We recently were informed (Wilson Quarterly, Autumn, 1979, p. 118) that our present generation presents the first occasion in which our children now have less education than their parents. That statistic is frightening. However, I sadly suggest that the situation may be even worse. A few generations ago the young adult faced two major options: to go to college or to learn the family trade. One did not think of the latter as "getting an education."

However, there is a new trend in the American educational system. Today Dad's trade is taught in an institution, and many consider themselves "going to college" when they learn auto mechanics or air conditioning repair at an accredited school. The statistics showing the present generation's lack of education, therefore, may not register the extent of the lack of collegiate studies generally known as the liberal arts. And that is not only sad; it is a liability for our future. Not that the practical affair of learning a trade is not good. The liability lies in the fact that fewer and fewer of our citizenry are being exposed to the historical background from which our democratic form of government was developed. Stated another way: the major threat to a democratic form of government is an uneducated citizenry. Presentations of history may be as Voltaire said, "a bag of tricks we play on the dead." However, it is also a fact that no lessons are learned from tales not told.

Our freedoms are continually threatened by philosophies foreign to our way of life. Yet few of our children have even heard of Marx or Lenin. Many of our high school graduates can't read, and those who can, don't average reading one book a year.

We don't need to be intellectuals to gain historical perspectives for our future. But to see where our present decisions are leading us, we do need to stand on the shoulders of those who reflected on the significance of our nation's past. This subtle boost can help us beyond today and guide us in our uncertain tomorrows. But with the demise of our educational system, our American dream may be about to end in a nightmare of unenlightened perspectives.

Bill Stroud, of Richwood, Texas, has an extensive background in three areas: theology, philosophy and psychology (B.D, Th.D., Ph.D). Although semi-retired, he is active as a speaker, free-lance writer and a workshop presenter for educational and service agencies. He is currently in training in the theory and methodology of remote viewing under the tutelage of Lyn Buchanan of Alamogordo, NM. Address comments to drstroud@comcast.net