For many years Uncle Sam left to the people at large the task of educating young people, except the future officers of the United States army and much later of the navy. These schools have been kept up, enlarged and provided with magnificent buildings; and they trained nearly all the officers in high command during the world war in both army and navy. In the course of the war the number of cadets was much increased; but it was found necessary hastily to set up special officers’ schools and training corps in various parts of the country. The United States also takes part in the public education of the states in a variety of ways. It has given to the states for common schools about 80 million acres of land, and for agricultural colleges and similar purposes about 15 million more. Ever since 1887 it has made also money grants to state agricultural colleges for experiment stations; and by the recent Smith-Hughes act is preparing to spend millions for vocational instruction, including farming. The states are obliged to put up an equal amount for the same purpose. Other bills look forward to a larger expenditure which would aid the states to get rid of the deplorable illiteracy found in some of them. Uncle Sam maintains schools in the dependencies--the Philippines, Hawaii, Porto Rico, etc.; and the Bureau of Education in Washington is a kind of center and clearing house of information and activity in education of every kind. [Illustration: THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Old Building, Washington, D. C. This leading scientific establishment of the Government is also a great agency for the distribution of scientific, literary and Government publications] [Illustration: A FARMERS’ BULLETIN The Department of Agriculture issued more than twenty million copies of these bulletins last year (1918)] _Uncle Sam as an Employer of Labor_ By far the largest employer of labor within the United States is Uncle Sam himself, who had, about the time when America entered the war in 1917, 520,000 employees in the civil service, besides near 150,000 soldiers and sailors. Besides thus furnishing a livelihood to one person in a hundred and fifty of the whole population of the United States, the Government carries on a Bureau of Labor, which gets together all kinds of information about labor conditions in this country and in other countries. In 1916, the Government passed a special statute for settling the troubles between the railroad men and the railroads, commonly called the “Adamson Bill,” under which a strike was averted and wages were raised. [Illustration: MOTOR EQUIPMENT FOR “STAR” POSTAL ROUTE 14233 Fredericksburg to Kinsale, Virginia--Two long trucks and working staff of four; Driver, Assist. Postmaster, Clerk, and Delivery Messenger]