the most _| sbou popular leisuretime activi- | —_ ties developing out of science work. The | leave study of birds was the inspiration for a | leave series of wooden models of birds, natural | a oer size and beautifully colored. They were | page. hand carved out of a soft wood witha | ike jack knife and then painted with water | and | colors. The bird was fastened to a perch | With resembling a branch ofa tree. The delight leavi with which the first was greeted by the | been class was an incentive to the boy tomake | °" three more. A discussion of animal tracks | flow resulted in clay models of the tracks of a_| Fr rabbit, a cat, and a dog. Tiny ships and | — airplanes were made by several boys dur- | nint ing the course of the unit on transporta- | tion. A periscope, various types of water | of fo wheels, and a model of an ancient manu- | A ” script book were other contributions. | _ One of the most intricate models was ha an attempt to show the position and size glass of the planets with reference to the sun. | chie This was made by a boy ina class which | odd was extremely low mentally. Another jhe enterprising boy undertook to make a and model of the human eye with rubber |“ bands representing the muscles. In op- |! eration it was not always successful, but leisy the idea was excellent and it received E due admiration when it did work. uit These items were made by individuals. | * ! Other models were made by several whi children working together. A telegraph ta Vol ~~” yy . Ge & }- — ——— ee sounder and receiving set made its ap- pearance in the schoolroom weeks after the unit on communication had been completed. Three boys had worked on , Saturdays and Sundays. Other co- operative projects were the construction of a pin-hole camera, a model gas and oil well, a movie theater made out of a large carton, painted, decorated, and complete even to a curtain. Asa result of the work on building materials four girls working together constructed mod- ds of homes in different lands. These were made of cardboard, clay, straw, twigs, and other materials to represent the different types of homes. Collecting—Often only a word is | needed to set whole groups at work ' joyfully collecting things. Shells, butter- | fies, moths, insects in general, building | materials, stones, minerals, cocoons—all are collected as the result of the various , units of work to which they apply. The —————— aed ee | study of trees brings collections of leaves, some of them waxed, some in scrap- books with names and information about them. Still other pupils have spent time doing the lovely spatter work with leaves as their patterns. The pressed leaves are placed on a sheet of paper and ascreen is held about a foot above the page. Over this a toothbrush, dipped in ink of any desired color, is brushed back and forth. When the page is quite dark with dots of ink, the leaves are lifted off leaving a clear space where they have ben. A trip to another part of the country sometimes brings a_ pressed flower collection into being. From bringing in a “queer-shaped stone” which turned out to be a fossil, a ninth-grade girl developed an intense interest in the subject, and a collection of fossils found in the locality was made. A seventh-grader became keenly inter- ested in the study of glass manufactur- ing, especially the manufacture of colored glass. From all possible sources, but chiefly from the dump heap, he gathered odd shaped bits of colored glass. These he mounted carefully and _ artistically and brought to school. Collecting pic- tures and making scrapbooks is, of course, the most common example of kisuretime activity in the collecting field. Experimenting—Another favorite ac- tivity which is carried out at the school is the repetition of simple experiments Which have been done in the classroom, of attempting others that have been sug- VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; gested. Squares of concrete made with varying amounts of cement, sand, gravel, and water were made by a boy who didn’t quite believe that it made any difference how much of each was used. An experiment to demonstrate the scien- tific principle that things which are lighter than air can float or rise in the air was worked out, then proudly ex- hibited to the class. Two boys became so interested in a few simple chemical ex- periments which were tried in class that they saved enough money between them for a miniature chemistry outfit. Gardening—In every class there are always some children in whom an in- terest in gardening in some form or other can be aroused. The yearly flower show with its awards is a stimulus for growing plants which will bloom in the fall. Drawing for imaginary and also practical gardens has more than once resulted in a child’s demand for a small plot of his own and in the care and im- provement of the family garden. Grow- ing a narcissus in its bowl of stones, ivy or wandering Jew in a wall pocket, and planting and caring for window boxes are other ways in which this urge for making things grow expresses itself. Drawing—Children who have a tal- ent for drawing can easily be led to make pictures which deal with the subjects being discussed in class. The plans for blackboard drawings are made outside of school. A set of drawings illustrating the history of transportation, others showing living conditions in other lands, and a pictorial history of light are only a few examples of what is brought in by such pupils. A snowy day served as an incentive for looking at snow flakes with a magnifying glass. One eighth-grader, especially adept with the pencil, tried to draw them. Out of this first attempt grew a great interest. Caring for animals—It is difficult to say how many turtles and salamanders have had a more careful bringing up in homes rather than in stores or by the wayside after the study of these animals in science class. Many children also bought goldfish after they had studied how to keep a balanced aquarium. In the spring tadpoles are caught in the creeks, and the development of legs and loss of tail are watched with amazement. White rats were raised in the classroom one year and the young given to children to take home and raise. There was a OCTOBER 1937 waiting list which could not possibly be filled. Rabbits, cats, dogs, and birds are other pets cared for by the children. Miscellaneous—The microscope is al- ways a source of great interest and with the advent of the small inexpensive type, more and more children are spending odd hours peering at things too small to be seen with the naked eye. When they can’t see well enough with their own machines, they come after school and use the ones belonging to the school. A phonograph record of bird calls was the beginning of a decided hobby of imitating birds. Other children spend their spare time writing poems and sto- ries about birds and animals. The completion of any activity such as these, done, not because he must, but because he wants to, brings a well-earned satisfaction and pleasure to the child. He brings the things he has made to school and shares them with the rest of the group and, for the moment at least, is savoring success and the approval of others. This frequently makes a place for a child in a group and gives him the sense of being a part of it which he did not have before. Very often, a child who has been a problem in class ceases to be so if his interest can be aroused in projects of this sort. The child who does this type of outside activity carries over a spirit of goodwill, cooperation, and eagerness into his regular class work. The technics for stimulating interest in outside activities are too numerous to make a complete list. Every teacher has her own methods. Some of the simplest, however, are as follows: [1] Perform as many simple experi- ments as possible and suggest others that might be done at home. [2] Keep on the bulletin board lists of activities. [3] In a place easily accessible to the children, keep books which suggest simple and interesting things to do. [4] As much as possible, have children care for the plants and animals in the room. [5] While the children are in the room, give any special attention to plants and animals which might be needed. [6] If new equipment is brought in, set it up while the children watch. [7] Give special attention to the things which are brought in by children, show them to the class, and discuss them. Always show appreciation of the child’s effort. [8] Make class discussions carry impli- cations and suggestions of things that might be done. HE DEATH PENALTY is seldom meted out for mispronouncing or mis- spelling a word, for a bit of slov- enly handwriting, for an error in arith- metic, or for a mistake in grammar! For failure to learn and apply correct principles of safety, however, a school pupil often pays with life or limb. Nine-year-old Patrick Johnson had a small roll of movie film in his pocket. 9 out one end of the film, he h to it. He a year in the hospi before his hor- touched a mat: spent nearly rible burns were healed weil enough for him to go home. He is disfigured for life. His parents have aged noticeably from shock and worry; they have been impoverished by the costly medical serv- ice. Such is the penalty when safety education does not function. Safety instruction, therefore, is one of the most vital aspects of the modern school program. It must not be relegated to the background while major em- phasis is given to academic and cultural pursuits, however important. The price of accidents—The annual toll of accidents in the United States is appalling: 100,000 accidental deaths; 9,340,000 nonfatal injuries, leaving 360,- 000 persons permanently disabled; an economic loss estimated at $3,450,- 000,000. On the average, each clock hour brings 11 accidental deaths and 1100 accidental injuries. Moreover, the accident rate has increased rather than diminished during the past fifteen years. The increasing tempo of modern life and the presence on every hand of large numbers of new mechanical appliances have introduced many new hazards. Against such hazards, and against those of longstanding, the educational pro- gram must wage continuous warfare. A cooperative task—Adequate safety instruction has a definite place in class- room teaching; it is a significant problem in administrative planning and in super- vision; it is a matter of first importance to school bus drivers, members of the health department, teachers of vocational subjects, and directors of physical educa- tion; it is a phase of education which requires an unusual degree of coopera- tion on the part of parents. Extra-school agencies, too, such as fire and police de- [ 218 | A Matter of Life and Death IvAN A. BOOKER partments, public libraries, the press, the radio, service clubs, and citizens’ organi- zations, can make valuable contributions toward effective safety education. A wellbalanced program—The pro- gram of safety instruction should give proportionate attention to all major ac- cident hazards. The temptation is to deal with one phase of safety to the exclusion of others—e.g. to focus attention on fire prevention or on traffic accidents. Such a program, obviously, fails to meet the problem. Pupils must be taught to recog- nize and avoid the numerous dangers of home, playground, street, field, forest, and stream. Attention must be given to the prevention of falls, the principles and practices of first-aid, the proper use of tools and firearms, avoidance of falling objects, safety in the water, the control of gas and poisons. An integrated program, with fixed re- sponsibility—Nearly all departments of the school are in a position to give effec- tively certain types of safety instruction. The teaching of safety, like that of correct English usage, should be the concern of every teacher. Many safety lessons should be incidental, correlated with other regular class procedures. But safety instruction must not be left to chance; it must not be the sort of “every- body’s business” which is “nobody’s business.” The program should be care- fully planned and well integrated. Re- sponsibility should be definitely fixed and fully assumed. There will be, in some school systems, special classes and special departments of safety education. These are splendid. The safety program will be relatively ineffective, however, if regular classroom teachers leave to spe- cial classes and departments the whole task of safety instruction. Attention to problems of local signifi- cance—The safety program should be focused primarily on the hazards of greatest immediate significance. A few school systems are keeping careful rec- ords of all accidents occurring to school children to the end that special atten- tion may be given to the most serious THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION and most frequent types of accidents in) “” which their pupils are involved, | A program appropriate for every, grade level—Safety instruction has a |e. | fre gitimate place in the school program a | every grade level. In the lowest grades much emphasis will be placed on how |e to cross streets in safety. A striking ex. ample of appropriate safety instruction | at the highschool level has been the | rapid introduction of courses in “Safe | Driving.” 7 A few teaching suggestions—Haye | he you listed in your planbook the dangers | which threaten your pupils? Have you |“ sought out helpful materials which can | be used in teaching safety? Have you | ™ considered the safety implications and | “ opportunities for safety instruction that are sure to arise in connection with other | planned activities? Do you teach safety | lessons not only by means of precept and discussion but also by demonstra tions and dramatizations? Have you ex amined the need for special periods set aside completely for safety education? | ™ enc coi gr] a = 2 MATERIAL th [1] National Safety Council, New York City, publishers of Accident Facts, the magazine Safety Education, and posters, plays, and other safety materials. % [2] American Junior Red Cross, Wash- | ington, D. C. [3] National Bureau of Casualty and | « Surety Underwriters, New York City. et [4] American Automobile Association, | \} Washington, D. C. [5] State departments of education, highway and traffic regulation, and public | health. SOURCES OF nM USEFUL PUBLICATIONS Beard, H. E. Safety First for School and || Home. Macmillan [teaching manual]. Stevenson, Idabelle. Safety Education. A. S. Barnes and Co. [teaching manual]. Nelson, Florence and others. Safety |' Through the Year. McGraw-Hill [work- |' books for elementary grades]. Whitney, Albert E. Man and the Motor || Car. National Bureau of Casualty and }| Surety Underwriters. [Highschool text]. Fitzgerald, James A. and others. Drive || and Live. Chicago: Johnson Publishing | Co. [Highschool text]. American Automobile Association. Sportsmanlike Driving. [Monographs Tl use in highschool classes]. Its in every | a |e mM at ‘ades, how g ex. ction | 1 the “Safe Have | ngers € you h can e you $ and 1 that other safety recept nstra- Ou ex- ds set ation? y York ts, the osters, Wash- ty and ty. ciation, cation, public ol and al]. ‘cation. anual J. Safety [work- Motor ry and text]. _ Drive lishing ciation. phs for [ATION jee{ HESE UNITED COLO- wigs are, and of right ought to be, free and independent sates.” So stated the Declaration of Independ- ence to the world in 1776. Previous to this time, the colonies had in no sense been united. A common grievance toward the mother country drove them reluctantly into the gmblance of a union in ‘the firsts Continental | Congress. Fear, turmoil, and suffering held them | together during the eight years of the Revolution. | Even during this distress- | ing period, there were | many occasions when the wlonies failed to keep faith with the union they had formed—a union prompted by fear of an impending disaster rather th a union built on mutual respect and devotion. As soon as their liberty had been won, the colo- nies began to think more of themselves % “independent states” than “united | colonies.” The close of the Revolution found the wlonies under the Articles of Confed- tration, which had been approved by | the Congress of 1777, but not ratified by the colonies because of jealousies, until 181. The Articles were little more than ‘“tope of sand” binding the colonies ito. a union. Under the Articles of Con- tderation each state had one vote. No kw could be passed without the consent {nine states. The Articles could not ® changed in any way unless the mendment was agreed to by all the tates. Congress was given power to make treaties, to declare war, to establish lost offices, to manage Indian affairs, to ‘yy taxes, raise armies, or regulate tude. There was no executive to en- tree the laws Congress enacted, and no ystem of federal courts. It was not sur- itising that the colonies fell to quarrel- Ng among themselves as soon as the ar was over. Each state had the power to levy taxes, WLUME 26, NUMBER 7; _ MAKING the CONSTITUTION By H. L. DONOVAN Eprror1aL NoTE—The Constitution, as a living, growing force, is one of the major factors in the life of each of us. It is fitting, therefore, that American Education Week join the U. S. Constitution Sesqui- centennial Commission in promoting an understanding of the Con- stitution as one of the greatest documents of all history. *% The cele- bration of the Sesquicentennial began September 17, 1937, the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, and will continue thru April 30, 1939, the anniversary of the inauguration of Washington. November 11, 1937, has been designated as Constitution Day of American Education Week; the theme will be “The Schools and the Constitution.” % H.L. Donovan, president of the Eastern Ken- tucky State Teachers College, is the author of this sixteen-page JourNaL feature. THE JouRNAL is fortunate in having this admirable contribution from Dr. Donovan, who for many years has made a study of the Constitution his hobby, I The Colonies Face a Crisis to coin its‘*own money, to set up a tariff, to regulate its own commerce, to obey or not, as it chose, the laws enacted by Congress. As a result of this lack of central gov- ernment, the states gradually drifted in the direction of anarchy. Many states began to issue paper money with which to pay their debts. As a result paper money came to have no value. The only good money in circulation was foreign coin. Business came to a standstill. Com- merce could not be carried on when the people had no money or credit with which to buy. Congress