WORKERS' EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION.

Hutt News, Volume 6, Issue 48, 9 May 1934, Page 5

WORKERS' EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION.

The programme of the W.E.A. has begun this year in the Hutt dUtni't with a course oi' eight lectures o;i, Tuesday evenings, by Dr. J. C. Beaglehole, entitled ''An Introduction to Political Thinking." IV iirst of these k.<turcs discussed "Democracy and it.* Catchwords," and showed that most uf what passes for political thinking :it The present time is merely the continuous repetition of all sorts of unsupported assumptions—or assumptions whic'i, even when they can be supported, are never put to the test of painful ami solid thought. The lecturer gave many iustanees of such catchwords, rife :is they have been all through history, and deiined the task of the course as (lie examination of some of the principal assumptions current to-day whenever politics are under discussion. The whole political structure of nuderu communities centres round the relations in the State of "liberty" and "authority"; and in the second lecture of the course Dr BeaglehoTe began his discussion of liberty by examining what, this idea meant to the ancient Greeks —a rather different thing, it appeared, from what it means to us, though in some ways very like. Athenian democracy was a much more absorbing thing than New Zealand democracy, and perhaps much more vital; but freedom was severely limited to male citizens, and all the glories of Athenian political aiul .artistk life had a foundation not of liberty, in the last analysis, but of slavery. Intending students are .reminded tL-.it they should enroll without delay, to u.'t as much benelit as possible out of th.; course. The lectures are followed Ly very lively discussions and there is j;o limitation on the expression- of stu dents' uwn opinions on the matters under consideration. Any person may at tend a single lecture free, to sample "WYE.A. fare, and unemployed men and women are urged to take advantage of the rule which" admits them to all course free of charge.