NEW GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 255, 24 July 1937, Page 12

NEW GERMANY

Philosophy of National Socialism

WARM-HEARTED PEOPLE ■•ln the age-old struggle between the community and the individual, we have not yet found a way of combining both,” said Dr. Paul L. Dengler, director of the Austro-American Institute of Education, Vienna, in a New Education Fellowship conference address in Wellington on “The Children of Germany,” in which he outlined the philosophy of National Socialism. Dr. Dengler said that democracy , was the finest thing in the world, and the peoples should preserve it. He made a plea for tolerance toward Germany. “I have looked into the souls of those Germans, and they arc a warm-hearted people,” he said. “Think of the great men who belong to such a country and it will help you along. When you think of Mussolini think of the great inventor. Marconi, who has just died. He was not only an Italian; he was a great human inventor and creator.” German democracy, coming on top of the war, was weak and almost doomed to die from ’ the beginning. There was much suffering, and democracy became weaker and weaker. The nationalistic system in the end won over the international system. Ils main principles were three.: — Community Before Individual.

First, the community was placed before the liberty of the individual. The individual was just a small part in a great machine. The State was supreme.

Second, was the principle of blood and land —a German race on German land. It was not so much a present race, but an ideal race that was aimed at. The claim was that all those who were German should live in Germany.

Thirdly, there was the principle of planned leadership, and not the survival of the fittest, as had been the case in the democracy Germany had known.

Entering on a discussion of the philosophy of Fascism, Dr. Dengler recalled that Gentile had said that there was no dualism possible between the material and spiritual worlds. He decided the question on spiritual lines only. He found in himself that he was a member'of the community, and that meant to Gentile the readiness for sacrifice. Mussolini had condensed and simplified the thought of Gentile. He had brought it down to- earth, and Gentile dropped out of the picture.

The collective character of the community was stressed in German schools, and man was not a creator unless he was willing to create what he was told to create. Private schools had been reduced after the war, and the tendency now was to suppress them. Doctrine of Race and Blood. Outlining the way in which the three main principles of National Socialism had been brought into the schools, Dr. Dengler said that the first, the supremacy of the State, was seen in the fact that all emphasis was placed on the superiority of the community to the individual. The children were taught how men became heroes and died for the community. The doctrine of race and blood was emphasised by the stress on Germany, Germany, Germany. Even mathematics had a little touch of Germanism, although he did not know how that was done. In.inculcating the doctrine of leadership; the child was taught that the leader must be efficient in his life, he must have the group spirit, must be physically fit, and must be loyal to the party. Dr. Dengler next told of the youth organisations in Germany, the first of children from the age of six to 10 years. Even the little ones were dressed in the same way and wore their swastikas, and met twice a week. Describing a visit to one meeting of children from the age of six to 10, Dr. Dengler said he found them discussing, as far as they could, German economics. In another room he saw the group leaders. When they reached the age of 10, the boys passed* to the Hitler Youth organisation and the girls to a similar organisation. They carried on the discussions on a higher'level. Discussing the good and bad sides of Germany, the lecturer said that as a whole to make people efficient in their lives was a good thing, but parents complained in Germany that physical education was overdone. The imposition of such a system on the race meant the elimination of many fine people who had considered themselves German for a long time—great scientists and great artists had been eliminated by this dogma. Miss Irene Wilson, principal of Queen Margaret College, presided.