could not pay either the principal or interest on the national debt. “It’s not worth a -Conti- nental” was a popular remark when re- ferring to the notes which the govern- ment had given. Foreign powers began to disregard their treaties with the new republic because Congress could not meet its obligations. Many of our lead- ing men refused election to Congress. The rural people were especially op- pressed by taxes and creditors. Home- steads were being sold for the payment of mortgages, and farmers were fre- quently sent to jail for debt. There was OCTOBER 1937 an outburst of popular wrath in Massachusetts and in some of the other colonies. Armed men sur- rounded the courthouse at Concord; the court was not permitted to convene. There was a demand to wipe out all debts. Daniel Shays, a former captain in the Continental Army, led a rebellion to prevent the Supreme Court from sitting at Springfield, Massachusetts. Governor Bowdoin was compelled to call out an army of 4400 under General Lincoln to suppress the riots which followed. Some historians have said that Daniel Shays did more to bring into being a Constitution than any- one else. Shays’ rebellion did dramatically demon- strate to the leaders of that day that revolution was just around the corner if something was not done and done quickly to alle- viate conditions. There was social un- rest from Massachusetts to Georgia. There were, in fact, thirteen little na- tions instead of one united nation. Anarchy was just ahead if matters were permitted to drift. The colonies faced a crisis. It is only when a nation faces a great crisis or imminent danger that funda- mental progress is made in government. Because of war or depression, people usually are willing to improve their social order. When there is peace and plenty, we are content to let matters drift. The farsighted men in the colonies vi- sioned the possibilities of disaster. Wash- ington, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, and many others were deeply interested in saving this new nation from revolu- tion and ruin. As a result of their leader- ship, a Constitutional Convention was called to meet in Philadelphia in May 1787. This was the answer of the colonies to the crisis they faced. Out of storm and stress, chaos and suffering, came the Constitution. [ 219 | © UNDERSTAND and “P eppreciae fully our federal Con- stitution, one must know something of the charaeter of the men who composed the Constitutional Con- vention. A great docu- ment can never come from men of small in- tellect or base motives. That the Constitution is a great instrument of government we need only to seek the testi- mony of the distin- guished statesmen and students of govern- ment ‘of the world for the past century and a half. De Tocqueville, the eminent French critic, called it “the most perfect federal Constitution that ever existed.” William Gladstone said: “The American Consti- tution is the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.” Lord Bryce wrote: “It ranks above every other written con- stitution for the intrinsic excellence of its scheme, its adaptation of the circum- stances of the people, the simplicity, brevity, and the precision of its lan- guage, its judicious mixture of definite- ness in principle with elasticity in de- tails.” Volumes of testimony regarding the greatness of the Constitution could be added to these brief excerpts. But what of the men who wrote it? Twelve states appointed seventy-four delegates; Rhode Island alone failed to cooperate. Nine men refused to accept appointment and ten others never re- ported to Philadelphia. Fifty-five did attend for a time, but only forty-one delegates remained to finish the work. Thirty-nine signed the document. Ed- mund Randolph and George Mason of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massa- chusetts refused to attach their signa- tures. Of the fifty-five members of the Con- stitutional Convention, twenty-nine had been graduated in the universities of America, England, and Scotland. There [ 220 | All photographs in this feature, except those on pages 226 and 231, are from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, “Servant of the People.” II Makers of the Constitution were in this company graduates of Har- vard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Wil- liam and Mary, Pennsylvania, Oxford, Glasgow, and Edinburg. It would not be unusual for a Constitutional Convention meeting in our generation to have half of its delegates college graduates. Higher education today is easily available to those who desire it. But that twenty- nine members of the Constitutional Con- vention of 1787 were college graduates was most significant. It was an assur- ance that the intellectual caliber of the Convention was of the first order. The large number of young men in the Convention was another significant fact. The average age of the members was forty-four years. Eleven of the most effective members of the group were under thirty-four years of age. The oldest member was Benjamin Franklin, who was eighty-one years old, while Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey was but twenty-six. The two most profound thinkers and aggressive exponents in the assembly were James Madison, who was thirty-six, and Alexander Hamilton, whose age was thirty. The composition of the membership was diversified and somewhat represen- tative tho not truly democratic. There were in the Convention congressmen, soldiers, merchants, planters, farmers, doctors, teachers, financiers, lawyers, and | judges. There was ne | in the Convention q | single representative of labor, for labor was not | organized in 178%. The | underprivileged mem. | bers of society were in fact without a repre. sentative in the Cop. | vention. There were many men in the Con. | vention of great wealth | for that day. It was on | the whole an aristo cratic assemblage. By farthe most prominent, as well as the greatest, man at the Convention was | George Washington— | unselfish, patriotic to |: the core, modest and | refined in his tastes, noble in character, just in his judgments. Not personally | ambitious but deeply interested in the welfare of his country, he accepted pub- lic service as a call to duty, a sacred trust. The Constitutional Convention would probably not have assembled had he not used all his influence to have it called, | and it certainly would have broken up | in a bitter quarrel had he not reluctantly | yielded to serve as a delegate from Vir- ginia. Washington was elected president of the Convention. The records show that | he took no active part in the debates. | Only twice did he speak, for less than a | minute each time. But his quiet dignity, | his patience, his prompt presence at each | session of the Convention, and his faith | in the outcome had a tremendous it fluence over every other man in the as sembly. The Constitution could not have been written without his presence and it would not have been approved by the states without his influence. Second in prominence was Benjamii Franklin, at this time president of Pent sylvania. His reputation for wit, wis dom, and sagacity was known thruoul the world. He was devoted to his cout try. Too old and feeble to take part i debate, he wrote his speeches and had them read. His advice did not fall on deaf ears, and his presence lent colot THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION aw $ not | ona! ve of | 1S Not | . The | nem- re in | repre. | Con. | were Con. | vealth | as on | “1Sto- 10st ell as an at | Was ton— | tic to | t and | ‘acter, nally n the | pub- trust. vould 1€ not ~alled, | en up tantly a Vir- ent of v that | bates. | han a gnity, t each ; faith us in- he as- t have and it yy the jamin Penn- » Wis 1ruout coun- yart in d had all on color ATION and dignity to the Conven- tion. The most intriguing character in the Conven- tion was James Madison— small of stature and unpre- possessing in appearance, but a giant in intellect. A graduate of Princeton, he had been, from his youth up, a student of history and political science. No man of his day had a more profound knowledge of government. He was fa- miliar with the govern- ments of ancient Greece and acquainted with the history of Eng- lish law and politics. His whole life had been a preparation for the work he was to do in the Constitutional Convention. No man in the Convention had as clear a vision\of the kind of Constitution needed‘, He came to Philadelphia with a plan which he called the Virginia plan. Presented by Edmund Randolph, it was this plan, with modifications, that was eventually adopted. He has rightly been called “the father of the Constitution.” Alexander Hamilton is frequently credited with playing a major part in the Constitutional Convention. This is not altogether true. Brilliant and dash- ing, he possessed great personal mag- netism and was as eloquent as Cicero. He was passionately interested in a new constitution that would make the cen- tral government supreme. Because he distrusted the masses and believed they were not able to govern themselves, his views of government were too aristo- cratic even for this aristocratic assem- blage. His extreme position on the centralization of power was so pro- nounced that he did not greatly in- fluence the Convention. Then, too, his colleagues from New York—Robert Yates and John Lansing, two of the weakest men in the Convention—voted New York against any measure he pro- posed. Yates and Lansing had been sent to the Convention to defeat any consti- tution that might be proposed. Hamil- ton left the Convention in disgust and did not return until Yates and Lansing withdrew when they saw they could not VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; Shays’ rebellion, which dramatically demonstrated the need for alleviating social-economic conditions checkmate the work of the Convention. Alexander Hamilton’s great work in connection with the Constitution was his effort in behalf of its adoption by the states. Hamilton, with Madison and Jay, wrote a series of essays on the pro- posed Constitution called The Federalist. These essays, regarded as among the greatest treatises on government ever written, had a profound influence on the adoption of the new instrument of government. James Wilson, Robert Morris, Gou- verneur Morris, and Franklin were among the strong men from Pennsyl- vania. South Carolina’s delegation was very able—John Rutledge, Pierce Butler, and the gallant Pinckneys, Charles and Charles Cotesworth. From Massachu- setts came Caleb Strong, afterward ten times governor of that state; Rufus King; and Elbridge Gerry, who refused to sign the Constitution. Connecticut was brilliantly represented by Wil- liam Samuel Johnson, afterward presi- dent of Columbia University; Oliver Ellsworth, later chief justice of the United States; and Roger Sherman. On the whole, Virginia probably had the strongest delegation. From the Old Do- minion came Washington, Madison, Randolph, Mason, Wythe, and Mc- Clurg. The man who spoke longest and opposed nearly every issue under con- sideration was Luther Martin of Mary- land. Jefferson, who was usually not given to flattery, once said the Constitutional Convention was “‘an assemblage of OCTOBER 1937 demigods.” This is an ex- aggeration. The Constitu- tion makers were not demi- gods. They were men of flesh and blood even as you and I. They had their strengths and their weak- nesses. Some of them pos- sessed open minds and others were full of preju- dices. There were statesmen in the assemblage—and politicians. Some were pres- ent for patriotic purposes, others to represent selfish interests. There were those who came to the Conven- tion to build a new nation, and others were present to block any constructive move in that direction. There were big men and little men among the makers of the Constitution, but the men of su- perior intellect triumphed—and the re- sult is the most profound document on government ever given to a _ nation. Take it all and all, we have not seen on the American soil another convention, congress, or legislative assembly its equal. James Madison, the man best qualified to evaluate the personnel of that Convention, said many years later at the close of his life, after all the other members had passed to their reward: “Whatever may be the judgment pro- nounced on the competency of the architects of the Constitution, or what- ever may be the destiny of the edifice prepared by them, I feel it.a duty to ex- press my profound and solemn convic- tion, derived from my intimate oppor- tunity of observing and appreciating the views of the Convention, collectively and individually, that there never was an assembly of men, charged with a great and arduous trust, who were more pure in their motives, or more exclu- sively or anxiously devoted to the object committed to them, than were the members of the federal Convention of 1787, to the object of devising and pro- posing a constitutional system which would best supply the defects of that which it was to replace, and best secure the permanent liberty and happiness of their country.” [ 221 ] eT ee = HE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION "Twas called to meet on May 14, 1787. But that was before horse-and- buggy days. The delegates had no such luxury, or rapid means of transporta- tion, as that afforded by the horse and buggy which came later. Roads were bad beyond belief—narrow, winding trails cut thru the wilderness. Over these rough and dangerous highways the trav- eler must journey. He had two choices— to ride horseback or to travel by stage- coach. John Fiske in his interesting The Critical Period of American History, 1783-1789 describes graphically the jour- ney from Boston to New York. He says: “The journey began at three oclock in the morning. Horses were changed every twenty miles, and if the roads were in good condition, some forty miles would be made by ten oclock in the evening. In bad weather, when the passengers had to get down and lift the clumsy wheels out of deep ruts, the progress was much slower. The loss of life from accidents, in propor- tion to the number of travelers, was much greater than it has ever been on the rail- way. . . . After a week or ten days of dis- comfort and danger, the jolted and jaded traveler reached New York. Such was a journey in the most highly civilized part of the United States. The case was still worse in the South.” Is there little wonder that a majority of the delegates failed to reach Phila- delphia on the appointed day, May 14, 1787? But the poor roads and inade- quate means of transportation were not the only reasons for a late beginning. Those were days when men were not in vulgar haste. There was time for lei- sure. Men had not acquired th= habit of speeding across the continent on an ex- press train, or racing over the highways in a streamlined automobile, or flying thru the air at a speed that puts to shame the flight of the fastest bird. Delegates to the Convention reached Philadelphia when it was most convenient for them to arrive. And when they arrived they were in no great haste to rush the busi- ness thru and get back home to their families and their work. They took plenty of time to talk over the problems involved. Their actions were quite dif- ferent from the way we respond today. They worked on the Constitution from the 25th of May until the 17th of Sep- | 222 | III The Constitutional Convention Convenes tember. During this time they produced a document of some ten or twelve pages. The members of such a Convention to- day would want to get thru in two or three weeks, or in a month at least. Leisurely, the Constitution makers at- tacked their work. Perhaps this thought- ful, deliberate, and calm approach can account for the excellent document that finally came from their deliberations. Pennsylvania and Virginia were the only states whose representatives had ar- rived on May 14. There being no quo- rum present, it was decided to recess from day to day until the delegates from at least seven states had arrived. Repre- sentatives from nine states answered the roll call on the 25th of May. The Convention was assembled in that his- toric old building where the Declaration of Independence had been written, In- dependence Hall. Upon the motion of Robert Morris of Pennsylvania, George Washington was elected president of the Convention. He was escorted to the chair by Robert Morris and John Rut- ledge, whereupon he “thanked the dele- gates for the honor they had conferred on him, reminded them of the novelty of the scene of business in which he was to act, lamented his lack of qualifica- tions, and asked their indulgence for any involuntary error which his inex- perience might occasion.” Alexander Hamilton nominated Major Jackson for secretary, to which position he was elected. The Convention was protected in every possible manner. No one was al- lowed to loiter near the Hall. The cob- blestone street in front of the building was covered with dirt so that the noise from wagons passing by would not an- noy or interrupt the delegates. The doors were locked and sentinels were placed outside to prohibit anyone from entering who was not a representative } of the body. The members of the Con. vention pledged the strictest secrecy with regard to what was transpiring. The public could not find out what was be. ing said and done. This injunction to keep strictly confidential the proceed. ings of the Convention was enjoined not only for the duration of the Convention but so long as its members should live, At the time of the meeting of the Convention, there was much criticism of its secret meetings. Even Thomas Jef- ferson, who was at this time represent- ing the government in Paris, thought the meetings of the Convention should have been open. Probably no group of men ever guarded their secrets more closely. There appear to have been few, if any, leaks. No stenographic reports of the discussions were recorded. The final document as it was submitted was the only report given to the public. But there was one man in the Con- vention who was the scholar of the as- semblage, James Madison. Instead of spending his evenings enjoying the de- lightful social life of Philadelphia, as his colleagues did, he retired early to the privacy of his room to think over the events of the day and to reproduce as accurately as he could the debates and discussions that had transpired that day. His journal of proceedings is one of the most remarkable historic documents on record. He lived for fifty years