“THE HOPE OF THE WORLD”

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 188, 8 May 1934, Page 8

“THE HOPE OF THE WORLD”

During the present week conferences representative of several branches of the teaching profession will be in session in Wellington. It is expected of our educationists that in these annual assemblies they, should provide the public with food for thought. There are many questions of the day to the consideration of which the educationist should be able to contribute something helpful. In her address- at the opening of the annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute yesterday, the president, Miss M. E.'Magill, dwelt mainly on “The Hope of the World.” Her argument was that narrow nationalism, with its implicit threat of war, must be dispelled by the influence of the higher motives that make for international good feeling, and that, the promotion of this feeling is essentially educational. An inspiring idealism: how to implement it is the question.' Experience has shown that practical politics have failed to supply ■ an answer. How can education through its representatives hope, to succeed where skilled diplomacy has failed? Only by coming down from the clouds and organising by patient and systematic effort a campaign for the education of public opinion. Miss Magill clearly realises that education can have no future as long as narrow nationalism exists and the threat of war overhangs civilisation. But is her own organisation capable of making a material contribution to the removal of these impediments to. educational progress? It is a great cause., demanding a corresponding effort. Is the voice of the institute's president the voice of its members?

Professor T. A. Hunter, at the same meeting, laid particular stress upon the need for a right spirit in the membership of such democratic bodies as the New Zealand Educational Institute. “Remember,” he said, “ ‘the word killeth; it is the spirit that keepeth alive’.” Is the institute prepared to do more than lip-service to its president’s appeal? The lessons of the Great War provided a great opportunity, and for a few years, a rich harvest for education. Fine ideals were raised, and ambitious schemes for furthering them were launched. Education was to be “The Hope of the World.” But the Great Depression'shelved the ideals and killed the schemes. Miss Magill has grasped the major lesson of that experience, which is, that education can flourish only in a condition of international peace and goodwill. Is this to be the keynote of the institute's activities during the coming year, and consistently and persistently thereafter? Or is* the institute, itself a democratic institution, to allow its ideals to expire in a, m'ere flourish of words, as has been the experience of othei democratic institutions? ' As Professor Hunter pointed out, tlu tendency in such bodies is for the tail of members to wag the head of ability, which in actual practice has to give way to the consideration of the more mundane matters of finance, membership, and domestic privileges. Therein lies the difficulty of democratic institutions sus-■ taining, while applauding, the ideals of their leaders. Miss Magill has sounded a splendid note. Will it be remembered a few weeks hence ?