knowledge and intelligence, are highly perishable assets. Without education they would be lost in a single generation. The school is the public agency designated to carry an ever-increasing part of the responsibility for the safeguarding of these human resources. A recent report by the National Resources Committee shows that the regular and emergency subsidies from the Federal Government to the States amount to about 6,000,000,000 a year. There is money for helping the States in their programs of roads, forest trails, material health, marine centers, housing, employment centers, and dozens of other purposes. The Federal Government has appropriated billions to aid in the mastery and control of our natural resources, to cooperate with the States in suppressing crime, to extend relief to the needy, and to cure the sick. Meanwhile this same Government has participated halfheartedly and opportunistically in the support of educational enterprises to develop and safeguard our human resources, to promote knowledge and character which will prevent criminal tendencies, to establish vocational and other skills to keep people off the public relief rolls, and to anticipate the necessity for much of the remedial work in the field of public hygiene. In a modern complex society such as ours, such a one-sided policy on the part of the Federal Government cannot be justified. If time permitted, I could engulf the committee with statistics. I trust that it is not necessary to elaborate further the evidence pointing to the conclusion that deficiencies in educational opportunity bring about deficiencies in social and economic welfare. Is it not the part of wisdom to provide for the prevention of these social ills through education, rather than to employ patchwork methds after the damage has occurred? Mr. HALL. We have no more witnesses this afternoon. We appreciate profoundly the very cordial hearing this committee has given us, and we rest the case with you now. Mr. DEROUEN. In accordance with the request of Mr. Fletcher, the committee will meet Tuesday morning at 10:30 a. m. in room 416, House Office Building, House Education Committee. Mr. HALL. Congressman Fulmer, of South Carolina, is here. If the committee would like to hear him he will not take very long. |