after the Constitutional Convention; and, for many years before his death, he was im- portuned by his friends and _ leading statesmen of the times to publish his manuscript on the work of the Conven- tion. Always he refused, holding that he had no right to reveal the proceed- ings of the Convention since the mem- bers were bound to secrecy. It was only after his death that these papers were published at the direction of Congress, after having been purchased from his widow, Dolly Madison, for $30,000. After the lapse of a half-century, the public was to learn for the first time the true history of the proceedings of the Convention from day to day. The Constitutional Convention, hav- ing assembled on May 25, 1787, and elected officers, proceeded to get down to business at once. THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ver uce ind ay. the the for im- ing his en- hat 5S, his 00. he he ad vn HE MAN WITH A PLAN T sual wins. So it was in the Constitu- tional Convention. James Madison came to the Convention with a plan for a new constitution. It was a very carefully con- ceived plan which he had prepared with great dili- gence. No other man in the assembly was as able to write a plan, for Mad- ison was undoubtedly the scholar on constitutional government in the Con- vention. Madison was a modest man. He did not hold his plan back until the Con- vention met and then submit it. He was not interested in who should receive the credit for proposing the plan for a new order of government. His interest was motivated by a patriotic desire to find a way to save the colonies from disaster and anarchy. Madison first submitted his plan to the Virginia delegation and convinced them of its virtues. When a quorum failed to appear at Philadelphia on May 14, the day set for the opening of the Convention, Madison suggested to the Virginians that they meet each day and talk informally about the problems to come before them when the Conven- tion did assemble. In these informal meetings he convinced his colleagues of the merits of the plan he offered them. Governor Edmund Ran- dolph was not enthusiastic about a federal union; there had been some doubt about the position he would take in the Convention. Madison adroitly suggested that Randolph be selected to present the Virginia plan. This proposal appealed to Randolph’s pride and vanity, and doubtless won him over to the plan for a time, altho in the end he failed to sign the proposed Constitution that was adopted by the Convention. Governor Randolph was an orator. His presentation of the Virginia plan was magnificent. VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; IV Proposed Plans “The confederation,” he said, “was made in the infancy of the science of constitutions, when the inefficiency of requisitions was unknown; when no commercial discord had arisen among states; when no rebellion like that in Massachusetts had broken out; when foreign debts were not urgent; when the havoc of paper money had not been foreseen; when treaties had not been violated; and when nothing better could have been conceded by states jealous of their sovereignty.” He went on to point out that under the Articles of Confed- eration the Congress was powerless to protect the country from foreign inva- sion, to punish infraction of treaties, to OCTOBER 1937 check quarrels between separate states, to sup- press rebellions, to estab- lish productive impost, to regulate commerce, or to do many other things essential to the establish- ment of a strong and stable government. After his analysis of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and a discussion of the neces- sity for a new character of government, Randolph proceeded to introduce fifteen resolutions, ex- plaining each one as he presented it. These reso- lutions constituted the Virginia plan for a new Constitution. The sub- stance of these resolutions may be summarized briefly as follows: A national legislature was proposed. It was to be made up of two houses like the legislatures of the states. The mem- bers of the lower house were to be chosen by the people. The members of the upper house, or Senate, were to be chosen by the lower house upon the nominations of the state legislatures. In both houses of this national legislature, the votes were to be the votes of indi- viduals and not the votes of states as was the practice in the Continental Con- gress. Each state was to be entitled to a number of representatives proportionate either to its wealth or to the number of its free inhabitants. A majority of votes was to suffice to pass all measures. The plan proposed a_ national executive, to be elected by the na- tional legislature for a short term and ineligible for a second term. There was to be a national ju- diciary to consist of a supreme court and such inferior courts as were necessary. The judges were to be chosen by the national legis- lature and to hold office during good behavior. Provisions were to be made to admit new states. It was also proposed that provisions be made to amend the articles of union when necessary. Governor Randolph concluded his exhorta- tion to the delegates “not to suffer the present opportunity of establishing gen- eral peace, harmony, happiness, and liberty in the United States to pass away unimproved.” After Randolph had finished, Charles Pinckney from South Carolina, who was but twenty-nine years of age, introduced his plan. He confessed that his plan was quite similar to that proposed by Gov- ernor Randolph. The plan advocated by Pinckney called for a legislature of two branches, an executive and judicial department, and a negative on the acts of the states. Pinckney’s plan was never discussed before the Convention, but it is said to have had considerable influence in determining the content of the Consti- tution. McLaughlin, the distinguished his- torian, in his book on The Confedera- tion and the Constitution makes the fol- lowing statement: “Tt should be noticed that the plan com- monly printed in the Journal of the Con- vention and in Madison’s notes is not the real plan Pinckney presented; as it stands in the Journal it has deceived thousands of persons, who have been struck with the remarkable resemblance between the plan there printed and the finished Constitu- tion, a resemblance accounted for by the fact that when the Journal was being printed in 1818, Pinckney sent in as a copy of his plan, not his original propo- sitions at all, but a paper which marked an advanced stage of the Convention’s work.” For a period of two weeks the Vir- ginia plan met with little opposition. On practically all the essential features the delegates appeared to agree. It looked for a time as if a new Constitu- tion would soon be written. It is significant that the Convention at this time was in the hands of men from the larger states. Gradually, the men from the smaller states began to object to certain features, notably the proposal that called for representation in the na- tional legislature on the basis of popula- tion or wealth. As time passed this op- position from the smaller states crystal- lized until it became so determined that the Convention came near breaking up in a row. The states aligned themselves into two camps according to size. Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsyl- vania, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, for a part of the time, stood together. The smaller states—Connecti- cut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New York, and New Hampshire— finally united in a most formidable op- position to the Virginia plan. It is inter- esting to observe that New York was at this time regarded as a smaller state. Accordingly, on June 15, William Pat- erson, from New Jersey, introduced the New Jersey plan in the name of the smaller states. It was a feeble plan; and, had it been approved, it would probably have proven fatal to the future development of the United States. One can scarcely conceive of a nation growing strong and power- ful under such a weak and loose pattern of government as that outlined in the New Jersey plan. The New Jersey plan called for the amendment of the Articles of Confeder- ation. It provided for a federal legisla- ture of one house, an executive composed of a council to be chosen by the Con- gress, and a federal judiciary with limited authority. The New Jersey plan gave Congress the power to regulate foreign and domestic commerce, to levy duties on imports, to raise revenue by means of a Stamp Act, to admit new states, to make laws for uniform naturalization and for the extradition of criminals flee- ing from one state to- another. The two plans were totally unlike. One boldly advocated the wiping of the slate clean and the writing of a new Sonstitution under which a nation of united states could move forward to carve out its destiny in the galaxy of states. The other plan insisted on adhering to the Articles of Confederation with amendments designed to correct the chief defects of that instrument. Its advocates were primarily interested in sustaining the sovereignty of the respec- tive states. The most fundamental difference be- tween the two plans may be summarized by saying: The New Jersey plan called for a fed- eral legislature to represent the states— the votes in its legislature were the votes of states; whereas, the Virginia plan pro- posed a legislature in which the votes of its members represented individuals, not states. In the New Jersey plan all states were to be equal, while the Virginia plan THE JOURNAL OF called for representation in proportion to the population. This new issue came near being the stumbling block of the Constitutional Convention. The Virginia plan and the New Jer. sey plan were the only ones ever consid- ered by the Convention. However, on June 18, Alexander Hamilton arose and spoke for five hours. In his address he sketched the character of government he thought should be proposed. Hamilton said he was opposed to both the New Jersey plan and the Virginia plan. His plan provided for a Senate and execu- tive, elected to serve during good be. havior. He would have had the state governors appointed by the general goy- ernment. His plan also called for an Assembly to be elected by the people for a term of three years. The character of government proposed by Hamilton was an elective monarchy. His views were so extreme that Dr. William Samuel John- son, from Connecticut, later president of Columbia University, said in replying to Hamilton: “The gentleman from New York is praised by all, but supported by no gentleman.” It is a good thing that dissension arose in the Constitutional Convention; that minds clashed; that men hurled chal- lenges at each other; that debates were sometimes eloquent; that there were long and tedious speeches; that many diverse points of view were put forward; that there was a Virginia plan and a New Jersey plan representing totally different philosophies of government; that Hamilton spoke in favor of an autocratic government with supreme powers; for out of this conflict and con- fusion, under great stress and strain, conceptions of government greater than any man had when he entered the Con- vention came forth to be incorporated into the Constitution. Had the Constitutional Convention been a love-feast, the delegates, in all probability, would have written a second-rate Constitution. Great contri- butions to society are usually the result of great labor and often much suffer- ing. Because the delegates to the Consti- tutional Convention wrestled long and desperately with the problems that arose is without doubt the reason they gave us such a superior document as the funda- mental law of our land. THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ee Tis r to ew ose hat val- ere ere iny rd; da ally nt; an “me on- ain, han on- ited tion all na itri- sult fer- nsti- and rose e us nda- ‘ION ur CONSTITUTION is a document of compro- mises. Many of the com- promises were minor in char- acter. There were, however, four major issues on which the delegates found it difficult to discover a common agreement. One of these problems came near wrecking the Convention, and at least two others menaced the success of the assemblage. The greatest disagreement was a struggle between the large and small states over the question of representation in the Congress. The slavery issue made its first appearance as a national problem and the Convention was com- pelled to make two compromises on this subject. The most perplexing problem of the Convention was to find a method of electing a president and determining his powers and duties. This problem, however, did not engender the bitter an- tagonisms and passionate debates that the other three issues had done. The Virginia plan, which was pro- posed by Governor Randolph, provided for representation in the national legis- lature in proportion to population or wealth. Under the Articles of Confed- eration, all states were equal regardless of their size. This made Rhode Island as important and powerful as Virginia in the Continental Congress. The small states were naturally reluctant to give VOLUME 26, NUMBER 73 Great Compromises up this advantage. Furthermore, they were afraid that if they did not main- tain equal representation in the legisla- tive body, the large states would swallow them up. The delegates from the smaller states honestly believed that if they yielded to the proposal of Randolph, their states would be tyrannized over by their more powerful neighbors. On the other hand, the larger states could not see the justice of equal representation in the new national legislature. This ques- tion came before the Convention early in June, but it was over a month before it was settled. It was bitterly debated. Antagonisms developed that appeared irreconcilable. William Paterson, of New Jersey, led the fight for the small states. He was ably assisted by his colleague, David Brearley; by Luther Martin of OCTOBER 1937 Maryland; by Gunning Bed- ford of Delaware; and by other delegates from the smaller states. The aggressive leaders representing the larger states were Hamilton, Madison, Wil- son, and King. In the annals of the making of constitutions there probably is not to be found a more bril- liant record of debates than those which occurred in the Constitutional Convention dur- ing the month this question was under consideration. These debates were scholarly and pro- found. They are proof that the men who participated in them were in- tellectual giants. On occasions during this period, “the convention,” said Luther Martin, “was on the verge of dissolution, scarce held together by the strength of a hair.” The situation became so serious that Frank- lin solemnly proposed “imploring the assistance of Heaven.” “I have lived, Sir, a long time,” he said, “and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men.” He advocated the open- ing of the morning sessions with pray- ers, but this was never done. It has been said, however, that after Franklin’s ear- nest solicitation the debates became less violent, and there was a more tolerant attitude observable in the Convention. To the Connecticut delegation goes the credit for the compromise that saved the Convention from disaster. It was pro- posed that the national principle prevail in the House of Representatives and the federal principle in the Senate. This meant that the number of representa- tives from each state would be deter- mined by the population of the state, but that each state would be accorded equal representation in the Senate. It was a long time before this compromise was acceptable to the delegates of the larger states, but in the end it prevailed. The subsequent history of our country has proven that this compromise was a wise decision. When it was decided that the number of representatives in the lower house of Congress was to be determined by the population of a state, the question arose regarding the propriety of counting slaves as a part of the population. This was the beginning of the pro-slavery and the anti-slavery struggle in our nation. Pierce Butler and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina insisted that slaves were a part of the population, and must be counted in ascertaining the basis of representation in Congress. Be- cause it was not profitable, slavery was gradually disappearing in the North. Some of the Southern states would double their number of representatives if they could force slaves to be counted as a part of the population. Another bit- ter storm broke out in the Convention. Gouverneur Morris, of Pennsylvania, said, “I can never agree to give such en- couragement to the slave trade as would be given by allowing the Southern states a representation for their negroes. . . . I would sooner submit to a tax for paying for all the negroes in the United States than saddle posterity with such a con- stitution.” The Virginians were the peacemakers on this issue. Washington, Madison, and Mason hoped to see their state free the slaves. They knew that if slaves were counted in determining representation in the Union that Virginia would never consent to the emancipation of her slaves. But South Carolina was obsti- nate. It was obvious to the delegates that if slaves were not counted South Carolina would refuse to adopt the Con- stitution, and Georgia and North Caro- lina would follow her. This fact led to the compromise proposed by Hugh Wil- liamson of North Carolina that three- fifths of the slaves be counted in deter- mining the basis of representation. The second great compromise of the Conven- tion proved to be disastrous to the fu- ture welfare of the nation. It is a pity the Constitution makers could not have pro- vided for a gradual emancipation of slavery, and thus have helped to prevent the Civil War. James Madison with prophetic vision told the Convention that the future antagonisms would not be between the large and small states, but between the free and slave states. If there is anyone who believes that the Constitution is a perfect document, all he has to do is to reflect on this compro- mise and the one on slave trade to be disillusioned. At the time of the adoption of the Constitution, slavery existed in all the states except Massachusetts, where it had only recently ceased to exist. But all the states except South Carolina and Geor- gia wished to stop the importation of slaves. