PAGE TWO
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
P
TUESDAY, APRIL 12. 1938
Comment
Philosophical Plato And Practical Kansas
Plato once contemplated the possibilities of bringing a man from the Cimmerian caves of darkness into the world of light. How would such a man react to this first glimpse of light and beauty?
The state of Kansas now proposes to put a similar plan into the reality of action. By a plan for the restoration of sight to the blind, announced last week, it is proposed to examine all those needy blind of Kansas and to restore sight where it can be restored.
This is a new step in social progress. The problem of the blind has been of great social significance for years beyond reckoning, but it has always been done hereforeto by means of asylums, or doles, or pensions. Now it is conceived an economic practicality to restore sight and let the blind support themselves.
For the past year, Kansas has been experimenting and testing. The conclusions are that of 739 cases examined last year sight can and must be restored to more than half. Furthermore, with prevention in mind, studies re being made into the causes of blindness. Under this program, utilizing all that science has learned, it is believed that sight can be saved in three of every four cases of potential blindness in the future.
The state will pay for the examination, which will be made by a private ophthalmologist of the patient's own selection. This doctor's report will be given to the state ophthalmologist for final checking and recommendation, upon receipt of which the patient will be treated, and hospitalization and surgical operation will be furnished to effect a cure.
It is a long, long step in social philosophy which permits this, but it is a step based upon economic and humane principles.
Kansas is one of the first states in this field, and it is a plan of which her citizens may all be justly proud.
Inconsistency The Soul of Spending
Indications that President Roosevelt will resume government spending on a mighty scale emphasizes perhaps the gravest weakness of the New Deal. The President hasn't thought it through.
Additional expenditures on a gigantic scale are justified. Cushman Coyle, writing frequently during the last year in Harper's magazine, has emphasized the necessity to balance the real budget of the United States—to provide for soil conservation, flood and erosion control, rehabilitation of homes and tenements, adequate water and sewage treatment, and construction of schools and libraries. Coyle and like-minded followers argue that false economy has been practiced all too often in the past and that taxpayers must today and tomorrow dig deeper in their pockets to pay for public reconstruction which in the Golden Age was sadly neglected.
If America had paid more in 1926-27, the price of national well-being in 1937-38 would not be so high. Balancing the budget—the real budget—only can be done, not by spending less, but by spending more.
Disagreement with the President's decision lies, therefore, not with his decision to spend, but that his spending policy has been so unstable that a resumption of early methods is now necessary. If Roosevelt had been really convinced that further government spending was advisable to restore the country, he should never have discarded that policy in the autumn of 1936.
But Roosevelt had no such conviction. His "government by reasonableness" has accepted, dishearted, and reassumed first one viewpoint and then another, betraying a strange lack of consistent conviction in the mind of our chief executive. This hesitancy is reflected not only in the administration's spending policy, but in the conduct of foreign relations, the attitude toward monopolistic competition, the formulation of a public power policy, and in almost every other phase of governmental activity.
The President's mind is not clear. He hasn't thought it through.
Land of the Free— Or Home of the Bund
"Americanism" in a new garb is the promise for the United States in the next presidential election.
Who promises it? None other than the reliable American-German Bund along with 13 other patriotic organizations, it is reported by the Christian Science Monitor. And the planks they offer to bolster their platform are based on "Americanism," anti-communism, and the crystallization of sentiment against the Jews in this country.
This is the "Americanism" they would give
to a country founded upon a free press and a free speech, upon racial and religious tolerance. This is the Americanism they would offer a democracy. When America is forced to call upon such support, democracy will have faded from our part of the earth. We have seen the Ku Klux Klan rise—and we are proud to say that we have also seen it fall.
America has no need to fear communism. The communist advertises his wares wherever he may be. But fascists, we have observed, often wear the garb of "democracy-savers." And as long as a people are free to express itself, no matter how much that expression may hurt the feelings of certain others, democracy still flourishes. But when an oppression of racial or political minorities is effected, democracy becomes one with the dodo bird.
