“UNJUST ATTACKS”

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 270, 27 August 1941, Page 2

“UNJUST ATTACKS”

THE LOYALTY OF TEACHERS. DEFENCE OF THE PROFESSION (P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 20. A defence against what he described as “totally unjustified afid increasingly bitter attacks on the loyalty oi school teachers” was made by the president of the New Zealand Educational Institute, Mr D. Forsyth, addressing the Dominion Federation of School Committees’ Associations at its annual conference in \\ ellington tonight. “I defy anyone to prove that the teaching profession as a whole is not as loyal as any section of the community,” said Mr Forsyth, thanking members of tiio Government, the Act ingvPrime Minister (tne Hon. W. Nash), and the Minister for Education (the Hon. H. G. E. Mason) for then defence of that loyalty when it was attacked. “We teachers have confined our loyalty largely to deeds, and have avoided that perfervid, super-sentimental wordiness often deemed to pass as patriotism,” ho continued. “And long may you continue to avoid it,” interjected Mr Mason, who was also present. Such atacks on the teaching profession were not only unjust, they were insidiously subversive to the good of democracy, for which we were all fighting, Mr Forsyth continued. We were going to win the war, hut when we Jiad done that we would have completed only a small part of our task, We would have to reconstruct tile world. One of the important forces in doing that would bo education. How could education be used effectively rr the teaching profession was to be undermined.

“It is subversive for any organisation or individual to attack the whole profession because of what you or l would call the unwise action of the 1 per cent, of members who, after all, are merely taking advantage of the legal provision made by the Government. I don’t agree with the principles of the conscientious objector; but to attack the whole profession because of them is oue of the easiest, ways of undermining a profession as loyal as any in the country.” Earlier, the conference began a debate on a remit urging that the regulations be amended so that all teachers be instructed to salute the flag on appointed days, those refusing to do so to be dismissed.

Mr J. D. Clyde (Otago) said that after giving a lesson on hisory and patriotism, a teacher would not impress the children if he stood with his hand at his side, while the flag- was being saluted. “Teachers have to take the oath of loyalty, and they should be loyal enough to salute the flag if they are going to teach our children,” said Mr L. E. Rhodes (Auckland). Mr J. C. Batt (Wanganui) said there appeared to be a psychology of fear abroad, a tendency to unreasonaldleness, intolerance and injustice. We were supposed to be fighting a war for freedom. Many unjust things had been done during the last war, and it looked as if we were on the verge of doing them again. Major A. T. Dow (Auckland) said that the British flag was the symbol of the things for which we were fighting. Any teacher who refused to salute that symbol was not carrying out his oath of loyalty, and was not giving children the right idea of the .Empire. Colonel A. B. Carmichael (Auckland) said that the flag symbolised all that was best in the constitution of the Empire. When we saluted the flag we saluted not a piece of bunting, but all that it stood for. Other delegates spoke in support of this view.