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut wanted Congress to regulate trade. All the other states were opposed to this policy. These two issues were referred to a committee which re- ported a compromise forbidding the slave trade after the year 1808, and grant- ing Congress complete control over commerce. On the motion of General Pinckney of South Carolina to extend slave trade for a period of twenty years, or until 1808, Massachusetts, New Hamp- shire, Connecticut voted with Maryland, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina for the motion. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia voted against the motion. After this compromise, the question of granting Independence Hall, where the Constitutional Convention met THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION to Congress control over commerce wa; carried when South Carolina voted with the New England States. The fourth major compromise of the Constitutional Convention is often not | regarded as a compromise. It would probably be more appropriate to refer to it as a baffling question which proved very difficult to solve. The problem con. cerning the executive—how to elect him, the length of his term, and his powers —was the most perplexing issue pre. sented to the Convention. This question | did not arouse bitter antagonisms as the other issues we have already discussed, but it brought out more divergent views on the part of the delegates than any | other question that came up for consid- eration. On twenty-one different days this subject was under discussion. On | the single question of the method of election of a chief executive, thirty bal- lots were taken. Seven different ways of electing the chief magistrate were pro- posed from time to time: [1] by the peo- ple; [2] by the legislatures; [3] by the executives of the states; [4] by electors chosen by the people; [5] by electors chosen by lot; [6] by the legislature on the nomination of three candidates by each of the states; and [7] by the legis- lature on nomination of one candidate from each state. In the closing days of the Convention it was finally decided that executive power should be vested in a “President of the United States, elected for a term of four years by a majority of electors appointed by the states.” Of the four major compromises of the Convention at least two have proven sat- isfactory. The two compromises made on issues in which slavery was con cerned were decidedly bad. They did much to pave the way which led to the Civil War. All the compromises had to be made, however, to get a Constitution at all. If the delegates had persisted in holding to their convictions, the Con- vention would have adjourned without a new constitution. Such action would undoubtedly have resulted in disaster to the states. Had the Constitutional Convention failed, our country probably would have been made up of small war? ring countries such as are now found on the continent of Europe. Let us thank our fathers for the compromises they made. The judgment of history has vin- dicated their actions. ~~ ce Ce ee. Was vith | ‘the not | yuld efer ved con- lim, vers pre- tion ; the ssed, lews any asid- days On d of bal- ys of pro- peo- » the ctors ctors eon s by legis- idate ition utive ident term ctors f the n sat- made con- , did o the ad to ution ed in Con- thout vould saster ional bably wal- id on hank they s vin- TION = ~ ee am “Ye \ Rae We) ee eyed, ards SE Oe Ae Yew ne; Sn CE Serra y * foRGE WASHINGTON is (5 not often thought of as an orator; yet he probably delivered the most eloquent speech of the Con- stitutional Convention. Not as frequently quoted as Lin- coln’s famous Gettysburg address, this speech of Washington’s is as great as Lincoln’s immortal oration. John Fiske, the historian, said that Washington’s ad- dress “ought to be blazoned in letters of gold, and posted on the wall of every American assembly that shall meet to nominate a candidate, or declare a pol- icy, or pass a law, so long as the weak- ness of human nature shall endure.” When some of the delegates in the early days of the Convention began to weaken and talk of patching up the old Articles of Confederation; when they began to show a disposition to sidestep the responsibility of preparing a new constitution; when they started to play the game of the politician rather than the statesman, to display signs of moral cowardice—it was then that Washington rebuked them in one of the few speeches he made: , LOE LOT E bite PO + “It is too probable that no plan we pro- pose will be adopted. Perhaps another dreadful conflict is to be sustained. If, to please the people, we offer what we our- selves disapprove, how can we afterward defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.” After this speech by Washington the delegates faced boldly the issues that arose, and there were no further at- tempts to evade responsibilities. In such an atmosphere of lofty motives and noble ideals, the work of the Conven- tion was begun. How did it complete its work? As the Constitutional Convention ap- proached the completion of its work, after the perplexing problems which had held it in session all summer had been settled, a Committee on Style was appointed on September 8 to make a OCTOBER VOLUME 26, NUMBER 73} NC The Work Completed final draft of the document. This com- mittee consisted of Dr. William Sam- uel Johnson, later president of Colum- bia University; Alexander Hamilton; Gouverneur Morris; James Madison; and Rufus King. The excellence of the literary composition of our Constitution is due chiefly to Gouverneur Morris, who drafted the final form of this great document. The Committee on Style made its re- port to the Convention on September 12. The next few days were spent in ironing out minor difficulties and dis- agreements over certain items in the proposed Constitution. On the 17th of September the en- grossed Constitution was read to the Convention. Then the venerable Benja- min Franklin rose with a speech in his hand, which, because of the weakness of his voice, James Wilson read. This speech should be taught all children in our American public schools. It should be read frequently to the members of our state legislatures, and it ought to be familiar to Congressmen. Franklin said: “T confess that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. . . . I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general government necessary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a blessing to the people if well-adminis- 1937 ‘he puted Qi lentes, we mate lyin “irene pebsiPe Le eer, ae: wes? ve f RE porsers ele Pre cies =< aae wh os Crete wie C ee Coreere; wetted uv oe Soar, P “ahtas Se eS tered; and because further, that this is likely to be well- administered for a course of years, and can only end in des- potism, as other forms have done before it, when the peo- ple shall become so corrupted as to need despotic govern- ment, being incapable of any other. . . I hope that for our own sakes, as a part of the people, and for the sake of posterity, we shall act heart- ily and unanimously in recom- mending this Constitution . . wherever our influence may extend, and turn our future thoughts and endeavors to the means of having it well-administered.” Franklin passionately desired that all the delegates sign the document. Alex- ander Hamilton also expressed his anxi- ety that every member should sign. He said that “no man’s ideas were more re- mote from the plan than his own were known to be; but is it possible to delib- erate between anarchy and convulsion on one side, and the chance of good to be expected from the plan on the other?” Other delegates begged their colleagues for unanimous action. But Governor Randolph and George Mason of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Mas- sachusetts refused to sign the Constitu- tion. James Madison tells us: “Whilst the last members were signing it, Doctor Franklin, looking toward the President’s chair, at the back of which a rising sun happened to be painted, ob- served to a few members near him that painters had found it difficult to distin- guish in their art a rising from a setting sun. ‘I have,’ said he, ‘often and often in the course of the session, and the vicissi- tudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the President with- out being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: but now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.’” The members were profoundly im- pressed with the results of their delib- erations. The Constitution was a nobler work than any of them believed it was possible to devise. The Constitution makers on that day dined together, and bade each other a cordial farewell. EORGE WaAsHING- TON was di- rected to send the new Constitution to the Congress of the Confederation. The makers of the Consti- tution provided that this document should be considered in con- ventions called in each state to approve or re- ject it. This was a bold pro- cedure to pursue since the Articles of Con- federation explicitly stated that tion could be made in the feder ment untess agreed to by Congress and approved by the legislature of every state. The enemies of the Constitution called it revolution, and so it was. But it was a bloodless revolution that proved a blessing to the nation. The Constitu- tion makers fully realized that if they submitted the new Constitution to the no altera- al govern- state legislatures it would be rejected, because it deprived state legislatures of much of their power. They did not trust the people; therefore, they dared not submit it to the people for popular ap- proval. If the Constitution had been submitted to the people, there is not the slightest doubt that it would have been overwhelmingly rejected. But it was not the custom of the times to submit such issues to the people. The leaders of so- ciety did not believe the average man had the intelligence to vote on problems so momentous; and this was doubtless true, for the majority of adults were still illiterate, and popular education was unknown. In 1787, the population of the states was approximately 3,2¢ exclusive About or 5 percent, of this number voted in the election of delegates to the state conventions to consider the Constitution. 90,000, of slaves. 160,000, In many of the states the elections were very close, and there were many delegates in the [ 228 | Vil The Fight for Adoption state conventions who opposed ratifica- tion with all their influence. The new Constitution was adopted by the ap- proval of not over 100,000, or 3 percent, of the free population. No issue had ever come before the people up to that time that attracted such widespread interest as the question regarding the adoption of the Constitu- tion. Pamphlets for and against the Constitution were prepared and circu- lated by the thousands. Stump speakers arrayed themselves against each other in every forum. Newspapers attacked and defended the proposed Constitution. It was the subject of heated and violent arguments in every tavern, blacksmith’s shop, store, and gathering place of the people. The enemies and friends of the new Constitution lost their tempers. They called each other names. James Wilson of Pennsylvania was nominated an aristocrat, a snob, a patrician. Roger Sherman was a turncoat. Madison and Hamilton were mere boys, while Frank- lin was an old man in his dotage. Even Washington was referred to as a fool. Out of this discussion the American party system came forth. Those who supported the adoption of the Consti- tution were known as Federalists while the opponents were called Anti-federal- ists. For the next decade this alignment THE JOURNAL OF ing i sw ( | Co | wh constituted the politi. . cal parties of the day, . From the many} J, pamphlets that were ig prepared came a series | of articles known 4; | Co The Federalist,, ni classic that has come cl down to us as a monv- ps mental work on. the i nature of our govern. | his ment. Alexander Ham. | 0 ilton was the author | 5 of fifty-one articles; : James Madison con 5 tributed e-i | and John Jay wrote 7 five. hi The battle to se , the Constitution has A been referred to as a contest between the debtor and creditor classes. For the most di part, those who opposed the adoption of the Constitution were debtors, small | “ mechanics, } * while the | * supporters were made up principally of th farmers, backwoodsmen, and men of small property, creditors, planters, bankers, merchants, { lt and men of wealth. But there were able | t men on both sides of the question, and | 4 some of those who most effectively op- | t posed the adoption of the Constitution | 0 were men of wealth of whom Colonel |h George Mason of Virginia is illustrative. Mason’s opposition was based on a love of freedom and liberty, and he honestly believed the Constitution would curtail the liberties of the people. That great patriot of the Revolution, Patrick Henry, who wanted liberty or death, ——— CD was al other bitter foe of the new order of gov- ernment. Henry and Mason led the enemies of the Constitution in the Vit ginia convention and they proved to be worthy antagonists. It took the com bined efforts of James Madison; Ed mund Randolph, who had refused to sign the Constitution, but threw all his efforts behind its adoption by Virginia; John Marshall, who was later to be come Chief Justice; and “Light Horse Harry” the father of Robert E Lee—working together within the com Lee, THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION yention and cooperating with Wash- ington, who was not a delegate—to wing Virginia into line. Other prominent opponents of the Constitution were Richard Henry Lee, who wrote and circulated thousands of articles entitled, Letters from the Fed- than the Green Dragon could hold.” “And where were the rest?” Mr. Adams asked. “In the streets, sir.” “How many were in the streets?” “More, sir, than there are stars in the sky,” answered Paul Revere. After this stood that the bill of rights would be added to the fundamental document as soon as the machinery could be pro- vided to pass the amendments. The first state to ratify the Constitu- tion was Delaware, on December 7, 1787. Pennsylvania approved it on De- oliti. eral Farmer; George Clinton of New _ interview, it is said Samuel Adams sup- cember 12; next New Jersey, then day. York; and Luther Martin of Maryland. ported the motion to adopt the new Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, 4M) } I, Massachusetts John Hancock, who Constitution. Maryland, and South Carolina. New were | signed the Declaration of Independence, There were many objections put forth Hampshire was the ninth state. With cries } was thought to be opposed to the new by the opponents of the Constitution. the ratification of the Constitution by N @%} Constitution; and Samuel Adams, that One of the chief criticisms was that the New Hampshire, it became effective in ‘t,2) creat apostle of the Revolution, was national legislature created by the Con- the nine states that had approved it. come } silent if not opposed. In the end Adams stitution provided that the vote was the Virginia was the tenth state to accept onu | came around and lent his great influence vote of individuals and not the vote of it, and New York the eleventh. North + the | for its adoption. It has been said that states. Another objection was that the Carolina and Rhode Island refused to veri: } his hesitation in championing the new Constitution granted Congress unlim- act. Rhode Island would not even call bs Constitution kept him from the presi- ited power of taxation. It was claimed a convention to consider the Constitu- _ | dency. Had he been ardent from the — that the new government would be aris- tion. It was not until after the new "| frst for the Constitution, he might have tocratic and probably lead to a mon- government had been organized and Bi. been selected as vicepresident under archy. Considerable objection was made Washington was president that North al Washington instead of John Adams, to the provision that the Congressmen Carolina and Rhode Island came into his cousin. This would have placed him could fix their own) salaries. Probabiy the Union. The new government was adopt in line to succeed Washington. Samuel the most valid complaint against the considering putting pressure on obsti- has | Adams,altho a patriot,was somewhat of Constitution was that it did not con- nate little Rhode Island by dealing nthe | @Politician. He took care to discover the tain a bill of rights. Men like Colo- with that state as with foreign nations. most | Mitection popular opinion was moving. nel Mason; John Hancock; Samuel When this fact became apparent to the ption The story is told that while the Adams; and Thomas Jefferson, who citizens of Rhode Island, they finally small | convention was in session in Massachu- was in Paris at that time, pointed out ratified the Constitution on May 20, anics, | %tts, a great meeting of working men most forcefully this glaring omission. 