In this attempt to view the approach to adult education in the United States, the dangers and benefits of mingling vocational and non-vocational, credit and noncredit, technical, commercial, and liberal adult education within one institution are presented. Examined also are the status of adult educators within the university, the love of organized talk, the cloaking of simple explanations in complicated and unintelligible jargon (mainly psychological and sociological), the dangers of overcompensation, the conflict between the establishment of standards and the impact of personalities, the shortness of courses, the preoccupation with securing degrees, and the question of the field as a discipline and the possible chances of integrating it with other disciplines. On the credit side are the widespread readiness to think about what one is doing, to work and cooperate, and to sacrifice and face danger; the resistance to the dangers of the system; and the attempt to orient some programs to the needs of the students and the community. (nl)