EDUCATIONAL WORK IN THE UNITED STATES In addition to the highly important educational work conducted for the Division by the American Association for International Conciliation, two methods of reaching and instructing public opinion in the United States have been followed: publicity on international affairs through newspapers, and the preparation and distribution of material for schools and for writers of school text-books. Publicity. Syndicated articles mainly consisting of interviews with leaders of opinion in both American and European countries have been furnished to the newspapers on a commercial basis. These articles have not always been directly concerned with questions of international peace, but have furnished unusually valuable information on the public opinion, the political life and the intellectual development of many nations. Their main object has been to increase in the United States the amount and accuracy of knowledge of other countries and of their peoples. It is believed that the best foundation for international friendship and international justice is to be found in a thorough knowledge of our neighbors and a true appreciation of their institutions and their life. During the year the expenditures for publicity amounted to $14,676.68. Material for Writers of School Text-Books As authorized by resolution of the Executive Committee adopted February 20, 1915, Professor Paul Monroe has supervised the committee in charge of the work of gathering and publishing exact and authoritative material relating to war and peace for use by authors and publishers of school textbooks and by teachers in secondary schools. Of the first pamphlet published Problems about War for Classes in Arithmetic, written by Professor David Eugene Smith, a total of 169,255 copies have been distributed in the eighteen months ended January 31, 1917. Almost the entire number were sent out in response to requests received from Boards of Education, State, County and City School Superintendents and from individual school teachers. In some States, as for example, Virginia, every teacher of arithmetic in the State has been supplied with a copy at the request of the State Superintendent of Schools. A few typical expressions of approval are given in the following quotations from letters: DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION MONTGOMERY, ALA., January 24, 1916. "I am in receipt of 8,000 pamphlets 'Problems about War' for which kindly accept my thanks. These pamphlets are going forward by express today to the County Superintendents of Education. I will also send a letter to these men, requesting that they distribute these pamphlets to the teachers of their county. A copy of this letter is enclosed. Yours very truly, (Signed) WM. F. FEAGAN." STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION August 23, 1916. "Your letter of August 21st has been received. We have more than 12,000 schoolrooms in Virginia. Therefore, I can easily dispose of 8,000 copies of the pamphlet entitled 'Problems About War.' It is my intention. to distribute whatever number you may send equally among the superintendents. "The use of these pamphlets in my classes was attended with such satisfactory results that I should like to secure about twenty-five more for my summer classes. I found that the subject-matter of the problems is well adapted to the purposes of furnishing in a usable way the material needed for arithmetical drill and illustration, and that at the same time its timeliness stimulated an interest in the subject that is not always found. I think, too, that some of the enormous waste of men and materials attendant upon war took on a new significance to most of the class. Very truly yours, (Signed) JOHN P. EVERETT." DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of the Principal of Public School No. 165 April 24, 1916. "The pupils in this school have heard so much on the subject of war and all it means, that these problems do not affect them as they would those children who were taught the traditional aspect of patriotism; but the children appreciate them. The teachers have told me that they are impressed with the tremendous educational and humanitarian value of the booklet, and intend to use it continually. I have informed several other principals that they can obtain the problems from you. Very truly yours, BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Principal." BALTIMORE, MD., October 13, 1916. "I am indeed grateful to you for the big package of 'Problems on War,' that came to me last week. The pamphlets have been sent out to the principals of our large schools, and I expect to have a conference with these principals within the next week or two. Thanking you for your help, I am, Sincerely yours, (Signed) LILA LEE TALL." MISSISSIPPI NORMAL COLLEGE HATTIESBURG, MISS., June 8, 1916. "If you will kindly send me one or two hundred copies of your pamphlet 'Problems About War' I shall be glad to distribute them to our students who are now taking arithmetic in our Summer Term. We have 800 students here on the ground at this time. Yours truly, (Signed) T. P. SCOTT, Instructor in