1790. le the | presenting all the trades was held at In approving the Constitution sev- The fight to adopt the Constitution Ily of | the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston. hants, e able 1, and ly op- rution olonel rative. a love nestly -urtail ltappears that Paul Revere presided at this meeting, which passed resolutions demanding ratification of the Consti- tution. When Samuel Adams learned of this meeting, he asked Paul Revere tow many mechanics were present. Paul Revere replied, “More, sir, eral of the states recommended that this instrument be amended at the first opportunity by the inclusion of a bill of rights. Virginia, Massachusetts, and New York were especially insistent. It is doubtful whether the Constitution would have been approved by these states if the delegates had not under- may well be regarded as one of the major political conflicts in the history of our country. The debates and dis- cussions on the new government con- stituted our first great school of de- mocracy which prepared the people for intelligent participation in the new government. great Tenry, as all- f gov- d the e Vit- to be com- : Ed sed to all his ‘gimla; to be- Horse ert E. e con ATION |YQLUME 26, NUMBER 73 OCTOBER 1937 AVE YOU EVER READ H the fifth article of the Constitution? It is one of the wisest provisions in the whole document. In substance, it provides that when- ever two-thirds of the members of Congress shall propose an amend- ment to the Constitu- tion, and when three- fourths of the states have ratified the amend- ment, it shall become a part of the Constitution. The makers of the Constitution fully un- derstood that the instru- ment of government which they prepared was not infallible, and that from time to time it would have to be changed. If no provision had been made for amending the Constitu- tion, in all probability, it could not have withstood the stresses and strains to which it has been subjected in the cen- tury and a half since it was written. The march of time invariably changes the social, economic, cultural, and _po- litical aspects of a civilization, and gov- ernment must likewise be altered to meet these changing conditions. If a constitution could not be amended, it would have to be abrogated sooner or later. Minority groups in our country should not attempt for their own selfish ends to block reasonable amendments because in so doing they endanger the total structure of government. How many amendments to the Con- stitution do you suppose have been in- troduced in the Congress of the United States since our government was organ- ized? People are always surprised and appalled when they learn of the enor- mous number of amendments that have been proposed by Congressmen. More than 3200 amendments to the Constitu- tion have been offered since our govern- ment has been organized! Yet there are individuals, newspapers, magazines, and corporate organizations that today are | 230 | Vill The Amendments trying to convince the masses that it is a mark of treason on the part of any- one to suggest that the Constitution should be amended in any particular. It is no new thing to suggest amend- ments to the Constitution. The state conventions that adopted the Constitu- tion talked much of desirable amend- ments. It was generally understood in many of the states in 1788 that those amendments known as the “bill of rights” would be offered at the first meeting of Congress if the Constitution was adopted. James Madison promised the Virginia convention that this would be done. Accordingly, on June 8, 1780, Madison introduced these amendments. During this first session of Congress more than 120 amendments to the Con- stitution were submitted. The House of Representatives reduced the number to eighteen and sent them to the Senate. The Senate approved twelve. Ten of the twelve were ratified by the states. No later Congress has ever considered so many changes to the Constitution. Presentday critics who attempt to place the stigma of disloyalty on any- one who proposes an amendment to the Constitution will discover, if they will but take the pains to investigate, that our founding fathers were not so con- servative. They wrote and adopted an thes cutl libe } cess tees | and cess absolutely new constitu. and tion and then amended | ul it ten times within les | @ than four years. | pr A selfgoverning peo. | Stal ple should not be stam. | re peded into making sud. | ie den and radical change; | - which would alter the | ™ fundamental character | a of their government. On | 5 the other hand, the peo. | we ple should resist any | “ movement by the stand. pat, conservative, and | r? special privileged inter. | "6 ests that would make | changes in the Const | tution impossible and thereby fasten upon the} ” American people a static government which could be administered in favor of vested interests. Good government is evolutionary in character. Orderly change in the fundamental structure of government must always be possible when found desirable. The people themselves in each generation must de | : termine the character and nature of such | changes in their government as they! ' in their common wisdom shall decree. | : The Constitution has been amended | twenty-one times; it will be amended | . again and again as the evolutionary | processes of civilization unfold. |" The first ten amendments to the Con-| | stitution, known as the “bill of rights,’ | were ratified by the states in 1791. These amendments did not present anything new or novel in government. They were designed simply to guarantee rights and immunities which we had inherited from our ancestors. They are centuries old, and the fundamental concepts on \ which they are based are to be discov ered in English common law. They guarantee freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right of petition, the right to keep and bear arms, protection against quartet ing soldiers in private houses, and secur ity against unreasonable searches and seizures. The individual is protected by THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION — stitu- nded | } d less | Peo- stam- + sud. anges r the acter t. On ee | purchased at the price of blood for the t any tand- \ | and | inter- make onsti- » and n the \ment favor \ment rderly re of sible reople st de- F such they | lecree. ended | ended ynary Con. | ghts,” These thing ) were ts and erited turies Mts on liscov- They ~edom s, the p and larter- secur: Ss and red by ATION these amendments against unjust prose- cutions, nor can he be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due pro- oss of law. The “bill of rights” guaran- tes a speedy and public trial by jury, and protects the individual against ex- cessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments. Fundamen- ul rights not enumerated in the Con- titution are retained by the people, and powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the states. The “bill of rights,” guaranteeing the liberties of a people, is regarded as the most sacred part of the Constitution. Out of the dim past, thru the suffering and struggling of men, one by one these fundamental concepts of liberty and freedom have been seized upon and benefit of succeeding generations. They may almost be regarded as the divine rights of a free people. As one studies the evolutionary pro- cesses of government and the changing order of society, he can scarcely help contemplating what new rights of men may eventually be added to our “bill of rights” in the Constitution. If I were io venture a prediction on this intrigu- ing subject, I would say that in the fullness of time there will be other fights extending the list of those com- monly accepted. Among these I would suggest the right to a job (this should not be confused with the dole but re- garded as a chance to work for a liv- ing), the right of medical protection against the ravages of disease, the right of social security in old age, and the tight of education commensurate with apacity for mental development. The eleventh amendment, to protect he sovereignty of the states, was de- tared to be a part of the Constitution 1798. The twelfth, dealing with the manner of electing the President and Vicepresident, was ratified in 1804. After the adoption of the twelfth amendment, for a period of over sixty jars the Constitution was not amended. Many intelligent people were beginning 0 believe it would never again be Possible to change the Constitution. Then came the Civil War; and after lhis great catastrophe, three amend- ments were added in rapid succession. The thirteenth (1865) abolished slav- ty, the fourteenth (1868) was designed 0 protect the Negroes, and the fif- YWLUME 26, NUMBER 73 teenth (1870) gave the Negro suffrage. Again a long period of time was to elapse before another change was to be made in the fundamental law of the land. This time it was forty-three years before the advocates of change could alter the organic structure of our gov- ernment. In 1894 the Supreme Court in one of its famous five-to-four decisions declared unconstitutional an act of Con- gress authorizing an income tax. It took the champions of this form of taxation nearly twenty years te consolidate pub- lic opinion on this issue sufficiently to secure the enactment of the sixteenth amendment (1913). Since the ratifica- tion of the income tax amendment, a more liberal point of view has prevailed. During the last twenty-five years, the Constitution has been altered six times. The seventeenth amendment providing for the election of United States Sena- tors was passed in 1913 after many years of agitation. The famous eighteenth amendment was approved in 1gi9. Woman suffrage was provided for in 1920 by the nineteenth amendment. The twentieth abolished what has popularly been referred to as the “lame duck” ses- sion of Congress. The last amendment repealed the eighteenth or prohibition. The Congress of the United States has submitted to the states five pro- posed amendments that the states have refused to ratify. Two of these were submitted in 1789, one relating to the apportionment of representatives and the other to the compensation of mem- bers of Congress. In 1810 an amend- ment, of no consequence, with regard to titles of nobility was proposed. Just be- fore the Civil War a futile attempt was made to prohibit the abolition of slavery by a constitutional amendment. The child labor amendment is still before the people and may yet be ratified. Today we hear much discussion re- garding constitutional changes in our government. This is but natural. There is always a demand for change in the social order after every major crisis, whether that crisis be war or depres- sion. It is the duty of the average citizen to keep an open mind on all proposals to amend the Constitution, weigh the arguments for and against changes, and then vote on these issues as his intelli- gence and conscience dictate. EXCERPTS FROM WASHINGTON S$ DIARY AT PHILADELPHIA Courtesy, Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission Sunday, [May] 13th. ... 1 proceeded to Philada. Friday, |June| 1st. Attending in Convention and nothing being suffered to transpire, no minutes of the proceedings has been or will be inserted in this diary. Monday, |September| 17th. Met in Convention, when the Constitution received the unanimous assent of 11 States and Colo. Hamilton's from New FOr. < ss OCTOBER 1937 HAT IS THE ConsTITU- W TION Topay? Is it the original document and the twenty-one amendments that can be printed on twelve to fifteen pages, and may be read in five minutes? Well, that is what is commonly called the Constitution. But the Con- stitution is actually more than that today. The original docu- ment and the amendments are only the framework of our gov- ernment. The United States has the oldest written constitution of any nation in the world. We are celebrating its 150th anni- versary. Many of the great na- tions do not have a written constitution; nevertheless, they have constitutional govern- ment. England is our best ex- ample of a country without a written constitution. Thru the centuries the English have been evolving prin- ciples of government which they have accepted as fundamental. These funda- mental concepts of equity and justice and freedom when accepted by the people thru their representatives in Par- liament become the guiding principles under which the people are governed. This body of laws, administrative prac- tices, and court decisions is regarded as the unwritten constitution of England. In the United States, with the Con- stitution setting forth the basic prin- ciples under which we wish to live, Congress has written, in a century and a half, thousands of laws governing our actions. The thirty-one presidents, work- ing within the limitations outlined in the Constitution, have issued decrees and instituted practices that would fill thousands of volumes. The Supreme Court is constantly being asked to de- cide cases involving the constitution- ality of laws. In rendering its decisions the Supreme Court has consistently in recent years enlarged the scope of the Constitution, and the decisions inter- preting the meaning of that document may well be considered a part of the organic law of the land. Thus the United States actually has both a writ- [ 232 J Printing paper money which was“ not worth a Continental” IX The Constitution in the Life of Today ten and an unwritten Constitution. The Constitution of our country today may properly be regarded as the original document prepared in 1787; plus the twenty-one amendments; plus those acts of Congress, for the past hundred and fifty years, that have not been re- pealed; plus all the administrative de- crees, practices, and customs that pre- vail; plus the decisions of the Supreme Court and all other courts in which their decisions have been accepted. This total collection of laws, practices, customs, and court decisions for all practical pur- poses is our constitutional government today. It is easy to see that our government has never been a static thing. It is al- ways evolving, growing up. It is to be hoped that it will never stop growing, for then it would go into a period of de- cline and finally die as other governments like those of Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, and Rome have done. The old order is ever changing, giving place to the new. Change is written upon the face of the earth, on every mountain, plain, and river valley. Nations rise and fall; the archeologist today digs into the earth only to discover that these peoples per- ished because of their inability to adapt their cultures to a changing order of life. THE JOURNAL OF A constitution may be drawn to meet the needs of a people at any given time, but it mus be elastic enough to Provide | for healthy growth as civil. | zation evolves. Our founding } fathers thoroly understood this and provided a means for amending the Constitution, They demonstrated that they had the courage to alter their own handiwork by passing ten | amendments immediately after organizing the government. Washington, Madison, Ham. ilton, and the other illustrious men of the Constitutional Con. vention understood thoroly— more so than any group of statesmen who have since pi- loted the fate of our nation—| that it would be essential from | time to time to amend the Constitution to meet the chang. | ing economic, political, social, and cul-| tural development of our country. Thomas Jefferson writing to a friend in 1816 said: “I am certainly not an advocate for fre- quent and untried changes in laws and | constitutions. I think moderate imperfec- tions had better be borne with, because, when once known, we accommodate our- selves to them, and find practical means of correcting their ill effects. But I] know also that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the \ human mind. As that becomes more de: | veloped, more enlightened, as new dis | coveries are made, new truths disclosed, | and manners and opinions change with | the change of circumstances, institutions | must advance also and keep pace with the | times. We might as well require a maf to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain | ever under the regime of their barbarous | ancestors . . let us provide in out Constitution for its revision at stated | periods, What these periods should be, nature herself indicates. By the Europeat tables of mortality, of the adults living a any one moment of time, a majority will | be dead in about nineteen years. At a4 end of that period, then, a new majority is come into place; or, in other words, 4 | new generation. , ‘ , ‘ “Each generation is as independent of | THE- NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION as ir awn reople | must | ‘OVide Civili. nding d this $ for tion, their | g ten | - after nent, | Ham- trious Con. oly— Ip of epi: | ion— from 1 the hang. | 1 cul- riend or fre- ; and erfec- cause, | > our neans Rnow | st go if the re de- r dis- | losed, with | itions h the him “main arous n our stated d be, | pean | ng at will t the jority ‘ds, a nt of TION the one preceding as that was of all which had gone before. \t has, then, like them, a right to choose for itself the form of government it believes most promotive of its own happiness; consequently, to ac- commodate to the circumstances in which it finds itself, that received from its pre- decessors; and it is for the peace and good of mankind that a solemn opportunity of doing this every nineteen or twenty years should be provided by the constitution, so that it may be handed on, with periodical repairs, from generation to generation, to the end of time, if anything human can so long endure.” No statesman of today would take such an extreme position as the one advocated by Jefferson. But Jefferson was what was known as a “strict con- structionist,” and did not believe in the “doctrine of implied powers” which Alexander Hamilton advanced. Had Jefferson’s doctrine of literal interpre- tation of the Constitution prevailed, un- doubtedly the Constitution would have had to undergo major alterations peri- odically. But the philosophy of Hamil- ton and Marshall prevailed—the phil- osophy that the Constitution contains implied powers, a philosophy which even Jefferson followed when as Presi- dent he made the Louisiana Purchase. This more elastic interpretation has permitted the Constitution to grow and develop without too much strain on the original structure. Recently a very able and distinguished United States Senator maintained that the Constitu- tion contains latent powers that have not been used or even discovered, and that may be called into existence when a changing social order demands new machinery to enable it to function. This is what the historian, James Truslow Adams, calls the vital element in the Constitution. This leads us to a consideration of what the Constitution actually means. It is written in simple, beautiful English. Is there any difficulty about its meaning? Language is always difficult to interpret. The Constitutional Con- vention had hardly adjourned before some of its members fell to disputing the meaning of various sections of this document. Thru the hundred and fifty years eminent and intelligent men have held totally different views of the mean- ing of certain passages. These divergent views have resulted in many suits in the courts seeking to discover its true meaning. The Supreme Court of the United States is the final arbiter in any dispute relative to the meaning of the Constitution. The members of the Supreme Court often disagree among themselves as to the actual meaning of the Constitution on different points. The Court fre- quently submits a majority and a minor- ity opinion on the issues before it. Sometimes members are divided five to four on the question under considera- tion. Such decisions are always unfor- tunate for the country, and they usually are followed by much criticism ‘of the Court. In discussing the meaning of the Con- stitution, Jefferson wrote to his friend, Spencer Roane, in 1819: “The Consti- tution is a thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary which they may twist and shape into any form they