Are we really fearful that democracy is self-destructive—that freedom destroys freedom? Are we afraid for or of democracy?
Of course, democracy must allow freedom even to those who oppose it. Its preservation lies not in the oppression of these factions but rather, in the good sense of the people of the country. They can laugh all anti-democratic forces out of existence; they can vote them out, That is democracy.
Democracy must be ever on its guard, for it is a government of reason and never of force. When things reach a stage where democracy must be guarded by force, we will suddenly awaken to the fact that all we are guarding is a shrine of hallowed dust—democracy dean and incarcerated.
Campus Opinion
Editor. Daily Kansan:
This is to let you know that those excellent editors appearing in the University Daily Kanan are appreciated; and the one that appeared April 5 entitled "Is America Afraid For Oi Democracy?" was鉴赏的。The author of this article sent out of my copy and sent it to the editor of my hometown weekly paper in order to share the blessings of the author.
Home town floks as well as students here on the HI campus will be involved in a student paper that aims to keep its subscribers informed on important and significant developments in national affairs as well as immediate student ac-
If the Hillsboro Star editor's appraisal of that informative editorial is indicative of the appreciation for this book, then I recommend it for yourself that the above mentioned editor must have been good because he lost no time in reprinting it, verbatim, and he placed it in the most conscientious file. If you want to read a full page of this week's issue of the Hillsboro Ste*
C. :I. K.
Official University Bulletin
Notices due at Chancellor's Office at 3 p.m., preceeding
regular publication days and 11:10 a.m.
Vol. 35 TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 1938 No. 138
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ORGANIZATION: The regular weekly meeting will be held this afternoon in room C. Myers hall. All students and faculty mem-
bers are invited to attend. Jack Dulley, President.
GERMAN LANGUAGE TABLE: All these who wish to speak German are invited to the German language institution building at $3.00 this evening. There is no obligation other than to speak German—W. B. Schaffran.
"ISMS" COMMISSION OF W.V.C.A.: The "Isms"
Commission will meet at 4:30 the afternoon at Henley house. There will be a student panel on "Peplah"
and all interested are invited to attend—Johanne Youngman.
JAY JANES    The Jay Janes banquet will be held in the hearth at 6 c'clock this evening—D. J. Willetts, Secaucus.
PRACTICE TEACHING: Students who wish to do practice teaching at Orcad Training School during the fall semester may apply for application at the School of Education office before September 1. R.A. Schweiger, Dean of the School of Education.
EITTON-CHIFF
ASSOCIATE EDITORI MARINE FIGHTER AND ROTEX BOMBER
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DOROTHY DORTNER
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CAMPUS EDITOR
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SOUTHERN EDITOR
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MAKEUP EDITOR
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DIRECTOR
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'Essentialist' Bagley Stirs Reaction Among Educators
By Nadyne Wakefield, c'40
There have been many various and diverse reactions among Kansas educators who attended the discussion of "The Program of the Essential" given by William D. Bagley of Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, at the third general meeting of the spring educational conference.
Dr. Bagley, who has long been in the educational field having had experience in public schools, normal schools, and universities, and who is now in Teachers College, Columbia University, has come to have the term "educational essential" applied to him. The use of this terminology considerable controversy among the more progressive educators.
Is: Question Begging
"Lake advertising slogans for cigarettes and tooth paste, it is question-begging, for it implies that all others are non-essentialists, visionaries, or opposed to the essentials," said Dr. F. P. O'Brien, professor in the School of Education, in referencing the term. "It is all very simple and old-fashioned, but the essentials are whatever they wish to advocate. Actually, the only real issue is: What are the essentials?"
Dr. OBrian, however, warns those in the controversy that they should keep in mind the viewpoints of both sides for both will be over = emphasized, biased and minor items will be aggravated.
"I too, am an essentialist," he says, "if you allow me to use my definition of the term. Indeed, I have never met a non-essentialist in public school work. Among theEssentialism movement of health and physical fitness for all, of practice of the fundamental virtues, civic right-mindedness such as would deter one from making a game out of violating laws and reaping profit from crime, and learning how to spend one's leisure in such manner as to keep him out of the affluence, harassment and out of the relief line."