Mathematics." DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of the Principal of Public School No. 6 April 5, 1916. "Thank you for sending me copies of your wonderful 'Problems About War.' I shall use them in my school. I wish they might be used in every school in this country. If they were, there would be little talk of mollycoddles in the coming generation. My gratitude to you for the fine work that you have done. Very cordially yours, (Signed) KATHERINE D. BLAKE, Principal." GARFIELD, KANSAS, October 31, 1916. "In your recently issued Year Book, I read of a pamphlet on 'Problems About War for Classes in Arithmetic.' If you still distribute these, I would be glad to receive a dozen of the same for the benefit of my Sunday School teachers. Very respectfully yours, (Signed) (REV.) HILDING MYREE." GOVERNMENT OF PORTO RICO Office of the Commissioner, San Juan January 21, 1916. "I am keenly interested in your pamphlet, "Problems about War," and this Department heartily endorses the movement. Kindly send me gratis, as per your offer, 250 copies to be placed in the hands of a like number of teachers. Thanking you in advance for this favor, I am, Very truly yours, (Signed) P. I. MILLER, Commissioner of Education." The committee is at work upon the preparation of pamphlets in other subjects. A pamphlet on hygiene and war has been prepared jointly by Professor William H. Burnham, of Clark University, Worcester, Mass., and Professor George E. Jones, of the University of Pittsburgh. This pamphlet which in cludes more than 200 pages is now in the press for early publication. The main purpose of this pamphlet is to guide editors and publishers of text-books on hygiene. It is already plain that this pamphlet will excite much interest on the part of teachers and an effort will be made to place a copy in the hands of every teacher of hygiene in the United States. In connection with the preparation of a third pamphlet for the use of teachers of literature, many suggestions have been received from teachers in all parts of the country. These suggestions are now being classified by experts so that they may be made use of in the most practical and helpful way. A similar pamphlet on geography is in preparation. In connection with the pamphlet first issued on Problems about War for Classes in Arithmetic, prizes were offered to pupils and teachers in order to induce a wider and more intelligent interest in the use of the pamphlet. For these prizes there were 117 competitors whose work was passed upon by a committee selected by Professor David Eugene Smith, the author of the pamphlet. A total amount of $460 was distributed in prizes to the persons named below: PRIZE WINNERS Arithmetic Contest of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace TEACHERS First Group: Miss Mathilda L. Adler, Springville, Erie Co., New York. Miss Grace M. Haake, North Collins, New York. Miss Mae C. Constant, Marion, New York. Mr. Harry M. Marks, 2048 Sixty-third Street, Brooklyn, New York. Mrs. Gertrude E. Briggs, Greene, Rhode Island. Miss E. W. Zingg, Michigan, North Dakota. PUPILS Miss Charlotte Mann, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Ella K. Jelliffe, 385 McDonough Street, Brooklyn, New York. Ninth Grade: Dorothea Ryan, Avery School, Needham, Massachusetts. Eighth Grade: Elsie Schosser, Rivulet, Montana. Eighth Grade Pupils, McLean School, McLean, Nebraska. Per Cent 95 85 100 96 95 94 93 Seventh Grade: Hazel Rundle, Dickinson, North Dakota. Darius Schroeder, Dickinson, North Dakota. Seventh Grade Pupils, East Lockhart, Norman Co., Minnesota. Louise Hautot, Wm. O. Rogers School, New Orleans, Louisiana. Sixth Grade Pupils, Beaver, Oregon. Clarence Gilmon, Miles Pond School, Miles Pond, Vermont. Nathaniel Weltcheck, Public School No. 5, Elizabeth, New Jersey. AMERICAN PROVISION FOr Relief of War SuffERERS 94 94 91 90 90 93 87 84 94 91 83 In the Year Book of the Endowment for 1916 (p. 72), there was printed a partial list of funds raised in America for relief of sufferers from the war. This list has been largely increased during the past year both by an increase in the number of societies and by an increase in the total amount of the funds raised for relief. It should be borne in mind that the list is not complete and that the total sum reported undoubtedly falls far short of the actual American contributions despite the fact that every effort has been made to secure information that is at once complete and accurate. Large amounts of money have undoubtedly been sent from America directly to committees and organizations in Europe, and these sums would, of course, not appear in the records of the American Societies and Committees. Partial List of Funds Provided in America for Relief of War Sufferers. Amounts are approximately correct for expenditures in money or goods to dates specified. Philip M. Lydig, Sec., 111 Broadway, N. Y. Hamilton Fish, Jr., Chairman, Exec. Com., 111 Broadway, N. Y. AMERICAN AUTHORS FUND FOR THE RELIEF OF THE WOUNDED Feb. 6, 1917 5,458.00 Authors Fund, Care State Street Trust Co., 33 State St., Boston, Mass. AMERICAN BRANCH OF THE FATHERLESS CHILDREN OF FRANCE Feb. 3, 1917 600,000.00 Walter W. Price, Treas., 111 Broadway, N. Y. |