TITF MORNING OREGONIAN, MONDAY, DECEMBER 5. 1J21
AN URGENT MESSAGE
FROM THE GOVERNORS OF 41 STATES
To Twenty Million School Children
OF AMERICA
THOMAS E. KILBY, Governor of Alabama.
School and college students everywhere should study the proceedings
of the pending conference for the limitation of Armaments. I can con
ceive of no way by which those who are to be our future c'tlsens can
be trained more effectively for the political and economic development
of our Country and of the world.
THOMAS E. CAMPBELL, Governor of Arizona.
Regardless of Its outcome, the Armament Conference is of Buch tre
mendous Importance to the future welfare of the young people of
America that they should take advantage of every possible opportunity
to follow he proceedings in detail.
THOMAS C. McRAE, Governor of Arkansas.
Every school child and college student in the United States should be
required to study closely the proceedings of this great Conference.
They should know the significance of it all. Teachers and school and
college officials will co-operate to this end I believe.
WILLIAM D. STEPHENS, Governor of California.
Never before in the history of the world has a limited group of men
been given an opportunity to relieve a war weary world of the awrui
burdens of destructive warfare. Never before has it been possible to
relieve the mothers, the children and the tollers of the world of the
heartaches, the heartbreaks, the want and misery and slighted education,
the almost unbearable taxes and other economic sacrifices brought on
by war May we not pray that God will guide aright all those who
participate in the proceedings of the great Disarmament Congress now
In session In Washington. In my Judgment It will be good for the
future of the republic if all school children give earnest study to the
proceedings. '
OLIVER H. SHOUP, Governor of Colorado.
We can conceive no better way to train the citizens of tomorrow for
the discharge of their most important duties than by encouraging their
study of the proceedings in Washington at the great Conference.
EVERETT J. LAKE, Governor of Connecticut.
If it can be Impressed upon all our school children to watch intently
and to study by all meana at hand the proceedings now taking place at
the Armament Conference at Washington, I feel sure that In the yea"
to come their influence will be moulded into a public opinion which
will insist upon an amtiable adjustment without force of arms of all
differences, and that this public opinion will also make such amicable
adjustment effective to prevent further wars among civilized nations.
CARY A. HARDEE, Governor of Florida.
It Is well that the twenty million school children of America should
study the proceedings of the Washington Conference. It Is perhaps a
mountain peak In the political and economic history of modern world.
THOMAS W. HARDWICK, Governor of Georgia.
I believe that a study of this question by the college students and
school children of the country is most important.
D. W. DAVIS, Governor of Idaho.
There is an astonishing lack of sound information among our citizens
of the political and economic history of the world. Should the true
situation be spread before the boys and girls today there would dawn
a better tomorrow, because the dominating characteristic of the averag
citizen is his desire for betterment.
LEN SMALL, Governor of IUinois.
Warring between nations must cease. Humanity demands it; econom
ics demand it. I can see no better way to bring about this ultimate
end. should we not Immediately succeed, than to educate the twenty
million American school children to the horrors of war and the necessi
ties of peace through close study of the proceedings of the present
Disarmament Conference.
WARREN T. McCRAY, Governor of Indiana.
There has never been a time In the World"s history when the delibera
tions and decrees of a selected group of International representatives
meant more to the future of civilization than the decisions resulting
from the Armament Conference now in session at Washington. Every
suggestion or movement of the Conference should be closely studied by
the public school children of our land, thus inculcating in their minds
the idea that the apostles of peace are no less deserving of the eternal
gratitude of a liberty-loving nation than are the heroes of war.
N. E. KENDALL, Governor of Iowa.
I unreservedly approve the campaign to Induce the school children
of the country to study Its proceedings from day to day. Nothing. In my
opinion, will contribute so much to the preservation of permanent peace
as the Inculcation In the hearts of the young of a profound abhorrence
of war.
HENRY J. ALLEN, Governor of Kansas.
