'■'a
The news in this publica
tion is released lor the press on
receipt.
the university of north CAROLINA
NEWS LETTER
Published weekly by the
University of North Caiolma
for its Bureau of Extension.
DECEMBER 18, 1918
CHAPEL HELL, N. C.
VOL. V, NO. 6
Editorial Board i E. C. Branson, J. Gt deR. Hamilton, L. R. Wilson, D. D Carroll, G. M. McKie
Entered as second-class matter November U, 1914, it the iPostofflce at Chapel Hill, N, C., under the act of August 24,1912.
/A SOCIAL SCIENCE SCHOOL
A school of social science says Dr. Her-
'bert Croly, would, if it were established,
•contribute to the social education of the
-Americau people and to the better reali-
ization of the the social ideal, implicit in
American democracy, by promoting the
liainterested investigation of the subject
matter of modern society, and by deriv
ing tlierefrom more serviceable social dis
cipline. And he further says; that the
school will study society rather tlian pol
itics; and, being flnancially independent
and governed by Jts teacliing stafl', it
could, and would, concentrate its whole
intellectual energy upoii the study and
mastery of social processes.
Not politics, but society; not legislators
and courts, but the knowledges and hab
its of tiiose who make and guide them
i)oth; not clianges in governmental ma-
cliinery, but changes in thought and feel
ing wliich modify society regardless of
governmental machinery; not the state,
but the social processes born of mental
and moral clianges of wliich all modifica
tions of the state are little more than be
lated records—tiiat we should have a
group of studious-minded men, trained in
•■scientific method and drawing their live-
ililiood from tlieir own activities and not
from public funds or great foundations,
•and giving their time and thouglit solely
to these things—this is a suggestion which
all who are free of the great political su
perstition will surely hasten to approve.
I have long been of tlie few who be
lieve that the secret of social advance, of
increasing the sum total skill in living
■together with a maximum of comfort and
pleasure for all, lies not in modifications
of the forms and manners of government,
but in modification of the minds, habits
and emotions of the nation’s component
units.
Is There Any Hope of It?
My feeling in these days is so strong
that we are entering on an era of growth
of superstition in tlie domain of govern
ment, that I cannot refrain from ex
pressing my hearty approval of a care
fully considered proposal to establish a
achool which shall study the work of our
.social organism and not simply that part
•of it which, unfortunately, has the power
to draw to itself much of that solemn
attentipn which develops so often into su
perstifious reverence!
It is necessary for the general public to
see that the social order, including all the
forms of speech and action of everyone of
us, is daily changing under the impact
of circumstance with which tlie consti
tution has nothing to do, and against
•which no constitution, however cunningly
•devised, can avail one whit. The changes
thus going on are not born of laws or
politics or parties; they are born of us
iiod' are fathered by circumstances. They
modify our federal constitution daily and
■daily overturn our laws. And it is these
underlying changes, which, as I under
stand it, Mr. Croly suggests that we at
tack through a carefully selected and en
tirely independent body of students, some
of whom shall venture to teach, some of
whom sliall submit to direction and all
of whom shall devote their time and en
ergy to investigation and to the imme-
•diate application of tilings learned by
their kivestigations to our social condi
tions.
Is tliere any hope that this school will
be established?—John Cotton Dana, in
The New Kepublic.
physical sciences and mathematics are
familiar culture subjects and preoccupy
the attention of students in choosing aca
demic courses everywhere.
The social sciences—economics, sociol
ogy, political science and the like—have
not yet come into their own in our south
ern colleges.
The rural sciences, the newest college
courses of all, are rapidly gaining in gen
eral public esteem for a simple reason,
namely: the civilization of the United
States is still more tlian half rural. It is
for this reason tliat extra-campus agen
cies are becoming more and more con
cerned witli the multiform interests and
activities of country life.
Tims, every one of tlie large religious
bodies in tlie Nortii and West has its
Country Life Board, And soon it must
be so in tlie South wliere from tliree-fiftlis
to tliree-fourtlis of church membership is
in the country. Tlie country churcii is
not a home-mission problem in the
Soutli; it is three-fourths of tlie wliole
churcii problem—if only we could come
to realize it. Our church schools and
cliurcli seminaries can tlierefore well af
ford to give great prominence to the Eu-
ral Social Sciences. They could make no
more profitable investment of church
funds.