please.” Chief Justice Hughes when Governor of New York said, “The Constitution is what the judges say it is.” Felix Frankfurter, distinguished pro- fessor of law at Harvard, says, “The Supreme Court is the Constitution.” On the Supreme Court there are usu- ally men of both conservative and lib- eral viewpoints. This has been especially true in our times. The late Justice Holmes was celebrated for his dissent- ing opinions in which he advocated liberal interpretations of the organic law of our land. Justice Brandeis is credited with bringing a new philoso- phy of law, equity, and justice to the Court. He has ably and consistently ad- vocated that in interpreting the Con- stitution, the Justices should not confine their judgments to the narrow facts set forth by the attorneys in their briefs, but that the Court should consider all the facts and social conditions bearing on the case and render decisions that would protect the basic interests of so- ciety with respect to its health, morals, safety, and general welfare. From this discussion we can readily conclude that the Constitution is not a selfdeclaring document. It is what the honorable Judges of the Supreme Court in their wisdom decide it is. It is im- portant to the nation that the Justices be men who possess a wholesome social philosophy with regard to the general welfare of all the people of our coun- VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; OCTOBER 1937 try. It is essential that they look back- ward for the purpose of reviewing our history and ascertaining precedent. It is even more important that they scan the future, penetrating into it as far as hu- man eye can see to discover the direction civilization is moving. With a back- ward glance at history and a forward glimpse of the future, the Supreme Court should render decisions with a view to achieving a more perfect Union, establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquillity, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. In closing, I would say that the makers of the Constitution builded bet- ter than they knew. I can agree with De Tocqueville, the Frenchman, that it is “the most perfect federal constitution that ever existed.” I am certain William Pitt was correct when he remarked: “It will be a pattern for all future Constitu- tion building and the admiration of all future ages.” Senator William E. Borah has said: “If it [the Constitution] should go—either by absolute rejection or by a transformation which would leave little of its former spirit and purpose—still it would have served the cause of human freedom and the advancement and the enlargement of human happiness as has no other document in the history of the world. Under it the average citizen emerged from a state of serfdom to that of a sovereign. Greater progress and more universal happiness has been the portion of the masses since the year 1789 than in all the 5000 years preced- ing it.” The Constitution is its own best defense—a bulwark of strength, a veritable rock of Gibraltar in a troubled world. Those who respect it most and love it best are the plain, simple folk of our country. Its true defenders are the homes, the churches, and the schools of the great common people of America. Our loyalty and devotion to our coun- try and our Constitution are best demon- strated when we do our simple duty day by day in the service of our fellowmen. The good neighbor is the good citizen. The good citizen is the patriot. The patriot defends the flag. But in our de- votion for the Constitution we should always remember that the Constitution was made for man and not man for the Constitution. [ 233 | | ’ j t : ' a 66 CNCHOOLS AND THE CONSTI- TUTION’ has been designated as the theme for Thurs- day, November 11, of American Educa- tion Week. Schools will thus have an op- portunity to celebrate the Constitution Ses- quicentennial during American Education Week. Students may well consider such ques- tions as: What does the Constitution mean to me? Would I exchange the rights, liberties, and institu- tions of our democracy for residence elsewhere? How has the Constitution “served the cause of human freedom and the advancement and the enlarge- ment of human happiness as has no other document in the history of the world?” Yet if the schools are to prepare citi- zens to take part intelligently in the eternal struggle toward government of the people, by the people, and for the people, boys and girls must not be con- tent with merely paying tribute to the Constitution or even with studying and understanding its history. They must be led to see that foremost among our problems as a nation is the adapting of our democratic government to present- day needs with as much courage and devotion to all people as the founding fathers had 150 years ago. There are those who contend that the Constitution is our authority, that it should remain unchanged, and that we should follow a strict interpretation of it. There are others who maintain that we should let the Constitution stand as written but give it a broad in- terpretation so that our government which operates under its authority can be adapted to presentday needs. There is still another group which maintains that the Constitution must be revised or materially amended. What should be the attitude of the schools toward this great document and all the issues that Suggestions for Use arise from its relationship with present- day life? Should not the schools teach all the facts, present all the viewpoints about civic issues, and then let young people make their own decisions? Suggestions for broadening the scope of activities for Constitution Day, Amer- ican Education Week, to cover the whole problem of education and citi- zenship may be found in the 1937 AEW manuals for highschools (page 20) and elementary schools (page 16). These may be secured from the National Edu- cation Association for 15¢ each. “Making the Constitution,” altho pre- pared with teachers in mind, has a strong appeal to laymen and to older pupils. Lend your copy of THe JourNaL to interested citizens or ask the editor of the local paper to reprint the articles. Dr. Donovan suggests that teachers using this feature call to the special attention of their pupils Building Amer- ica, Volume 2, Number 1, “Our Consti- tution,” [to be obtained from the Society for Curriculum Study, 425 West 123rd St., New York, for 30¢]. The Nebraska State Teachers Asso- ciation, 605 South Fourteenth Street, Lincoln, last year revised its Research Bulletin No. 6, “Vitalizing the Teach- ing of the Constitution.” Write to the Nebraska Association for information concerning this excellent bulletin. The United States Constitution Ses- quicentennial Commission, House Office Building, Washington, D. C., has available an abundance of material use- THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ful in this celebra- tion. From the Com. mission may be s¢e- cured suggestive study units on the Constitution, appro- priate music, posters, tests on the Consti- tution, suggestive programs for parent- teachers associations and for assembly pro- grams, pageants and plays,educational mo- tion pictures with Constitutional themes, shrines and facsimiles, suggestions for starting a Constitutional shelf in the school library, and information about essays and con- tests. The Commission proposes as ap- propriate activities: the holding of a Constitutional Convention; a tree plant- ing ceremony in honor of the nation’s early leaders; using the Constitutional theme in commencement programs. Other highly worthwhile projects are the comparison of our Constitution with other written constitutions; debates on Constitutional issues; and keeping scrapbooks during the Sesquicentennial. WORTHWHILE REFERENCES [1] Beard, Charles A. An Economic Interpreta- tion of the Constitution of the United States. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1913. 2] Bloom, Sol. The Story of the Constitution. Washington, D. C.: United States Sesquicenten- nial Commission. 1937. [3] Brant, Irving. Storm over the Constitu- tion. New York: Bobbs Merrill Company, 1936. [4] Ernst, Morris L. The Ultimate Power. Gar- den City, N. Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1937. [5] Farrand, Max. The Framing of the Con- stitution of the United States. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1913. [6] Hendrick, Burton J. Bulwark of the Re- public. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1937. [7] Lyon, Hastings. The Constitution and the Men Who Made It. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1936. [8] McLaughlin, Andrew C. A Constitutional History of the United States. New York: D. Appleton-Century Co., 1936. 19] Madison's Journal. The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787. ed. Gaillard Hunt and James B. Scott. New York: Oxford Univer- sity Press, 1920. [10] Rodell, Fred. Fifty-five Men. New York: The Telegraph Press, 1936. [11] Warren, Charles. The Making of the Constitution. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1928 | This page prepared by Journat staff.| n’s nal are ith ng ial. eta- Jew on. itu- 36. yar- 37. on- ‘ale Re- the Hin New Actzvities of the Educational Policies Commission Epiror1aL Nore: Last month Tue Journat carried a brief article describ- ing the three published pronounce- ments of the Educational Policies Com- mission; this month our attention is directed toward the major undertak- ings which are now being carried on. It is anticipated that a pronouncement in one or more of these fields will be published within the next few months. ucation has seemed to the EPC to be an urgently needed activity. To advance this project the Commis- sion has added to its staff Dr. Edgar W. Knight of the University of North Carolina. It is recognized, after nearly twenty years of experience with the “seven cardinal principles,” that merely to identify “health” or “vocation” as de- sirable goals of education, is not enough. While these goals themselves will prob- ably remain valid for many years, they need to be interpreted in terms of the complementary functions of home, shool, and community. School people need to know where to place emphasis in planning the school program today. lt is that type of interpretation which the educational leaders employed by the Commission are seeking to provide. In this project, they are tracing the evo- lution of educational objectives from the earliest recorded history of educa- tion, and from this background they are attempting to reveal the evolving goals of our own educational system. | RE-THINKING of the purposes of ed- The Commission also has in prepara- tion a major pronouncement concerned with the economic foundations of edu- cation. This study is being carried on for the Commission by a student in edu- cational economics, Dr. Harold F. Clark of Teachers College, Columbia Univer- sity. In the approach to this problem first emphasis is given, not to the amount of funds necessary to provide what we think is a desirable educational pro- gram, but rather to the question of how much education must be supplied each individual in order to bring the greatest economic return to the nation. This in- volves three subordinate studies, two of VOLUME 26, NUMBER 74 which are already under way; namely, [1] the economic effects of education, [2] the economic resources available for educational support, and [3] taxation for education in relation to other pub- lic functions which require public monies. Thus far, the evidence appears to be quite clear that this country possesses the resources, the man power, and the potential productive capacity to do the educational job that needs to be done. While economists and engineers differ quite widely in their opinions as to the size of the margin of excess productive capacity, they agree that this margin is adequate to the needs now at hand. Furthermore, it is beginning to be clear that it would be a wholesome economic procedure for this country to divert an increasingly large part of its social iti- come into those public activities, such as education, which minister to the human needs for enlightenment, recrea- tion, and health. The Commission pro- poses to go cautiously and thoroly into this field. It has already gone far enough to catch a glimpse of some very interest- ing possibilities. Another part of the structure of edu- cational policy which the Commission is building is concerned with the nature and characteristics of the population with which the schools must deal. Ad- ministrators are faced not only with a changing school-age population, but also with a marked increase in the num- ber of out-of-school youth and adults whom the schools must serve. The ap- proach to this important problem is just now being made. In cooperation with a group of competent specialists in the study of population problems, a re- port is being prepared on the present conditions and probable future trends regarding the numbers, location, and characteristics of the future school and college population. With respect to the numbers involved, estimates will be sought indicating probable future trends in kindergarten, elementary-school, sec- ondary-school, and college enrolments. With regard to location it is desirable OCTOBER 1937 to obtain the best possible prediction (or series of alternative predictions) con- cerning the proportion of the future school population which will likely be found in rural as opposed to urban school systems, and in metropolitan as opposed to suburban, village, and farm- ing areas. With regard to characteristics of the school population, the probable trends in enrolment in public schools as distinguished from private and paro- chial schools will be reviewed. The Commission will also examine the avail- able evidence regarding the intellectual level of future school populations, their social and economic status, and other characteristics which underlie the pro- vision of a suitable educational pro- gram for them. Most important of all, the Commission hopes that this study will suggest technics, sources of data, and methods of approach which can be used by state and local school sys- tems in making intensive surveys of their probable future clientele. Just recently work has been started in an area which promises to be fully as important as any of those previously mentioned. This is a study in which the entire educational structure from nursery school to university, and from the school district to the state depart- ment of education is being reconsidered and re-evaluated. This area encompasses the whole field of vocational education and its relation to general education as well as the places of the secondary school and junior college among the other units of the educational system. In developing this project the Commission is keeping in close touch with the President’s Ad- visory Committee on Education. One may readily envision from these descriptions the plan of attack that is being employed. The EPC regards its statement of The Unique Functicn of Education in American Democracy [see Sept. 1937 JouRNAL, page 196] as the bed-rock upon which the future pro- nouncements of educational policy will be founded. Next, the Commission is working upon four major studies—the purposes of education, the economic foundations of education, the nature of the school population, and the structure of the educational system. These should become the cornerstones of an edifice which can be built by the concerted efforts of the profession and public over a period of years. [ 235 | Report of the Conference on Elementary Education University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, July 5-16, 1937 HE ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY STU- "Toes who attended the first an- nual Conference on Elementary Education, sponsored by the Depart- ment of Elementary School Principals of the National Education Association, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, July 5-16, 1937, came from thirty- two states, and represented many types of school positions, altho most were principals of elementary schools. The officers of the Department have long desired that an opportunity be provided for all leaders of elementary education to meet, discuss, and at least approach a solution of their problems by getting the viewpoint of other ex- perts in their fields of work. The op- portunity for this meeting was given by the School of Education, University of Michigan. The group is indebted to Dean J. B. Edmonson, L. W. Keeler of the School of Education, and their asso- ciates on the instructional staff, for pro- viding a splendid program. The conference was organized and di- rected by Dr. Keeler, assisted by twelve members of the summer session faculty, seven of whom were visiting members. The instructional staff gave seventeen lectures on elementary education. Miss Agnes Samuelson, state super- intendent of public instruction of Iowa, contributed four lectures, and made available a large amount of useful ma- terial which had been prepared for the state program of improvement of in- struction in lowa schools. Arrangements were made by Professor Willard C. Ol- son to enable students to visit the classes in the University Elementary School. As a special feature of the course, Miss Edith Thomas of the University Library ar- ranged an exhibit of children’s books, and also provided a list of recommended children’s books for elementary-school libraries. Professor Clifford Woody presented a list of interesting articles in books on reading problems. He lectured on types 36 | of tests which could be used and the administration of testing programs. Pro- fessor S. A. Courtis gave much help by discussing the philosophy of administra- tion and supervision. His second lecture was on the social responsibility of the teacher. Henry J. Otto, of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, discussed physical health in the elementary school. The current problems of financing ele- mentary education were analyzed by William G. Carr, director, Research Division of the National Education As- sociation. He made the group realize that the elementary schools are facing a new and entirely different series of problems. Those who have had experi- ence in handling such problems have yet had little guidance. The lecture by Arthur B. Moehlman on the principal in social interpretation clarified many angles of thought. He feels that social interpretation must be based upon the larger objectives of pub- lic education, that the process of institu- tional interpretation is cooperative and its success contingent on the active and intelligent participation of every insti- tutional agent, and that the interpreta- tion process can only become effective to the extent that all participating agents conceive of their responsibility as func- tional participation in a functional activ- ity. Dr. Bessie Lee Gambrill of Yale University, delivered before the group an instructive and helpful lecture on how the elementary-school program of instruction should be organized. : Paul Rankin, supervising director of curricu- lum and research in the Detroit Public Schools, showed how the State Depart- ment of Public Instruction of Michigan plans for curriculum improvement, and Dennis H. Cooke, George Peabody College, ably analyzed the problem of establishing morale among elementary- school teachers. Carl Lemme, principal, Evansville, Ind., summed up the courses of lectures by asking the question, “And what of the future?” THE JOURNAL OF The course was completed by Dean J. B. Edmonson, who discussed the old versus the new in school discipline. He holds that the aim of education in q democracy should be to fit the individ. ual to live with and for others, and that presentday leaders in public education believe the newer type of discipline will | D give boys and girls better preparation than the older type of discipline for effective citizenship. yee The series of lectures by staff mem- that bers was made thru class discussions in sult seven groups organized under the off- | gon cers chosen by the class group from | joe among their own members. Much of ole the discussion was concerned with sub- jects presented in the Yearbooks of the Department of Elementary School Prin- cipals, and special emphasis was placed on the Fifteenth Yearbook, “Personality Adjustment of the Elementary School a 5S = aq Child,” which was used as a text in the a course. The chairmen of these seven the groups were: Ross Brooks, Evansville, Ind.; George N. Fisher, Ft. Worth, Tex.; Thomas M. Gilland, California, Pa.; Nora Langford, Ft. Worth, Tex.; Grace Needham, Lakewood, Ohio; B.C. Shankland, Cadillac, Mich.; and Sarah é L. Young, Oakland, Calif. 