EDUCATION IN CAMPS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24250, 16 April 1942, Page 4

EDUCATION IN CAMPS

Sir,—For reasons of old associations your subleader on the above topic appealed to me strongly. It mav be interesting to recall, as chronicled in MrOrmond Burton's book. "The Silent Division," that in the Great War the idea of the educational scheme arose out of the practice of holding debates when the soldiers were out of the line. As one of those who took a prominent* part in those debates as far a 9 my own unit, 3rd Battalion, N.Z. Rifle Brigade, concerned, I may explain that the debates arose from the desire in the minds of forward-looking men for intellectual fare not provided . "5 gambling, sports, or the usual va " e *£ entertainments. Immense problems taca the post-war world, and a lot of wrone thinking will have to be discarded, ana much-neglected yet eternal pnnmpje of social progress imbibed instead. > bring out the truth, free and n* discussion is matchless. , , It was a notable fact that those debates in. France often aroused gre and constuctive interest in the rol U of men whose military rank was above that of some of the leaders the discussions. I have < more than on seen a debate staged in which no p ticipant was above the. rank or " geant, and most were privates, ana y many of the high officers of the n would be present, and could be s afterwards eagerly discussing points made. „, _ ot » We certainly must build a n . human world, based on spmtnai- _, tellectual and physical values. sound reasoning faculties, mere e - tion must make society like an ens? without a governor. A good ea tional scheme may well prove or . estimable value for the future * Ol of the post-war world. , Mr Matamata. T, B.