The move of tlie Northern Methodist
Church in this direction is indicative of
real statesmanship.
RURAL SOCIAL SCIENCE
Economics and Sociology have come
iinto qollege and university courses in
•comparatively recent years, and the last
■of the social sciences to find a place in
academic culture schemes are Agricultural
Economics-and Rural Sociology.
Ten years ago, not a dozen colleges in
America were giving courses in these two
subjects. Today tliey are offered in 40
•state-supported universities and land-
grant colleges, in 29 colleges and univer
sities otherwise supported, and in 30
state normal sclioola.
These subjects do not yet have any
large place in the esteem of student bod
ies and college faculties anywhere in
America. lainguages, literature, the
CHURCH AND RURAL LIFE
To help make farming profitable and
rural life endurable for the farmer, his
wife, his sons, and daughters, the Meth
odist Episcopal Church has undertaken
to spend $5,500,000 in training rural min
isters to develop social activity in coun
try districts. The purpose as announced
by the Board of Home Missions and
Church Extension is to promote an effi
cient, satisfying, wholesome country civ
ilization.
Dissatisfaction with country life, it is
declared, has caused a decrease of rural
population in Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Mis
souri, Vermont and New Hampshire.
The boys and girls will not stay on the
farm when high wages are to be earned
nearer the moving picture theatres.
To combat this, the Methodist Church
is planning to send many of its best men
to the country churches, of which it has
upward of 12,000. Rural pastors are to
have special training in agriculture so as to
help farmers with advice. Demonstration
farms are to be established where agri
cultural colleges do not meet the needs.
Associations of rural ministers to put
these plans into effect already have been
started in Ohio, West Virginia, Iowa,
South Dakota, Pennsylvania and Ne
braska.
Chairs of rural sociology to teach how
to be happy though living on the farm
have been established in theological sem
inaries and plans are making to start
similar courses in the Church colleges.—
The Associated Press.
DEMOCRACY AND DOLLARS
4. The war is over, and the things for
wliich the Allies have struggled have
been gained. American democracy and
American dollars have done a strikingly
important thing in helping to bring about
such a result. They have not played the
fundamental part; the French, the Eng
lish, and other Europeans have done
that. They have played, nevertheless, a
vital part.
American democracy has hved the he
roic life for many months, and her dol
lars have been generous to an astonishing
degree. These heroic times are passing.
Will American democracy use her dol
lars less generously for making life more
perfect in times of peace?
Already the order has gone forth that
our democracy must greatly reduce her
expenditure of dollars, and within the
coming days large reductions are easily
possible witliout our democracy losing
any of her power to work for the general
welfare. Democracy in times of peace
need not call for many billions of dollars
for public uses. The work of making a
great war successful in a far away coun
try cannot go on without the expenditure
JUSTICE AND CHARITY
If I want to redeem tlie world I can
come nearer my object and do less
harm, by being just toward myself
and just toward everybody else, than
by “doing good” to people.
The only untainted charity is jus
tice. Often our ostensible charities
serve but to obscure and palliate great
evils. Conventional charity drops
pennies in the beggar’s cup, carries
bread to tlie starving, distributes cloth
ing to the naked. Real charity, which
is justice, sets about removing the
conditions that make beggary, starva
tion and nakedness. Conventional
charity plays Lady Bountiful; justice
tries to establisli such laws as shall
give employment to all, so tliat they
need no bounty. Charity makes the
Old ]\Ian of the Sea feed sugar plums
to tlie poor devil lie is riding and
clioking; justice would make him get
oft' his victim’s back. Conventional
cliarity piously accepts things as tliey
are and helps the unfortunate; justice
goes to the legislature and changes
tiling. Cliarity swats the fly; justice
takes away the dung heaps that breed
flies. Cliarity gives quinine in malar
ial areas; justice drains the swamps.