2. ae | Another interesting feature of the k conference was a series of informal | , round-table discussions, held each eve- “ ning at the Michigan League. The ne group exchanged views on_ practical 0 problems in elementary education. le This Conference on Elementary Edu- | cation was designated by the University | as Education B151S, and those who | , wished credit were given two points by | , taking the final examination. Each stu- } , dent who attended has now in his pos- | | session a monograph on “Selected Prob- | ( lems in Elementary Education,” which | ; was the theme of the course. For the |; preparation of this monograph the group | , is indebted to Dean Edmonson, Dr. | Keeler, and Mr. Good. The group is | ; also indebted to the University for the get-together party, arranged by Ethel A. McCormick, social director of women, which took place in the gardens of the Michigan League, during the early part of the course. Miss McCormick also made arrangements for the tea on Thurs- day at the Michigan League. This first conference was history-mak- ing and its effects will be farreaching. —Eva G. Pinkston. THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Id Te id- lat on ill on or ity 1g. IN eee TT tm oe —————— Alcohol zz Youth's World lem? Is there a good deal of alcohol in youth’s world? Doctor Studenski of New York Uni- versity in a study among all classes of young people in New York State thru , recent ten-month period, discovered that 83 percent of the 2379 persons con- sulted reported that they drank occa- sionally or regularly either hard liquor, beer, or wine. Only 17 percent are com- plete abstainers. No marked difference was found in the percentages of drink- ing among young men and young women. A larger survey, reaching 11,000 young people in an eastern state, showed 54 percent using alcoholic beverages, while nearly all non-users indicated that they did not object to the use of alcohol by other youths. According to the uniform crime re- ports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than one-fifth of the crime in America (in the first quarter, 1937) was directly involved with liquor—the break- ing of liquor laws, driving while in- toxicated, drunkenness. Thirty-eight per- cent of those breaking the liquor laws are under thirty years of age, as are 35 percent of intoxicated drivers, and 30 percent of those arrested for drunk- enness. I ALCOHOLIC INDULGENCE a youth prob- Allied Youth’s own survey, in which more than 2000 highschool youths were consulted, shows that fewer than 250 are receiving instruction in schools on the nature and effects of alcohol. To be sure, the laws of 46 states and the District of Columbia require such teaching. It is imparted in varying degrees and some- times without integration. with other school courses. One state requires a two- hour program once a year on “tem- perance.” A number of texts and curriculums, tobe sure, are modern and practical. But then there comes the realization that, ater all, classroom teaching will not provide many students with the answer to the social situation, when the girl friend’s father or a good chum says, “Come on, have a drink!” “Hating to say no,” “Drinking with fiends,” “Conforming to the crowd’s custom,” were phrases by which 600 of VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7; W. Roy Breg the 2000 young people lately consulted by Allied Youth describe the chief mo- tive for their use of intoxicants. At just that point, the Allied Youth localized program, closely related to highschools of numerous leading cities, takes hold. Since Allied Youth Posts, affiliated to schools, major in programs that seek local facts to supplement (usually strongly confirming) classroom instruction and textbooks, the com- munity and its problems are tied in with the school’s custom-made program of alcohol education. Abstinence becomes a group venture. Such a Post also demonstrates the year-round, alcohol-free recreation. The national movement has had specialized counsel in forming good times programs, such as the Post uses in its semi-monthly meetings and also in the growing num- ber of Allied Youth events that are open to an entire school body. The attitude of Allied Youth to bever- age alcohol for young people is suc- cinctly stated in the platform that youth itself wrote: “We stand for the liberation thru education of the individual and society from the handicaps of beverage alcohol.” The handicaps that the move- ment has in mind are not solely physical and mental, and by no means confined to the predictable results from socalled excessive and habitual drinking. For the psychological effects of relying on the narcotic let-down or “worry-preventer,” the effects on choice of companionships, vocational possibilities, are all to be con- sidered in any modern, realistic approach to youth’s choices for or against the use of intoxicants. Typical of the experience of many a school and school system is the success- ful two-year test of Allied Youth in one Western city. The writer was welcomed to a highschool to present the Allied Youth story—how a youth-led Post, an interest group or activity club within the school program, can acquire facts, discuss them, compare the texts with local social conditions, act effectively in highschool recreation. Questions were permitted. Following assembly, as many young people as could find places at the OCTOBER 1937 front of the auditorium came forward to declare their interest, examine the Allied Youth pin and charter, and ask even more questions. Then thirty of their number promptly met with the principal, to perfect or- ganization of an Allied Youth Post for that school. A capable science teacher became sponsor and counselor of the Post— the one adult position. The meet- ings were permitted in school hours. Activities were geared in at a number of points. A year later, a youth officer of the Post told us: “This school has gone Allied-Youth-conscious.” You could feel it in the air: For 75 new members were initiated in one day. With this added enrolment, this Post in a year had re- ceived into membership one student in every six of its school. The seniors’ breakfast of another school has been held annually in a nearby city. Not under school control, the event has been marred by some drinking. But last June, a few hours after the group departed, the manager of the city restaurant phoned to the prin- cipal to say that this time there had been no drinking, no rowdyism. The man- ager had never seen a finer crowd of young people. The principal gives credit to the influence of Allied Youth. The seniors made their own rules for the oc- casion—and the class officers were also leaders in the Allied Youth Post. The incident is typical, not exceptional. Nationally, Allied Youth, Inc., pro- duces an interesting and authoritative monthly, The Allied Youth, and an educational service for teachers and school libraries, as well as pamphlets, program helps, and other materials. Its representatives frequently address high- school assemblies and teachers’ gather- ings. Allied Youth’s headquarters are in the National Education Association building, Washington, D. C. The board of trustees includes A. J. Stoddard, Homer P. Rainey, John R. Mott, Daniel A. Poling, Mrs. Roberta Campbell Law- son, Frank E. Gannett, Elon H. Hooker, J. Roscoe Drummond, and Ernest Stacey Griffith. It receives the cooperation of educators, club women, PTA leaders, adults generally, and youth. [ 237 ] NE OF THE serious problems con- () fronting the American people is the preservation of their democ- racy. Art may be made a great power to that end, for art is by nature and in its functions essentially democratic. I base this generalization on the fol- lowing grounds: [1] Personality is a fundamental ideal of democracy. Someone has defined per- sonality as emotion expressing itself thru the intellect, thru bodily functions, and thru special capacities. Complete expression is the main avenue to the development of personality. Art is es- sentially emotional. To many people it is an important special capacity. Art, therefore, is an important avenue of personal expression to all people and the supremely important avenue to those of esthetic capacity. But art is important to personality from the side of impres- sion as well as from that of expression. Anyone who has looked into the face of the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, or into the eyes of the figures in the Syndics by Rembrandt, cannot help get- ting an impression of the strength of the individual personality. [2] Art tells the realistic truth. It always goes to the root of things; hence art is always radical. If democracy is to be perpetuated, the people must see the truth about all phases of life. Art por- trays the realities of life—the brutalities of war, the wretchedness of poverty, the baseness of crime, the vulgarity and nobility of the extremes of human na- ture, and the debilitating effect of both poverty and luxury. [3] Art expresses the ideals of equal- ity and the brotherhood of man. Art knows no race, no class, no creed. It paints the high and the low, the noble and the degraded, the beautiful and the ugly, in realistic forms and colors. It portrays the Jew and the gentile, the white and the black, the arrogant and the humble—ail on the same canvas. [4] Art broadens the standards of ex- cellence in our common culture. The culture of the Western world is narrow because it measures all things by the standard of scientific excellence. We have neglected and almost wholly for- gotten esthetic standards. But beauty is [ 238 | ART and Democracy Frank E. Baker just as valuable a standard of human excellence as scientific truth and it would be a great gain to human prog- ress if our culture could be broadened to include beauty in its standards of ex- cellence. [5] Art deals with the imperishables of life and hence provides one great avenue for leading our culture out of its greatest weakness, materialism. West- ern civilization has made the produc- tion of things the supreme test of suc- cess, but our capacity to use things is limited and hence our achievements are limited by our very ideals. Art is beyond the measure of price; hence is not ame- nable to the profit system. It is not sub- ject to competition. There can never be any over-supply of beauty. Art always produces the demand for more art. The production of a great masterpiece, in- stead of satisfying the consumer’s mar- ket, enlarges the demand for beauty and increases the consumer’s market. [6] Art demands freedom. It brooks no censorship, no limitation, no restric- tion either on expression or impression. In speaking of freedom, I am referring here to the spiritual freedom that de- THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION mands for human personality the righ to do those things necessary for its cop, plete development. The realization of the ideal of fre dom may explain the supreme develop ment of art among the ancient Greek The free men of Greece were probabh as completely free as any people hay ever been. They had no sacred book thy bound their ideals. They were not jp! hibited by a fear of the other worl They had few conventions and restr. tive customs. They were not plague by the inhibitions of sex. They hadi political tyrannies or religious hie. archies. Hence, the Greek personality was free to express its inner ideals thn all the avenues of human spirit. Ar became one of the most important of these avenues. [7] Art broadens the base of oppor tunity and hence becomes one of th great economic avenues for the cured permanent unemployment. By the us} 4j of multiplied power and improved tech} pm nology, the Western world can com} Rij stantly increase the production of ms} # terial things with less human labor. If} ™ we are to offer every individual in ou} ™ democracy the opportunity for useful and expressive employment, we mus take advantage of every type of pro duction. The only type of production that is not subject to limitation is in the field of imperishables. As already pointed out, art recognizes neither com- petition nor a surfeit of production. Art, therefore, offers one of the great avenues for the employment of almost unlimited numbers of people. The number of per sonalities that are capable of great achievement in the field of art is much greater than we sometimes think. If American democracy means any- thing, it means equality of opportunity and so long as there are seven or eight millions of people who are denied the opportunity of useful employment, American democracy is to that extent dead. If we are to perpetuate democracy, the permanent unemployment that now plagues us must be remedied, and art—- dealing as it does with the imperishables of life—offers one broad avenue for the employment of thousands of people- Statement before the Department of Att} Education, Detroit convention, NEA. A} oppor of the ure of Le Us 1 tech. 1 COM. vf mz. dor. If in our useful must f pro- uction | is in lready r COM n. Art, venues imited of per- great much $ any- tunity - eight lenied /ment, extent racy, t now | art— hables or the ple— of Art EA. ATION ATLANTIC CITY MEETING American Association of ScHooL ADMINISTRATORS A DEPARTMENT OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Above: Convention press room in action. Right: The exhibit wil be a center of much interest and ac- tivity at Atlantic City next February. Some Features Ceremonial Opening of Exhibits—Saturday afternoon, Feb- tuary 26—Auditorium Exhibit Hall Music and short addresses Opening Vesper Service—Sunday afternoon, February 27, 3:30 oclock—Auditorium Ballroom Inspirational speaking and music Nine General Sessions—ending Thursday afternoon, March 3 Stimulating and varied programs, presenting many new speakers and new ideas Eighteen Group Meetings—six on each of the afternoons of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday Carefully planned discussions covering current problems in many fields Youth Problems—Sixteenth Yearbook ready for distribution at the registration desk Presentation of yearbook at Tuesday morning general session, with further discussion of youth problems at three group meetings Friendship Dinner of the American Association of School Administrators—W ednesday evening, March 2—Auditorium Entertainment and speaking College Dinners—Wednesday evening, March 2 Planned by the respective colleges, as usual VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7, OCTOBER 1937 February 26 to March 3, 1938 Below: Conven- tion officials on the Boardwalk. H. A. Allan, C. B. Glenn, A.S.Chen- oweth, A. H. Skean, S.D.Shank- land Ice Carnival—following the dinners Skating acts by professional entertainers, followed by skating and dancing for all Twelve Allied Organizations—specialized programs Discussions in fields of research, kindergarten, primary, elementary, secondary, rural, vocational, college education The Exhibit—open Saturday morning, February 26, thru Thursday afternoon, March 3, during the day Rich in offerings of practical help in every phase of school equipment and classroom aids Sleeping Room Reservations—Address A. S. Chenoweth, Chairman, Housing Bureau, 16 Central Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey. [ 239 ] HE Nationat Epucation Assocta- TION enters a new field in radio broadcasting as it begins its sev- enth year on the air in October 1937 with the sponsorship of Exits and En- trances—stories from the great drama that moves across the stage of time— a current events program that reports high spots in the world’s news, describes their historical background, and _ in- terprets their significance. The new program will be broadcast every Monday afternoon from 2:30 to 3:00 oclock Est, in cooperation with the Columbia Broadcasting System and over its network as a feature of Colum- bia’s School of the Air. Exits and En- trances is planned for reception in the classroom as an aid to teachers of the social studies. Because selections will be made on the basis of their impor- tance, and the news vividly and accu- rately related, the program will be of interest to patrons and other citizens as well as to students. It may be used by teachers to tie home and school together in an educational project in which par- ents participate with pupils. The Association will continue Our American Schools during 1937-1938, on the red network