This speech, given in 1965, addresses the concern about low participation in continuing education. It proposes allowing adults one workday per week for voluntary participation in continuing education, either job related or liberal arts oriented. This proposal is based on the belief that the nation's progress depends on a national program of continuing education. To develop this program and assess existing and needed resources, the establishment of a National Commission on Continuing Education is recommended. In support of this proposal, the paper documents the continuous changes in the work force, the knowledge explosion, the persistence of poverty, and other economic justifications. In addition, it stresses the benefit of nonwork-related continuing education in developing values of personal worth, satisfaction, civic competence, and public responsibility, citing studies supporting the need to avoid equating adult education with retraining. The paper concludes by considering the costs of the proposal and stressing the need to communicate the benefits of continuing education to all adults. (SK)