Conant Presents Education Plan; 'Stay in College' First Lady Says

President Conant last night blue-printed a gigantic scheme for more democratic education and military training, to increase the potential officer field to its utmost and to approach "the ideal of a nation without caste."

Speaking before the newly-formed National Council for Books in Wartime in New York on "American Youth and the War," he outlined a plan for selecting officer material in the high school period, and to have these students subsidized by "a widespread system of military scholarships, carefully allotted to various areas and impartially administered." The details and funds for such a program, he saw as they duty of Congress to administer.

In recognizing that the Navy V-1 program and the Army Aviation Cadet and Enlisted Reserve Corps plans give students the opportunity for a brief college education, President Conant round "one inherent weakness" in "the fact that educational opportunity is still far from an accomplished fact." Feeling that accident of birth too greatly affect education, and assuming that "there are large numbers of potential officers in each age group who do not now enter college," he stated a desire to keep the most promising students in school and to send them on to college.

Must Win Rapidly

The need now is to win the war rapidly and after the victory to counteract the "greater stratification of our society." Public education has been the chief means of reaching the latter ideal, but it is yet "far from an accomplished fact," he added.

Rapid mobilization of the nation's complete manpower is the only way to attain a quick victory. "Every year that victory eludes us multiplies by many fold the dangers to our civilization. Beyond some date, if war continues, lies defeat for this century's hopes for human freedom."

Keeping in mind that in dealing with youths in school and college, "one is dealing with potential power, not developed capacity," President Conant noted the need to mold this material into its most effective shape. "If two years or more in college is of value to an officer, then the non-college man starts with a big handicap against him." Still, he pointed out, "education like all else must be refashioned quickly to confirm to the imperious needs of a desperate war."