of the National Broadcasting Company. Our American Schools will begin its Saturday morn- ing schedule, October 16, at 11 oclock Est, when Florence Hale, past presi- dent of the NEA and present member of the Board of Trustees, presents the first in a series of programs planned to promote better understanding and closer cooperation between home and school. On Wednesday evening, Oc- tober 13, at 6 oclock est, the program of Our American Schools devoted to interpreting schools and education will begin under the direction of Belmont Farley. These radio programs are part of the Association’s general program of help- ing citizens to understand and appreci- ate the problems of teachers and the schools. The broadcasts will describe new school subjects, new methods of instruction, new types of school or- ganization and administration. They will present the financial needs of the schools and proposed revisions of the tax program to meet these needs. They [ 240 | A New Service to Teachers will advocate better salaries for teachers, adequate retirement provisions, sound tenure laws. They will show why free- dom of learning is important in demo- cratic selfgovernment. The effectiveness of this service of the National Education Association will be in relation to the extent of the au- dience. Teachers and school officers may help by writing to local radio sta- tions representing the coast-to-coast net- works to make certain that the pro- grams will be broadcast locally. They may request local editors to list these programs in their daily radio sched ules. They may announce these broad casts at PTA and faculty meetings ani school assemblies. To aid teachers in calling the atten tion of their patrons and other citizen, to these programs, the NEA has pr. pared attractive announcement leafle which are available free for local dist. bution in report card envelopes, at com. munity meetings, and in other way As long as the supply lasts they ma be obtained in quantity by writing t the NEA. Enough copies will be pro. vided so that each home in the commu. nity may have one. Qui Aihiliacdd Seate and Local Associations the National Education Associa- tion. These include all state asso- ciations, a number of district and re- gional associations, and more than 500 local associations. Under the bylaws an organized group of teachers may apply for affiliation and if accepted be granted a charter upon the payment of the first year’s dues. The annual dues for state associations are $10; for local associations having an NEA membership of 200 or more, $10, those having fewer than 200 members, $5. Affiliation is continu- ous so long as annual dues are paid. Affiliation entitles the state or local association to name delegates to the Representative Assembly. Affiliated lo- cal associations are entitled to one dele- gate and one alternate for each 100 NEA members or major fraction there- of: This means that the local association must have at least 51 NEA members to be entitled to one delegate. Local groups with a potential mem- bership of 51 or more are’ urged to af- filiate and to work toward increasing their enrolment so that they may send a delegate to the Representative Assem- bly, which is the policy-making body of the Association. Affiliated state associations are entitled to one delegate and one alternate for each 100 NEA members or major frac- tion thereof up to 500 such members and thereafter one delegate and one alternate for each 500 NEA members Te ARE 658 groups afhliated with THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION or major fraction thereof. All state and territorial associations are affiliated. Among the advantages which afflia- tion brings to a local organization are: [1] Participation in the work of the Representative Assembly. [2] Receiving the publications of the Association, including THE Journat, Re search Bulletin, Proceedings, and the News Bulletin of the Department of Classroom Teachers. [3] The development of national profes sional consciousness among members of the local association. [4] Special help in planning activities and working out problems as provided by the division of classroom service at head- quarters. Every effort is made at NEA head- quarters to keep a complete and upto- date record of affiliated associations. Local groups are urged to cooperate in keeping these records by replying promptly to inquiries and to notices con- cerning annual dues. Notices concerning delegates’ credentials are sent only to those groups whose dues are paid prior to the annual meeting. The National Education Association aims to keep in close touch with its local affliated groups and earnestly desires to assist them with their problems. The officers are urged to write to head quarters for aid on questions pertaining to teacher welfare, public relations, and other problems. —Acnes WINN. tid ar th state jated, fhilia- | are: E the f the Re- News room rofes- rs of Vities ed by head- 1ead- upto- ions. erate lying con- ning y to prior ition local es to The ead- ning and ‘ION The interests of farmers in different sec- tions are not the same; in fact, they may even be in direct opposition. Preferential freight rates to Chicago for Idaho potatoes are surely no help to Colorado growers. In the case of teachers, however, the interests are not competitive and are nearly the same the world over. Why can we not get together, then? I believe that any lack of ability we may have to solve our problems cooperatively must be due to our own in- difference. We fail to see our part in the whole scheme. We say of our state and national organizations, “They are trying to do this,” when it should be, “We are work- ing on this project.” We have organized to get things done not only for teachers them- selves but for education in general. One hundred percent membership in our organ- izations, including our state and national associations, would help. If in addition, we could get 100 percent interest and 100 per- cent participation, no group would be more effective—Kart Winchell, president, Wyo- ming Education Association. New Life Enlistments — TOTAL NUMBER of Life Members enroled in the National Education Association prior to May 1 was 5763. The following Life Members have been reported since the list was published in the May JourNAL. ALtasaAMA—Arthur H. Parker, L. R. Stone Ataska—Norman E. Young Ar1zona—Donn M. Freasier CatiFornN1a—Clarence R. Briggs, Henry C. Hall, Mrs. Laurel O. Knezevich, Bernard H. O'Neill, Gladys L. Potter Cotorapo—L, Denzil Keigley ConneEcticut—Hans Sievers Cusa—Dr. Consuelo Serra de G. Veranes FLor1ipa—Myrtle Anderson Grorcia—Andrew Avery Hawat1—Ross W. Bachman InprIANA—Rose E. Boggs, Kansas—F. E. Eberwein Kentucky—Emily Peel Louistana—Arthur J. Scott Lee L. Caldwell Rosatinp M. Zapr [216] teaches in the Cleveland Intermediate School, Detroit. * Ivan A. Booker [218] is assistant di- rector of the Research Division, NEA. Dr. Booker recently prepared a Research Bulle- tin on “Safety in Pupil Transportation.” wy ” H. L. Donovan [219-34], president of the Eastern Kentucky State Teachers Col- lege, Richmond, Kentucky, is a past presi- dent of the American Association of Teach- ers Colleges and a Life Member of the National Education Association. VOLUME 26, NUMBER 7} Ge Ree oe inl 5 + Massacuusetts—Katherine L. Baker Micu1caAn—Ray H. Bechtold, Harold C. Hunt, El- mer R. Kissack, D. G. Van Orden Missourt—Charles T. Denham New Jersey—Anne V. A. Cline, Hazel F. Fachet New York—Pearl Loomis, Mary E. Meade Oxn10—Ethel Carter Innis, Hulda Wenner Orecon—Anne Mooney PENNSYLVANIA—Karl M. Brewer, N. A. Danowsky, Joseph F. Meister, Mrs. Ruth B. Rundell, Ethel E. Watters PHILIPPINE IsLanpDs—Leandro Lumba Soutn CaroLtina—Frank A, DeCosta Texas—R. B. Fisher, A. C. Fry, J. D. Osborne, Jr. Vircinta—J. H. T. Sutherland Completed Enrolments per FOLLOWING scHOoLs have completed their 100 percent enrolments in the National Educa- tion Association for 1937-38. EIGHTEEN YEARS Missourt—St. Louis, Simmons TWELVE YEARS Missouri—St. Louis, Roe, Wyman EIGHT YEARS Missouri—St, Louis, Mallinckrodt SEVEN YEARS Missourt—St. Louis, Dumas, Eliot, Gundlach, Ham- ilton, Herzog, Madison, Meramec, Pestalozzi, Shen- andoah, Washington, Wilkinson Utau—Salt Lake City, McKinley SIX YEARS Missovurt—St. Louis, Carondelet, Carr Lane, Clay, Clinton, Delany, Dewey, Humboldt, Lincoln, Long- fellow, Oak Hill, Resident Open Air, Rock Spring, Scruggs, Wheatley NOTES and ANNOUNCEMENTS w Witru JouRNAL AuTHORs— Eva G. Pinkston [236] has served as executive secretary of the Department of Elementary School Principals of the NEA since 1931. OCTOBER 1937 FIVE YEARS Paris City Public, Lexington, Arlington Missourt—St. Louis, Ames, Central, Cole, Cottage Avenue, Grant, Harrison, Perma Marquette, Meramec Hills, Mullanphy, Riddick, Stix, Turner, Walbridge New York—Syracuse, William Howard Taft FOUR YEARS Itt1nots—Normal, Illinois State Normal University Missourt—St. Louis, Adams, Baden, Bellefontaine Farms, Carr, Chouteau, Dozier, Harris Teachers College, Lafayette, Monroe, Penrose, Porter Open Air, Shaw, Sigel, Stowe Teachers College, Wade Oxu10—Monclova, Monclova KentucKky—Paris, Elem., Jr. High, Sr. High.; THREE YEARS Kentucky—Le-ington, Cassidy Missouri—St. Louis, Buder, Charless, Fanning, Fremont, Gallaudet, Gardenville, Garfield, Gratiot, Hodgen, Long, L’Ouverture, Mason, Mount Pleas ant, Peabody, Schroeder, Sherman, Special No. 2, Special No. 7, Taussig Open Air, Waring, B. T. Washington, Woodward TWO YEARS GrorGia—Chattahoochee Co., Cusseta Kentucky—Le-xington, Ashland, Johnson, well, Lincoln Missouri—St. Louis, Blow, Bryan Hill, Busch, City Hospital No. 1, Dunbar, Froebel, House of Deten- tion, Laclede, Lindenwood, Lyon, Michael, Sum- ner High Prep. Class, Virginia Avenue CURRENT YEAR Ataska—Chignik, Anchorage Bay; Homer, Homer Connecticut—New Haven, Horace Day, Hallock, Lloyd, Lovell, Skinner Grorc1a—Chattahoochee Co., Mount Zion, Sulphur Springs I_L1no1s—Havana, Oak Grove Inp1aNA—Bicknell, Brick Kentucky—Le-xington, Lexington Public Schools, Carver, Central Office, Henry Ciay High, Consti- tution, Jefferson Davis, Dunbar, Dunbar Industrial, Harrison, Lexington Jr. High, Morton Jr. High, Music Dept., Physical Edu. Dept., Russell, Booker T. Washington. Lovurstana—Kilbourne, High Matne—Topsham, Bath St. Micnican—East Detroit, Kern Road; Wyandotte, J. B. Ford, Garfield, Labadie, McKinley, Woodruff Missouri — Kansas City, Graceland, Douglass, Troost; St. Louis, Banneker, Bates, Clark, Colum bia, Corrective Speech, Divoll, Emerson, Field, Henry, eeepeet Special No. 4, Special No. 14, Vashon High Prep. Class, Woerner New York—Onondaga, Onondaga Hill; Syracuse, Charles Andrews, Bellevue Jr. High, Cleveland, Croton, Elmwood, Frazer, Garfield, Gere, U. S. Grant, Arria S. Huntington, Washington Irving, Jefferson, Pere Le Moyne, Thomas W. Meachem, Merrick, John A. Nichols, John T. Roberts. Salina, Edward Smith, Sumner, John Van Duyn, Webster Nortu Dakota—Grand Fork, School of Edu., Univ. of No. Dak. Ou10o—Toledo, Ottawa Hills Soutn CaroLtina—Goldville, Joanna Vircinrta—Norfolk, J. E. B. Stuart Max- W. Roy Brec is executive secretary of Allied Youth, the organization which he describes on page 237. A Frank E. Baker [238], president of the State Teachers College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was president of the American Association of Teachers Colleges, 1933-34. JA, pat Acnes Winn [240], director of the Division of Classroom Service, NEA headquarters, works closely with the Department of Classroom Teachers and local affiliated groups. [ 241 | Radio Scripts for American Edu- cation Week—To assist schools desiring to use local radio facilities for the 1937 ob- servance of American Education Week, the U. S. Office of Education has prepared a radio script for the general theme and each of the seven daily topics. A complete free set of these scripts, each of which is for a quarter- or half-hour program, will be sent if desired but otherwise please indi- cate specifically the topics for which you wish scripts in order to avoid waste. Ad- dress the Educational Radio Script Ex- change, United States Office of Education, Washington, D. C. R. E. Offenhauer, treasurer of the National Education Association, a member of its executive committee, and formerly superintendent of the Lima, Ohio, schools, has become president of the Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Associate Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black, who as United States Senator was one of the sponsors of the NEA federal aid bill, has the following voting record under the Roosevelt admin- istration: 1933—Voted for economy act, NIRA, TVA, gold clause. 1934—Voted for gold reserve act, emergency airmail act, Bankhead cotton act, reciprocal tariff act, stock exchange act, St. Lawrence treaty. 1935—Voted for work relief act, social security act, labor relations act, holding company act, tax- the-wealthy act, Guffey coal act, World Court protocol. 1936—Voted for work relief act, soil conserva- tion act, commodity exchange act, Florida ship canal act, 1936 fevenue act, veterans’ bonus act; voted against sustaining President on bonus act. 1937—Voted for wages and hours bill, Wagner housing bill, low farm interest act; voted against sustaining President on low farm interest act. County superintendents organize —During the Detroit convention the county superintendents formed an organi- zation with the intention of becoming a sec- tion of the Department of Rural Education. H. E. Ryder, superintendent, Sandusky County Schools, Fremont, Ohio, was se- lected as chairman and is working in co- operation with Fred C. Fischer, president of the Department of Rural Education, and superintendent of Wayne County Schools, Detroit. The purpose of the organization is to foster closer professional relationships among county superintendents and to co- operate with the Department of Rural Edu- cation and the Division of Rural Service of the NEA in advancing the cause of rural education. Plans are underway to utilize the Division of Rural Service in the ex- change and dissemination of materials of value to county superintendents. | 242 | FIRST CONFERENCE ON ELEMENTARY EDUCATION University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, July 5-16, 1937. See page 236. The debt to the highway—The fol- lowing tribute to a classmate, written by Marion Wade Doyle II of Washington, D. C., a sophomore at Radcliffe College, is an effective approach to the traffic death problem. Have you read “A Matter of Life and Death,” page 218? James Leech Jr., 18, was killed on the Bel Air Road yesterday. Last year his highschool class voted him “the most likely to succeed.” Jimmy was cadet captain, yearbook editor, class officer, club president, the choice of the local Har- vard Club and American Legion as “the most promising” and “the best citizen” of his class. When we elected Jimmy to his high office, we should have inserted this clause: Leech, yearbook editor (by gracious consent of the highway); cadet captain (by virtue of a year’s grace given by the highway). And on his brilliant, unfinished record at Dart- mouth they should note: Leech, James; called from college to pay America’s death toll to the highway. We who knew Jimmy cry out at the thought of his mental capacity, his administrative ability, his social charm lying scattered on a concrete road. Bitterly we lament his thinking left undone, his constructive work incomplete; yes, even his be- loved puns left unsaid. Why should a boy so full of ability to serve his fellowmen be taken for so useless a purpose—the tribute of a certain number of auto deaths each year, which must be paid no matter what bright names fill the quota? Usually it is the older generation which starts campaigns against the traffic death rate. Usually it is the parents who plead. But now we, the youth of America, should rise up. We are sick of this senseless killing. From Jimmy’s baby sister whom he led around by the hand, to the girl who cried over his cadet arm band last night, to his friends who admired and loved him—for all the young who are likewise bereaved, we cry out: “How long must we go on paying it, this debt to the highway?” The American Association of School Administrators—On page 239 is a group picture showing the persons most active in planning for the annual con- vention of this Department, to be held in Atlantic City next February: H. A. Allan, business manager of the National Educa- tion Association; Superintendent Charles B. Glenn of Birmingham, Ala., president of the American Association of School Ad- ministrators; A. S. Chenoweth, superin- tendent of schools, Atlantic City; A. H. THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Skean, manager of the Atlantic City Con- vention and Publicity Bureau; and Sher- wood D. Shankland, executive secretary of the Department. The enlarged program of the De. partment of Art Education of the NEA—Miss Muriel V. Sibell of Boulder, Colo., submits the following resolutions which were adopted by the Department of Art Education at Detroit on July 1: Be it resolved: [1] That the Art Depart- ment of the NEA cooperate with the art committees of organizations with a basic educational philosophy, such as the Na- tional Congress of Parents and Teachers, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Garden Club of America, the American Red Cross, the National Tuberculosis So ciety. {2| That the Art Department discour- age art competitions and contests promoted by commercial firms for business purposes only. [3] That a letter of appreciation be sent to U. S. Commissioner John W. Studebaker for his interest in creating a Division of Creative Arts in the Office of Education. [4] That the American Association of University Women be asked to re-evaluate its membership requirements so that grad- uates of art and music colleges will be in- cluded. [5] That provision for a place be made for the Art Department on radio and mov- ing picture programs, also that recognition be given art as a subject on the “Our Amer- ican Schools” program of the National Education Association by means of talks by persons approved by the Art Department. A highschool librarian from St. Joseph, Mo., alert to a problem which must be faced by all teachers, has sent in the following thought-provoking letter: As a highschool librarian, I examine a number of weekly and monthly magazines and this year, as never before, have been astounded and alarmed to see the vulgarity and obscenity that is frankly appearing in the socalled | Cont. on page A-120]