Uniting Forces To fmproue Column Editor: J. Paul Leonard Contributor: William H. Burton

Dealing with farces influencing American education today, this column makes Us initial appearance in the present issue of Educational Leadership. It is espe- ciallv appropriate that the first article to appear in this column comes from the pen of \\©illiam H. Burton, long a courageous defender of . J. 1©aul Leonard President, San Francisco State College San Francisco, California

Remarks Upon Academic Freedom WE HAVE at Harvard a machine with many churchmen, is charged with which speaking loosely can be said undermining faith in our form of to think. The machine was expensive government, faith in our economic to build. It has a building all to it system. Thinkers arc© charged -with self. Give it a problem, turn the supporting academic freedom because switches, throw the levers, and an it enables them to "teach as they please." answer will be forthcoming. We re On the contrary, academic freedom spect and protect the machine that can is freedom to inquire, to study, to think, think. to learn, to follow the facts and logic We have at Harvard also some men wherever they lead. Academic free who can think. Inside Harvard these dom is less concerned with m ailing pro men are also respected because the nouncements than it is with discovering university is somewhat familiar with which pronouncement is justified. thinking. Outside Harvard and other Academic freedom is n ot and never has colleges and universities, there seems been the right to "say or advocate any to be considerable fear of men who thing one pleases." No scholar ever can think. Thinkers in the arts and claimed such right. sciences, and the academic freedom Western civilization had its begin necessary for continued thinking are nings in, rests upon, and advances thought to be dangerous. The machine through freedom of the mind. Free is safer. dom of thought, freedom for the critical Attacks upon academic freedom arc- inquiring mind, freedom for the not new. Every period of social crisis creative spirit are basic to progress. produces criticism of the thinker. Each Freedom of the mind produced freedom period in which values and standards of the press, of religion, and of eco change is accompanied by widespread nomic enterprise. The chairman of the insecurity and fear. The scholar and board of U. S. Steel, Irving S. Olds, the liberal churchman, leading the van speaking at the 2">0th anniversary of of honest social analysis, arc1 inevitably Yale University said in part that: attacked. Socrates was charged wilh ". . . freedom of education and free undermining the faith in God of Greek dom of enterprise are part and panel youth. The scholar of today, together of the same thing that they are in-

MAY 1953 505 separable and that neither can survive Safeguard of Democracy without the other. Newspapers which attack academic "That is why no true believer in free freedom, whether or not they are also enterprise will ever let our independent abusing , are in universities die for want of our support; evitably setting the stage for attacks and why no honest devotee of academic on the free press. An editorial in freedom will ever seek to destroy our Editor & Publisher, the house organ of faith in the American system of free the publication world says: enterprise." "Censorship is supposed to suppress The great freedoms of America, of that which is bad. But it can never press, of religion, of scholarship, of be imposed without running the danger economic endeavor, are important each of suppressing that which is good. It in its own right. But let no one be should never be tolerated in any form in doubt that the greatest of these is in any country in peacetime." freedom of the mind, freedom for the The chief fear of academic freedom critical and inquiring mind, for the stems from the that it may be creative spirit. Let those who would a cloak for subversive teaching, leading destroy the freedom of the scholar, to overthrow of our economic system who would silence the poet, the creative and our government. But the record writer, the artist, who would silence all will not substantiate this position. differing opinions let them remember The German universities in the nine that all our political, social, and teenth century enjoyed a great golden economic freedoms are products of the age of scholarship and proudly pro free mind. Attacking any of our free claimed their great freedom of learn doms is to embark on a road with but ing (Lernfreiheit) and freedom of one destination the destruction of all teaching (Lehrfreiheit). The twen freedoms. tieth century saw the overthrow of the Let us heed the words of Arthur German government and the nation Koestler: brought down in crashing ruin. Was "Freedom being a matter of degrees, the "overthrow" of the government the the great danger for those not im work of the men of freedom, those who munized by experience is the smooth nourished the free, inquiring, critical ness of transition to successive degrees mind, the creative spirit? Not at all. of unfreedom. This goes for the whole Overthrow came from those who denied of our Western civilization. The great freedom of the mind to anyone, who catastrophes of history, like the decay ruthlessly crushed those who differed. of Rome, did not come in one spec The defenders of freedom were tacular crash, but by a smooth tobog trampled underfoot by the bully boys ganing down the slope, which may last from the beer halls. The "Bund of for centuries or decades." the Book Burners" undertook to de Ignorant or careless men in positions stroy even the printed records of free of power can destroy the freedoms of ideas. any society. Worse, they may be whol The Russian universities even under ly unaware of what they are doing. the tyranny of the Czar harbored many Freedom of enterprise, freedom of re renowned scholars, contained several ligion, freedom of the press are inex centers of critical inquiry. Was it these tricably bound together. men who have fastened on Russia the

:>OG EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP most complete blackout of freedom to to "say what he pleases." He will fight, be found in the historical record? Not however, to maintain the ancient right at all. Again it was the opponents of to search for facts, to make systematical free discussion and inquiry. Demo ly reasoned interpretations, and to pre cratic discussion was done to death. sent these without fear or hindrance. The professors now get their beliefs The exercise of academic freedom, and directives for teaching, even in moreover, inevitably includes respect the precise sciences, from political com for the reasoned conclusions of others. missars. The black shirts who marched Free interchange of beliefs and open on Rome, who assassinated any who discussion of differences is no mere disagreed with them, were not free in "right" of the schoolman; it is a corner quiring spirits from the world of stone and safeguard of democracy. academic freedom! Without it cultural decay is as inevi Do those who deny the right of table as the night which it resembles. Americans to pursue facts and ideas Schoolmen must stand firmly for wish to dictate the beliefs we must free learning in a free society. Educa teach? While fighting infiltration from tion is not confined to the simple busi the left, let us not be blind to thought ness of training individuals in the control from the right. simple skills of reading, writing, and Freedom, whether of learning, of arithmetic. Education is one of the the press, of the market place, of politi fundamental institutions by which a cal expression, or of religion, can never society or civilization perpetuates itself, mean the irresponsible expression of and through which the individual real capricious or prejudiced beliefs, the izes to the fullest his unique capacities. ruthless exploitation of men and re William H. Burton, director of ap sources. No responsible schoolman prenticeship, Graduate School of Educa interprets academic freedom as a license tion, Harvard University.

Curriculum Research Column Editor: J. Bernard Everett

The ASCD Research Program—A Progress Report IT IS a good thing to stop once in a major agreements reached in this meet while to take stock and assess progress. ing are restated since they provide a It seems particularly appropriate at this necessary background for the report time that we try to assess the progress which follows. which has been made in the ASCD Re 1. The chief function of the national search Program and to suggest what ASCD should be to assist ASCD state seem to be possible and desirable next and regional organizations in stimulat steps. ing and carrying on research activities The research coordinator met with in their states or regions. a subcommittee of the ASCD Research 2. All initial contacts should be Board shortly after his appointment to made through regular organizational make plans for the year and reach channels, that is, the state and regional agreements which would guide him in presidents. his work with the Association. The 3. The problems studied as well as

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Copyright © 1953 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. All reserved.