THE CLASS STRUGGLE 51 50 THE CLASS STRUGGLE noted here that long before the platform came to be voted upon formal protest was made upon the floor of the convention against the convention doing any further business, as the convention was neither physically nor mentally able to combine its deliberations.
Let us hope that this platform will be voted down by the membe and that proper measures will be taken for the drafting of a permanent declaration of principles by a committee appointed by the National Committee or National Executive Committee which will do its work at leisure between conventions, publishing all drafts and proposed drafts in the press, so as to give the membership a chance to consider and discuss them fully.
The last thing done by the convention brought its labors back to the question of war, which was its special business. The Committee on War and Militarism had decided that the convention should issue an address to the Socialists of the belligerent countries. The work of drafting this address was turned over to a sub committee consisting of Berger, Hogan, Sadler and Boudin. Berger prepared an address which was in keeping with the majority report and Boudin prepared an address which was in keeping with his own minority report. But after the two draft addresses had been prepared Berger announced that he would withdraw his draft, as he wanted to avoid another fight in the convention. So the Boudin address was adopted unanimously.
character of the product. For such an evaluation involves a study of our whole social structure, a determination of the purposes of education. And such a study no expert surveyor has been authorized to make. Imagine an ordinance board test armorplate without knowing what purpose it is to serve!
For the past dozen years there has been a vast deal of talk about these matters. The more intelligent part of the nation is thoroughly wrought up over the formal and definitely unsatisfactory character of the work done in the public schools. Hosts of teachers and school administrators have been thinking and talking. But the school authorities, those who hold the pursestrings and direct our educational destinies, have taken little part in all this. The people, acting through their officials, have neither formulated ideals nor provided for experiments looking in that direction.
Now enters the General Education Board and announces a well financed plan for an adequate experimental school. At the present writing, more than three months after the formal announcement, the discussion of it has been lamentably unproductive of enlightened opinion. One party, a large and vociferous one, raises the ancient cry that this is but one step more away from Latin and toward perdition. Another group, including some Socialists, conceals its lack of thought by denouncing Mr. John Rockefeller. This proceeding is particularly irritating to anyone who is interested in education. If the people of the United States allow Mr. Rockefeller General Board to carry on the much needed work of experimentation they have no right to complain of the result. The work must be done. If the people, through their authorized agents, do not do it, the General Board will. At any rate, the new school must be judged on purely educational grounds.
At the present time materials for a serious appraisal of this venture are very slender. We have, of course, the formal ştatement of the Board and various books and articles representing the opinions and purposes of its experts. The new institution, to be called the Lincoln School, can be known only by its fruits. really experimental process will naturally be a variable one, and variably successful. Prophesies as to its usefulness are An Educational Experiment By WILLIAM BOHN We are expending some 600, 000, 000 a year on public educa.
tion. This gigantic sum is spent with little thought about the quantity or quality of the product. Armor plate delivered to the government is carefully tested; we do not even know how to make a test of our educational purchase. The government itself, under which our elaborate educational operations are carried on, fails to recognize the need of a test. The various surveys which have been undertaken deal more with machinery than with the