I know of nothing more timely than the study in the schools of the
present proceedings of the Arms Conference. Its fundamental educa
tional value alone would Justify it. It marks an Important epoch In
history, and will have a tremendous effect upon the thought and feeling
of the present and the future.
EDWIN P. MORROW, Governor of Kentucky.
The youth of America, its boys and girls, should watch with the
keenest Interest and the fullest understanding the ever-shlf ting scene
of the Disarmament Conference to the end that they may forever say: "I
beheld the progress of the event which took fear and distrust out of the
hearts of nations and brought confidence in each other to nations
and a newer sense of brotherhood to the peoples of the earth."
JOHN M. PARKER, Governor of Louisiana.
The nation, and especially coming men and women, as represented by
our school children, should carefully study this Conference.
PERCIVAL P. BAXTER, Governor of Maine.
As Governor of Maine and head of the Sohool Department I have urged
both superintendents and teachers to have their classes study and follow
the proceedings of the Disarmament Conference. I consider thlB Con
ference the greatest event of history and believe that the rising gen
eration should become conversant with the problems of the Conference
and with the discussion that takes place there. A careful dally study
of the conference proceedings will teach world history, geography,
economics and politics, and will give our students a wide range of
information. The Importance of such a programme cannot be over
stated. J. A. O. PREUS, Governor of Minnesota.
The Conference on Limitation of Armaments is the most important
gathering in many decades and every student who desires a complete
knowledge of history must read and watch Its proceedings.
rr HE AMERICAN SCHOOL CHILDREN OF TODAY must be the
preservers of World Peace tomorrow. The Presidents and Cab
inet Members, the Senators and Congressmen, the Preachers and
Editors, and all the great leaders of thought and action who will con
trol the destinies of America and of the world when 'tomorrow' '
dawns are studying at this very moment in the schoolrooms of the
Nation.
They are preparing we who plan their studies, we who teach them
are preparing them for the great tasks we must soon turn over to
them. Their minds and hearts must be filled with the great lessons
from the living present.
The greatest moment of their lives, for learning, is THIS MOMENT.
The greatest opportunity that ever came or ever can come to them
for learning the political and economic history of the world, and
of their own country in its relation to the rest of the world, has
come to them NOW in the great Conference of Nations which is
meeting in Washington.
The Literary Digest has received telegrams from the Governors
of forty-one of the forty-eight States of the United States calling
upon the teachers and school children of America to give earnest
study day by day to the proceedings, from beginning to end, of
the great Disarmament Conf ere ce, which the Governor of Florida
characterizes as "the mountain peak in the political and economic
history of the modern world" These telegrams are here printed as
an urgent message to the schools of the Nation.
ALBERT C. RITCHIE, Governor of Maryland.
I heartily urge fhe school children of America to study the
proceedings of the Disarmament Conference as they develop
from day to day. No such opportunity for learning the politi
cal and economic history of the world, the hopes and ambi
tions of Its peoples, has ever been presented. It Is a rare
Srivilege that Is afforded us. There can be no greater or
roader educational advantage than to study Intently the
proceedings of the Conference.
CHANNING H. COX, Gov. of Massachusetts.
In the Armament Conference the political and economic his
tory of the modern world Is to be studied. I can conceive
of no better way to train the citizens of tomorrow for the
discharge of their most Important duties than by encouraging
their study of the proceedings of the great Conference.
ALEX. J. GROESBECK, Governor of Michigan.
Our boys and girls should closely follow the proceedings at
Washington and thus take advantage of a wonderful oppor
tunity to study history in its making.
ARTHUR M. HYDE, Governor of Missouri.
The history of the Washington Conference should be
studied from Doth the political and the economic side by the
school children of America. There can be no better way to
train citizenship than by the study of the history and the
present conditions, political, economic and social, of the other
nations of the world. The study of the proceedings of the
Conference will be of vast educational value to the school
children of America and to the citizenship of the future.
JOSEPH M. DIXON, Governor of Montana.
