The director of the Washington Socialist Parents’ and Teachers’ Bureau announces its formation and aims. The Washington Socialist Party, with many teachers in its ranks, saw public education as a battleground became intensely active in organizing teachers, running for school boards, and most importantly, presenting a working class curriculum.

‘The Schools for Socialism’ by J.E. Sinclair from The Commonwealth (Everett). No. 102. December 13, 1912.

Socialist Parents’ and Teachers’ Bureau, J. E. Sinclair, Secretary, Route 4, Box 128, Tacoma.

Dear Comrade Secretary and Local Comrades:

Dec. 5, 1912. The Socialist Parents’ and Teachers’ Bureau is being organized to help you carry the schools for Socialism. Too long have we fussed over political odds and ends and stayed at home on school election day. And yet nearly every prejudice that we have to overcome in our agitation was born in the public and private schools. Nearly every bit of capitalist brutality that has so glaringly shocked the working class during the last year can be traced to the capitalist school room where “good citizenship” is taught all the time in the interest of capitalism and that alone.

Every day that this goes on means a new lease of life for capitalism. Every day that this virus of brutality, this worship of war, this adulation of butchers, is allowed to go on means more tortures of the rebellious workers. Lawrence, San Diego, Grays Harbor and the labor war now waging in the hills of West Virginia with their terrible tales of working class suffering could never have been possible without the capitalist schools and their kind of “good citizenship.” In fact, the school is a sort of outpost held by the master class into which our sons and daughters must go to be transformed into beasts or servile slaves. The teachers are not conscious of this in most cases. It is up to you to make them conscious of it.

The State Executive Committee has asked me to organize the forces for Socialist education. I want this Bureau to be a power in the educational affairs in this state, but I can not do anything without you. With your faithful co-operation wonders can be wrought. First we must work for Socialist school boards and Socialist teachers. Especially at this time do I want to get in touch with Socialist teachers. I also want to get in touch with those who are half-baked, those rare gems of the school teacher trade who can think just a little bit. Send me their names and indicate the degree of intelligence. I also want the names of Socialist school directors. In fact, sit down and write me immediately all about your schools, its teachers name and address, his or her brain capacity, the name and address of your clerk and mental caliber, and the name and address of your Socialist school directors, the number of teachers employed with salaries paid, probable vacancies in the near future, and the names of all unemployed people who have teachers certificates and who are party members in good standing. I know that this is a lot to ask, so I won’t ask it. In the name of the working class, I demand it. I need this information tabulated here so that I can fill your orders for teachers and find jobs for those proletarians of the school room who have suffered exile long enough. Take it up with the local NOW.

But our work must not end with putting in Socialist teachers. We need to develop a new Socialist pedagogy, a new conception of education that will banish forever the cruel floggings of the capitalist school and bring back the joy of childhood to the school room. Capitalist education has reached its climax. It has served its time, too, in a way, but it is now a reactionary force in the world and it must die. Education for the new society must take its place.

I have written to the Local Woman’s Correspondents asking them to have the Socialists make a silent demonstration. Every Socialist and sympathizer take a day off and visit the schools. Spend the whole day and take notes. After school stay and talk to the teachers. Get as big a crowd to go as you can. If this could be done all over the state, the capitalists would roar and the teachers would sit up and take notice. Write me about this. If you try it, let me know the result. Go in a big red bunch.

Comrades, this is the biggest and most daring move we have. made in years. Carrying the message of Socialism into the educational world will cause some persecution of our teacher comrades. But when we have won one-fourth the school boards to our cause, the Co-operative Commonwealth will be measurably nearer. So agitate for that next school election and get your committees busy now. Let this state be first and foremost in the biggest campaign ever waged, THE SCHOOL FOR SOCIALISM. Your Comrade,

J.E. SINCLAIR, Secretary.

The Washington Socialist was a weekly newspaper of the Socialist Party of Snohomish County published in Everett, Washington and edited by Maynard Shipley. Closely aligned with the Industrial Workers of the World, who were strong in the Pacific Northwest’s lumber industry, the paper ran for only 18 months when it was renamed The Northwest Worker with Henry Watts as editor in June, 1915, and again Co-Operative News with Perter Husby as editor in October, 1917. Like virtually all of the left press, the Co-Operative News was suppressed in June 1918 under the Federal Espionage Act.

PDF of full issue: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84025731/1912-12-13/ed-1/seq-1/