Charity sends surgeons and ambu
lances and trained nurses to the war;
justice struggles to secure the interna
tionalism that will prevent war. Char
ity works among slum wrecks; justice
dreams and plans that there be no
more slums. Charity scrapes the soil
surface; justice subsoils. Charity is
affected by symptoms; justice by
causes. Charity assumes evil institu-
tionq and customs to be a part of Di
vine Providence, and tearfully works
away at taking care of the wreckage;
justice regards injustice everywhere,
custom buttressed and respectable or
not, as the work of the devil, and vig
orously attacks it. Charity is timid
and always is passing the collection
box; justice is unafraid and asks no
alms, no patrons, no benevolent sup
port.
The best part of the human race
does not want help, nor favor, nor
charity; it wants a fair chance and a
square deal. Charity’s is man’s kind
ness. Justice is God’s.—Dr. Frank
Crane.
of billions and billions of dollars.
American democracy in her heroic
mood has supplied these billions upon
billions. Will she in her peaceful and
commonplace mood supply a few billions
for the welfare of her own every-day life
-rfor the development of her health,
which war has shown to be poor, for the
promotion of education, which the war
has proved to be far from general?
5. The great war is over in Russia, but
chaos and destruction hold sway in many
places. One Russian is taking another
Russian’s life, and with seemingly great
enthusiasm. The international war in
Russia is over, but one class of Russia is
fighting to the death another class—and
not for the sake of patriotic love for
Russia.
Karl Marx, the founder of Socialism,
never dreamed in his most violent mo
ments of a more energetic battle on the
part of the industrial wage-workers
against their capitalist employers. The
war is over in Russia, but the business
man with capacity to do big things in in
dustry and commerce is being extermin
ated by the Bolshevist wage-workers.
And American democracy and Ameri
can dollars may yet be compelled to fight
the extreme socialist democrat in Russia,
to save to Russia and the world her ca
pacity to carry on business and to live a
peaceful and an energetic life—to save
Russian democracy from her own vio
lence and injustice.
The war is over in the United States
and peace between tlie nations seems sure
to come witliin a few months. But sliall
we, too, experience during the days of
reconstruction a Bolslievist violence on
the part of our wage-workers?
Our international war is over, hut will
peace between our big business man and
his wage-worker remain witli us to pros
per us? Wni American democracy and
American dollars lend tlicir power to
either group? Will tliey make certain to
the great business man a large reward for
his unusual brain and efforts? Will they
make to tlie wage-worker a living condi
tion that is wholesome?—C. L. Raper.
PEACE PRINCIPLES
What are the principles on whicli the
peace settlement is to be effected? asked
Premier Lloyd George on Nov. 11th, ad
dressing his liberal supporters. Are we
to lapse back into tlie old national rival
ries, animosities and competitive arma
ments, or are we to initiate tlie reign on
earth of the Prince of Peace? It is the
duty of liberalism to use its inflence to in
sure tliat it shall be a reign of peace.
What are conditions of peace? They
must lead to a settlement wliieli will be
fundamentally just. No settlement that
contravenes the principles of eternal jus
tice will be a permanent one. The peace
of 1871 imposed by Germany on France
outraged all tlie principles of justice and
fair play. Let us be warned by that ex
ample.
AVe must not allow any sense of re
venge, any spirit of greed, any grasping
desire to override the fundamental prin
ciples of righteousness. Vigorous attempts
will be made to hector and bully the gov
ernment in an endeavor to make it de
part from the strict principles of right
and to satisfy some base, sordid, squalid
ideas of vengeance and avarice. AV'e must
relentlessly set our faces against that.
The League of Nations
Discussing the question of a league of
nations the premier said that such a
league would be more necessary now than
ever.
A large number of small nations have
been re-born in Europe, he continued,
and these will require a leagoe of nations
to protect them against the covetousness
of ambitious and grasping neighbors.
We shall go to the peace conference to
guarantee that a league of nations is a
reality. I am one of those who beheve
that without peace we cannot have prog
ress.
Of course we must have in this country
an efficient army to police the empire,
but I am looking forward to a condition
of things, with the existence of a league of
nations under which conscription will not
be necessary in any country.—Greens
boro News.
STUDIES IN DEMOCRACY
The war has taught us many lessons,
among which is the lesson that we need
to make far more provision not only for
the preparation for citizenship of the illit
erate immigrant, but also for the prepa
ration for leadership in public thought of
of the educated native American. This
must be done partly by the elementary
school; but, so far as leadership is con
cerned, it will fall upon the high school
and the college.
