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parents who were in no wise dependent on them for support. and this does not mean that these were all fraud cases. It not infrequently happens that an unthinking boy figured that a man who paid for board and room at home contributed toward the family support whereas in reality it only covered his share of the expenses. About one-quarter of all the families receiving allowances voluntarily surrendered them when they understood the conditions under which the allowance was given. Yet, I know of cases where families returned such checks only to get them back with a circular letter suggesting that if they did not care to accept the help from the government but wished to have the government use the money that they might invest these sums in liberty bonds or war saving stamps.

This last sentence indicates another source of very serious repeated difficulties. From ten to twenty-five thousand letters a day were received by the bureau at Washington. A business house which started on a small scale and gradually developed a force of trained workers as it grew would not find it impossible to answer this amount of correspondence and not make more than, let us say, three per cent. of errors. The bureau, however, with workers drawn from all sections of the country and scattered throughout a city, as has been suggested, were not adequately trained and, as a result, over the signature of the bureau letters went out which contained the most glaring misstatements of fact. To complicate the situation, one could not be sure that the man who answered the first inquiries received the later ones from the same parties, so that an inquirer might get the most diverse answers to his letters. Such difficulties as these are inherent in the situation and though deeply regretted are unavoidable.

A vast amount of trouble was caused by the failure of the family of the soldier to properly identify him when writing to Washington. The writers had no appreciation of the necessity for naming the soldier correctly and giving his rank, company, regiment, branch of service; and yet this information was essential if the right John Jones was to be found. It was inevitable, therefore, that letters with reference to different men

found themselves in the same file, and the conflicting statements made were a cause of great trouble to the bureau. I have pointed out these difficulties not to excuse the bureau for its many shortcomings, but to let the reader understand how unavoidable many of the mistakes were, and to show the number of elements entering into the situation which made quick and accurate service extremely difficult. At the proper time and place there will doubtless be an investigation of the operation of the bureau, and it is to be hoped that this will show whether the failures of the bureau were greater than might be expected under the conditions imposed by the existing circumstances.

Just as the bureau was beginning to catch up with its work, a new law was passed (effective July 1, 1918) which added to its troubles. By this law the bureau was ordered to stop paying all allotments not carrying allowances. The idea was that these allotments would thereafter be paid by the paymasters of the army and navy direct to the allottees. The legal authorities decided that the effect of this law was to cancel all allotments thus far made. Thus the men were compelled to make out new allotment applications, but by this time thousands of them were in France. Notices sent out to the allottees were not clear, and it was a long time before the effect of this new law was clearly understood. Moreover, many soldiers who had willingly made allotments when first they entered service took advantage of their absence from home and, impelled in many cases doubtless by the heavy expense and the small income, failed to renew their allotments. So, many families were embarrassed and became angry because of the action of the bureau which they considered wholly arbitrary in cancelling allotments.

Now, the war is over, we hope, and the boys are being discharged from service. The death list was tremendously increased by the unexpected epidemic of influenza. In spite of this increase, the total number of deaths is relatively very small. Several hundred thousand men, however, are returning to ordinary channels of life crippled by disease, accident and wounds. The immediate problem with reference to these and

their dependents is that of carrying out the compensation provisions of the law, and this work is going on as rapidly as possible with much less delay and much less trouble than in the case of the allotments and allowances. The provision which the government has made for the training of these men in new vocations through the Federal Board of Vocational Education is a fascinating story, but it cannot be told here. It should be mentioned, however, that this board is in active operation, and has already arranged for the instruction of thousands. Inasmuch as the compensation for these injured men will run in many instances throughout their lives, and inasmuch as the insurance will be a big item, it is evident that the bureau has many, many years of service ahead of it. Personally, I hope that in due time the Bureau of War Risk Insurance will be amalgamated with the Pension Bureau, into one great organization, whose duty it will be to look after the men who are or have been in service. Moreover, it must not be forgotten that for many years it may be necessary to keep a considerable body of men in Europe, if present plans are carried out, and that in any case the army and navy are likely to be materially larger than they were before the war. While the volume of the work of the bureau will be reduced, I believe that system is gradually coming out of the disorder characteristic of the first months and that the work will soon be so well organized that it can be carried out promptly and satisfactorily. It should not be forgotten that this is the most comprehensive piece of legislation ever passed by any country for the care of men in service and their families. The size of the project coupled with the inherent difficulties which I have mentioned should lead us to be very generous in our attitude towards the men who bore the brunt of the work in the trying organization period. I can personally testify that in some cases these men literally worked themselves to death, and that in other cases day and night service without regard to personal compensation led to serious physical breakdowns. When the final word is spoken, I suspect it will be found that one of the great sources of trouble was that the machinery provided by Congress was not adequate for the

enormous task thrown upon them. Thousands of us who have been in touch with the work have had the shortcomings of the bureau called to our attention far more than its successes. We should not forget, however, that in spite of the multitude of errors the majority of the families on the lists of the bureau have received their checks without undue delay and with comparative regularity. If we recall that after the Civil War it not infrequently took from five to seven years for a person to get on the compensation list, we shall be less critical of the delays which have been consumed in the vastly greater work connected with the present war.

EDUCATIONAL REORGANIZATION DURING AND

AFTER THE WAR

BY ALBERT E. MCKINLEY

Professor of History

It may not be out of place at the first to summarize what have been the influences of the war upon our educational institutions, and then later to see upon what principles our future course should be based.

The most obvious effect of the war upon higher educational institutions has been seen in the enrollment of students, in inroads upon the teaching force, and in the military use of the material equipment. In the spring of 1917, many college men enlisted in army or navy. In the following scholastic year, 1917-1918, the colleges gave a large proportion, in some cases as high as 50 per cent., of their students to the national service; and at the same time many faculty members possessing technical training were drawn into national service. A beginning was made also of the use of laboratories and similar equipment for experimental scientific work. In none of these respects, however, were American colleges called upon to make such great sacrifices of men and equipment as was the case in England, France, and Germany. In those countries, almost from the outbreak of the war, regular work in the universities was virtually discontinued. School and college buildings were used for barracks, hospitals, and experimental stations. University courses were continued under great difficulties by superannuated professors lecturing to small bodies of foreigners, women, and-later-wounded soldiers.

In the fall of 1918, American higher institutions of learning faced a similar situation. The extension of selective service under the act of August 31, 1918, called almost the entire body of college students to the colors. At this point, however, the Committee on Education and Special Training of the War

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