The Disarmament Conference marks a milestone In world
history. The public schools and colleges of the country can
perform no greater service to the nation than that of giving
courses, during the sitting of the Washington Conference, to
their students regarding the great questions Involved. If we
can fully Impress upon the minds of these young people the
tremendous danger involved and the Impelling necessity for
World Disarmament, the possibilities of future war will be
greatly reduced.
SAMUEL R. McKELVIE, Governor of Nebraska.
School and college students should keep carefully Informed
of the work of the Disarmament Conference. The facts that
will be deduced out of the dlscusssYon there are of tremendous
Importance to our national life. A knowledge of national
conditions Is a prime requisite of good citizenship, and of
almost equal importance is a knowledge of International
affairs.
EMMET D. BOYLE, Governor of Nevada.
I heartily approve your suggestion that the school children
study contemporary history in the making at the Arms Con
ference. The movement Is an educative one and should ex
tend te the children upon whose Intelligence and sense of
Justice the future of the nation rests.
MERRITT C. MECHEM, Gov. of New Mexico.
I think it vitally Important to instruct the youth of the
country relative to the great historical event now transpir
ing at the Washington Disarmament Conference. Our chil
dren should be helped to understand thoroughly what Is
being done to prevent a recurrence of the horrible world
tragedy we are now emerging from.
NATHAN L. MILLER, Governor of New York.
I strongly recommend to the teachers and the boys and girls of New
Vork the earnest study of the proceedings of the Disarmament Con
ference, which already gives such promise of a new era. The rising
generation should be taught the lessons of this Conference and be made
to understand the high aims and unselfish purposes of America.
EDWARD I. EDWARDS, Governor of New Jersey.
Next to the movement which resulted in the gathering of representa
tives of world powers at Washington to discuss ana agree upon a
limitation of Armament, the most powerful aid to the ultimate accom
plishment of a lasting peace among men Is your earnest plea that ou
twenty million American school children join with their elders In
studying closely the proceedings of the Armament Conference that they
may be thoroughly Imbued with the anti-war feeling. That sentlmtnt
will, I trust, through the medium of our most potential educator, the
Press, be heard around the world and do more than any other human
agency to supplant fear and suspicion with trust and confidence, thua
removing the primary cause of war and begetting an era of good will.
R. A. NESTOS, Governor of North Dakota.
Every student should secure as full and accurate knowledge a,
possible of the work of the Conference. This will help as scarcely
anything else could to give meaning to the events of the coming
decades, imbue the rising generations with the spirit of this Conference,
and the world's progress must follow the paths of peace.
J. B. A. ROBERTSON, Governor of Oklahoma.
The Limitation of Armaments Conference In Washington will accom
plish through its deliberations the most thorough Illuminating and
practical survey of the past development and future progress of our
civilization that can ever be achieved. The proceedings of the Confer
ence should be read and reviewed as a part of the daily course in
all our schools, colleges and universities In order that the rising
generation may be fully educated upon the cost and folly of war.
BEN W. OLCOTT, Governor of Oregon.
If success is achieved at Disarmament Conferonce, as it now appears
It shall be. History will hold no record of achievement for world good
equal to it. Consequently History may hold nothing more vital for tho
study of our youths and all citizens than the progressive steps of this
gathering.
WILLIAM C. SPROUL, Governor of Pennsylvania.
I am calling upon fifty thousand public school teachers In Penn
sylvania to lead their students Into the study of the proceedings of the
great Conference at Washington In the belief that they will thus see In
the making historical events which may lead to results comparable only
to the promised millenium of peace and good will.
EMERY J. SAN SOUCI, Governor of Rhode Island.
The President should receive the support of every American In his
efforts to assure permanent peace to the World. The school children
especially should study the proceedings of the Conference so that the
coming generation may be well fitted to aid In the cause of permanent
peace.
ROBERT A. COOPER, Governor of South Carolina.
Study of the proceedings of the Disarmament Conference will have a
tendency to enlighten the public concerning international affairs. En
lightenment, together with a sense of Justice, is essential for the proper
solution of questions arising between nations. Many stupid blunders
and costly wars have resulted because the general public was not
Informed. The proceedings of the Conference should bo studied In all
schools.