"With these and other essentials, as well as with the 'basic social arts.' I would charge the public elementary schools. And it is more than probable." Professor OBIrian adds, "that the view just stated does not conflict with that of Doctor Bagley. While he is a vigorous controversyist, he is standing, same, scholarly, in a manhood teacher."
Educer Bagley feels that some of the progressive theories which put emphasis on interest, freedom, immediate needs, personal experience, psychological organization and pupil initiative have resulted in the complete abandonment, in many school systems, of rigorous standards of scholastic achievement as a condition of promotion. He questions the practice of passing all pupils "on schedule"; the disparagement of system and sequence in learning the wide vogue of the curriculum; the disinterested of the exact and exacting studies; an increasingly heavy emphasis upon the "social studies"; the using of the lower schools to establish a new social order; and the "curriculum-revision" movement.
"If the meaning of 'essentials' is restricted to traditional subjects of an earlier generation or an earlier century, then many of us do not accept the restriction," declares Doctor OBrian in answer to Bagley. "The world has changed 'since mother was a girl'. The old curriculum remains of a small percentage of pupils. But the exact and exacting science" never were suited to a majority of all children."
Professor OBrian stresses the teacher-pupil relationship as the most essential of school essentials. The professor is the course of study he adds.
Teacher-Pupil Relationship
"In spite of progressive bally-hool and essential nonsense, one fact is most clear, that objection to be made is that the bugley for Bagley's type to the University
of Kansas are trivial,” concludes O'Frian in answer to those who think 'Essentialist' Bagley should not have been asked to speak at the educational meeting. “It is no function of a university to approve one brand of clothes, but to suffice all other brands. If other 'truths' are weak, we do not fear them. If they are strong, we are obligated to consider them.”
Hill Society
H. W. STOWITS
REXALL STORE
837 Mass.
Phone 238
Chi Omega sorority held its annual spring formal at the chapter house Saturday night. Louie Kuh and his orchestra furnished the muh-
"SAVE with SAFETY"
at your Rexall DRUG STORE
The imadephs were:
Mrs. I, J. Miller, Kansas City, Mi
Mrs. L, J. Miller, Kansas City, Mi
Mrs. H, S. Kauell, Lawrence
Mrs. C, A. Thomas, Lawrence
Francese Kabler, c'umel, was a luncheon guest Monday at the Alpha Chi Omega house.
Chi Omega announces the engagement of Dorothy Newell, c'41, to Glenn Schuetz of Great Bend. Schuetz is a former student of Kansas State College and is a member of Sigma Nu fraternity.
Delta Sigma Pi, professional commerce fraternity, held initiation
services for 14 men Sunday evening at the Colonial Tea Room. A banquet followed, at which F. T. Stockton, dean of the School of Business, spoke. Alumni members from Kansas City and Topolca were out-of-
心
Bill Horizon, c19
Bill Green, Vip, b19
Carniere Neal, c40
Dick Newlin, b19
Mervon Jones, b19
Bill Seitz, b39
Bill Seitz, b39
Bill Hareisen, b38
Kirk Deary, b39
Hugh J. Noyes, b38
Jack Carlson, b39
Jack Carlson, b39
Mes. Dame R. Smith of Chicago announces the engagement of her daughter, Ruth Frances, to Donald J. Hassan, a professor in Northwestern University at Evanston, is a teacher at Nekosona, Wis.
Evans, who received his bachelor
of arts degree from the University in
1983. He was a professor of the
Lawrence Journal-World.
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Fo2 Lights Only on Stormy Nights While the state law permits the use of fog lights the Kansas Highway Patrol requests all users of this type of light to confine its operation to bad weather. A fog light used in a snow storm or on a foggy night does not emit a glare which blinds drivers and makes it harder to see this type of light on clear nights presents a distinct highway hazard and makes driving difficult for approaching traffic.
Kansas: Fair and warmer in west and north-central portions Tuesday; Wednesday, increasing cloudiness, local showers in northwest portions
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