The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1921. DOMINION LOYALTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11046, 1 November 1921, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1921. DOMINION LOYALTY

The people of this Dominion are, with a small exception, loyal to the Crown and the Empire. Therefore the announcement that the teachers in the primary schools of the Dominion are to take the oath of allegiance meets with the emphatic approval of the vast majority of the people 1 . of the Dominion. They know the practice in the United States, where the teachers are required to he “100 per cent. American.” They want their children to be 100 per cent. British. They will not accept, any test of a single degree lees than the full pronouncement. Consequently they will want presently to know why the line is drawn at the teachers in primary schools. Because it is just as important to have the loyal submission of the teachers in secondary schools; in fact, of all persons entrusted with the education of youth, including, of course, university professors. Wherever, in fact, the State pays, the State has the right—the enforcement of which, is a duty—to name the condition of loyalty to the State. This duty, the public will insist, must be done impartially along the whole line. This is bat reasonable. The makers of laws have to •wear allegiance, why not the makers of citizens who have to obey the laws? Moreover, of what use is it to pass laws if. the citizens are not brought up in the spirit of loyalty? It is obvious that such early training of the citizen facilitates obedience to the laws passed by the representatives of the citizens, whereas 'the want of it must make obedience to the laws difficult, if not in time impossible. In the United States, where this is recognised, the State goes further than in most countries, for the State requires that the State or national flag shall be daily saluted in the schools. There the effort to make “100 per cent. American” begins at the earliest possible moment in the'life of the citizen. There was a time in our own hietory when loyalty was taken for granted. To-day there are signs of question. Already one school has refused to salute the flag, and the Parliamentary atmosphere has been roughly disturbed by the echoes of a recent conviction for the sale of seditious literature. As the flag incident is under inquiry, discussion of it must, of course, be postponed. We cannot say more than that, if there was such refusal, as alleged, to salute the flag, the incident is amazing. The other matter relates to : the Wortzel case, That case raised the i question of loyalty, and was, therefore, by order of the Minister for Education, inquired into. The inquiries did not, of course, alter the fact that a teacher had been convicted before a magistrate on a charge of selling forbidden literature, nor did they palli. ate it in the least. They brought out the fact that university students had 'done their bit handsomely during the war, a point hardly relevant, for the inquiry was into the question of the loyalty of a suspected minority, whereas the reminder of service referred to

the services supplied from the side of the loyal majority. There were other matters of which the public are not cognisant, ae the inquiries did not have the publicity 60 desirable fpr every interest concerned. Information, however, is coming out from time to time, as, for instance, in the Education Minister’s reply to the Victoria College Council, which sustains the impression that this case and its treatment have established a sense of disquiet, which the Minister is meeting by the taking of precautions, such, for in. stance, as the determination to make the teachers tahe the oath of allegiance. That determination was justified by the outburst of opposition on the part of a small section of members in the House of Representatives. The violent language and fierce persistence of that small section certainly has had the effect of increasing the public support of the Minister’s action. The Minister’s reply to the chairman of the Victoria College Council about this case is well worth attention. The Minister is ironically satisfied that the Council cannot <lraw_ natural inferences from established fa As; ho tells the Council that it “has neglected to discover the source of supply of the banned literature found in possession of the students”; he gravely suggests, with the hopefulness of a happy' irony, that they will “be good enough to clear up this omission from your statement.” Proceeding, he does not attempt to throw doubt on. the Council’s statements of the absolute solitariness of Miss "Weitzel’s attitude iu this matter; he merely reminds them that the lady has a± least one companion in tlie misfortune of discovery; and he suggests that this companion’s position ought not to have escaped the eagle of the 1 Council, for her altitude during the war was well' known. Coming to the debates of the students, intended to opqn the student mind, and stimulate that freedom of think-, iog so dear to so many persons in. the community, the Minister’s reply touches with forceful gentleness the weak) point in the Council’s armour, 'Jfhis he implies by bis suggestion that, debates are all very well for the callow youth who discuss the problems of the universe among themselves, but he floes pot like the kind of debate to which the Council admits seasoned politicians of the Communist order, wfho must necessarily browbeat callow youth in its laudable search for freedom, into acquiescence with quite limited understanding of brilliantly seductive, and occasionally violent, theories. The Minister’s_reply is masterly, amd the Council emerges from the conflict with trailing pinions. What were tho Minister’s thoughts, no: man can' venture to say. The Rebate of Friday in the House may, or may ■ not, indicate that in some degree. The report, of one episode in' the debate is as follows— Tile Minister; This thing needed dealing with. . There was creeping into: the teaching profession a spirit Mr Fraser: Of independent thought. The Minister: ‘Of Bolshevism that needs to be suppressed. A, Labour member: You will never suppress it. Without expressing any opinion about these exchanges, we sincerely trust the Minister will keep firmly to the determination he has announced of vfigilanfc care over the education machinery of this country.