W. H. McMASTER, Governor of South Dakota.
May the school children of America study every phase, act and utter
ance of the Disarmament Conference. Every detail and circumstance of
the Conference should be a vital part of the dally study and thought
of the twenty million school children of America.
ALFRED A. TAYLOR, Governor of Tennessee.
There can be no better way to train the citizens of tomorrow for the
discharge of their most Important duties than by encouraging them to
study the proceedings of the great Conference now In session at Wash
ington. That Conference will deal with the political and economic his
tory of the whole world, and Its study and a discussion of these subjects
will afford a source of enlightenment on matters of vital concern and a
fund of knowledge of Inestimable value to the rising generation of boys
and girls when they are at the helm.
PAT M. NEFF, Governor of Texas.
The history that Is now being made by the Disarmament Conference
at Washington will be frequently referred to by writers, speakers and
thinkers for generations to come. It constitutes an epoch-making mile
post that Ineffaceably marks the march of man. The students of today
who are to be the men and women of tomorrow should have as a part
of their dally curriculum the detailed proceedings of this world-wide
conference, as It seeks to turn the tide of civilization away from the
war-wrecked shores of the past.
CHARLES R. MABEY, Governor of Utah.
The Disarmament Conference constitutes a land - mark In human
progress the significance of which cannot yet be conceived. By all
means, let us study earnestly its deliberations that understanding among
all peoples may be the result. . . . It is essential to posterity that
the youth of the nation comprehend the full meaning and purposes of the
gathering. With such a basis of familiarity they will best be prepared
to perpetuate and bring to complete materialization the alms and Ideas
now being proposed.
LOUIS F. HART, Governor of Washington.
There Is much truth in the argument that human nature will have to
undergo a change before war can be eliminated. ... A beginning
has been made a bold, fearless step, sucn as an unselfish nation like the
United States might be expected to take, but after all Us greatest value
is educational the problem remains for future generations. By a'.l
means let the children of the land study closely the Disarmament Con
ference. E. F. MORGAN, Governor of West Virginia.
The International Conference on Limitation of Armament, with politi
cal and economic discussions concerning far east problems, gives to
American students unparalleled opportunities to study and acquaint
themselves with world problems, an understanding of which will be of
great service to their Nation In coming years.
JOHN J. BLAINE, Governor of Wisconsin.
The study of the news of the Armament Conference in connection with
the political and economic history of the world and the causes of war
will give us enlightened future generations In aid of World Peace.
ROBERT D. CAREY, Governor of Wyoming.
The history of the Disarmament Conference should be Impressed upon
the minds of the school children of America. Tho United States leads In
a movement that promises more for the peace of tho world than any
gathering of statesmen since the dawn of history. Through our Edu
cational Department I have requested that the schools of Wyoming shall
study every phase of the Conference, from Its Inception to final adjourn
ment. With the minds of the students of the Nation focused upon the
ftroceedlngs of the Conference, the chief actors will feel a keener
ncenttve to make their conclusions conform to tho dominant will of tho
peoples of the earth.
TO the FATHERS and MOTHERS of AMERICA
This message comes to you with the challenge of a great opportunity for your boys
and girls. It presses upon you a personal responsibility to see that they do not lose the
benefits of this wonderful opportunity to fit themselves in the broadest way for their
future citizenship. Take the matter up personally with their teachers and with the
principals of their schools. Urge it through your Parents' Associations. The Literary
Digest is helping all it can, not only by printing this Message of the Governors in
hundreds of the leading dailies of the country from Maine to California, but also by
publishing in its own pages every week a careful review and explanation of the Pro
ceedings of the Arms Conference, together with opinions regarding it from all over the
world. The Governor of Montana was moved to telegraph, a few days ago, that "the last
number of The Literary Digest was a veritable treasure-house of information regarding
the scope and possibilities of this historic International Conference." Five hundred
thousand school children already are studying The Literary Digest in their classrooms,
and the fullest co-operation is provided to enable all others to enjoy the same benefit.
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