To begin with, most of our great polit
ical questions, such as the tariff, the in
come tax, the inheritance tax, the con
trol of corporations, banking system, pub
lic ownership, money standard, and a
hundred others, rest on an economic ba
sis, and no one can comprehend them
who has not a knowledge of economics.
Hence, economics should be a required
study for every pupil in every high school.
It is now taught only to a few pupils in
our large city high schools. It is not
taught at all in most high schools.
Other questions of legislation upon
which citizens must express their judg
ment rest on a sociological basis as well,
such as prohibition, liousing of the peo
ple, woman suffrage, legislation in re
gard to hours of labor, minimum wages,
conditions of employment of women in
industries, child labor laws and many
others. Hence, sociology should be a
required study for every pupil in all high
schools. Like economics, it is taught in
only a few high schools and in these only
to a few pupils.
These subjects are uot even required
studies in our colleges except in a few
courses. A person can go through high
school, college, and professional schools
without ever studying either, and yet
without them it is impossible to think
straight on the great political issues of
the day. Many professional men and
many business men, not to speak of the
uneducated, are incompetent to form in
dependent judgments on such questions.
They merely adopt blindly the opinions
of others. They are intellectually at the
mercy of tlieir favorite newspaper.
Then there is a large group of munici
pal problems, of which the average edu
cated citizen has but the vaguest knowl
edge, because he spent his time in school
and college on matters relating to the
dead issues of a remote past and to the
purely tlieoretical aspects of the sciences
wliich might have given him light.
There should, therefore, be a compulsory
required course, for one year at least in
every liigh school on municipal prob
lems.
Questions of public liealth, of educa
tion, the housing of the poor, transpor
tation, municipal control of monopolies,
and many others, should be studied in
the most practical wa^, making the pupil
familiar witlr the facts upon whicli opin
ions must be formed, and making him
familiar also with the experiments that
have been made in the solution of sucli
problems, both in America and in foreign
countries.
Live-Issues Courses
Finally, we need a course, of one year
at least, also compulsory, for all pupils
in practical ethics, in which the moral
aspects of business, public and private,
and the moral aspects of social problems
should be emphasized. Such a course
should be based on the facts of sociology
and economics and upon practical relig
ion instead of on religious dogma or on
metaphysics. Today the world recog
nizes, as it never has before, the moral
bearings of what not many years ago was
supposed to be merely “hard-headed”
business.
In education for citizenship we must
emphasize the duties which every citizen
must discharge virtually every day of
his life, and not merely teach him the
duties of public officials, as we have done
heretofore. One of the highest duties of
citizenship is to do clear thinking on the
vital questions which affect the public
welfare, not only so that the citizen can
vote intelligently upon them, but still
more in order that he may help to create
an intelligent sentiment that will deal
wisely with them.
In this country the ignorant man’s
vote coimts for as much as that of the
educated man, but the educated man can
multiply his vote a thousand-fold by con
vincing otliers of the correctness of hia
convictions.
In a democracy the Government is con
trolled by public opinion, and one of the
highest functions of the educated man
and woman, as citizens, is to contribute
their share toward forming an enlighten
ed public sentiment on questions of pub
lic policy. It is to the educated part of
the population of any State that we must
look for wise guidance.
Here the tremendous influence of grad
uates of our high schools cornea in. By
sheer force of numbers they will do more
to contribute to popular intelligence on
public questions than even the graduates
of our colleges, who are often in positions
where they can neither think nor speak
with absolute freedom and frankness.
The attendance in our public high
schools is approximately 1,500,000, while
the, attendance in our colleges and uni
versities is less than 240,000. The col
leges have their contribution to make in
tlie training of leaders, but, so far as
popular sentiment is concerned, I believe
that the graduates of our high schools in
the future will make a larger contribu
tion.
But this obviously involves a radical
change in our courses of study, and es-
specially in our treatment of the whole
subject of civics as at present taught. To
the objection that the introduction of
these studies would introduce contro
versial political questions into the schools
it may be replied that, if the schools are
to deal only with tlie dead issues of the
past they cannot effectively prepare pu
pils for life,—Dean Thomas N. BalUet,
New York University, in the N. Y,
Times.