Education & Liberty ~ Sarmiento Symbolizes...

Professor Edward Glaeser writes in the Globe about A powerful symbol for education and liberty, Domingo Sarmiento, activist, intellectual, writer, statesman, and seventh President of Argentina...

"On Commonwealth Avenue near Gloucester Street, there stands a large statue of a stern, heavy-set Argentine. The statue is largely ignored, which is a pity because its subject, Domingo Sarmiento, is worth understanding. He spent his life fighting for education and good political institutions and Boston was his beau ideal: Sarmiento’s victories helped create Argentina’s early 20th century prosperity. [...] As president, from 1868 to 1874, Sarmiento invested in public education and nation-building infrastructure, like telegraph lines. After his presidency, he returned to educational administration, and he helped push though a landmark education law that made primary school in Argentina free and compulsory. Stable politics and a more educated population helped Argentina prosper and the rich nation offered a statue of Sarmiento to his beloved Boston in 1913 [...] Sarmiento symbolizes the power of education and liberty -- two great ideas eternally intertwined with our city. The knowledge that he acquired here reminds us that the ideas created in the dense streets of cities can improve lives throughout the world. But the dark history of Argentina during the 20th century warns us of how much can go wrong when governments fail and countries invest too little in their human capital. Sarmiento’s message matters more than ever."

How true. Argentina should be as prosperous as Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia combined, but no. Learning why not is crucial to not screwing up going forward.