FRINGES OF TRUTH

Southland Times, Issue 19720, 28 November 1925, Page 13

FRINGES OF TRUTH

‘INCULCATING LOYALTY

(By

“Rufus.”)

That excellent body, the Victoria League, has been holding its Dominion Conference in Dunedin this week, and passing profuse and perfervid resolutions as is the prerogative of such bodies. The burden of their song has been “The Inculcation of Loyalty in the Young Mind.” To the Young Mind I extend my heartfelt sympathy. No doubt there are still many people who can remember when they were Young Minds themselves and went through the painful process of being “inculcated” with the greatness of the British Empire, the Importance of Cleaning the Teeth, the Value of The British Navy, the Advantages of Fresh Air and Cold Water, the Duties of a Good Citizen, the Benefits of Deep Breathing, Our Glorious Heritage, the Menace of Communism, and the Evils of Smoking, Drinking and Swearing. One would think that the Young Mind would stagger under such a burden of inculcation, but in actual fact it seems most cheerfully impervious to all these earnest endeavours to impress it. Some experience of the Young Mind leads me to believe that the only thing that is ever successfully inculcated into it is the Devil.

The Victoria League might do well to consider these facts, because they so obviously mean well, and waste such a great deal of time and energy that might be put into really valuable work such as supporting mission cots at Banjowangi or distributing testaments among the unenlightened inhabitants of Cochin-China. It should be noted in passing that most of the delegates at the Conference were of the female sex, and, therefore, one must deal with them gently. From their discussions, however, it is painfully evident that their acquaintance with the Young Mind has been gained through the Y.M.C.A. and Sunday School picnics. Otherwise they would comprehend that the “inculcation of loyalty,” with its accompanying flag-flapping and trumpet blowing produces in a Young Mind of the normal, healthy variety feelings of the deepest disgust. Youths at school do not discuss loyalty among themselves, they do not like being talked to about loyalty, and when such things as “the blood of our fathers” is shouted about in front of them by perspiring lecturers, they begin to get hot under the collar. In America, apparently, it is different. School children submit passively to the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” and having the Stars and Stripes waved in front of them every day of the week. They even raise some enthusiasm over the matter. Whether America has been morally improved by these demonstrations it is hard to say. No doubt the Victoria League finds such an emotional attitude desirable in children, but most people would be reluctant to see it introduced into New Zealand. If loyalty has to be bludgeoned into New Zealand’s youth it would be better to leave them alone. Such tactics, however, are not necessary. The people of New Zealand are known to have a quiet and deep sense of patriotism and neither the Victoria League, the Navy League or Sir James Parr can claim credit for it.

The following is a fair scampie of what the Victoria League would like to do, as reported by the eminent Otago Times:—

Miss Anderson said she would like to arrange a programme of short addresses on Empire Day in every school. That could be combined with an essay competition. Miss Mowbray said that surely they could be allowed to go into the schools on Empire Day. It would be a charming idea; and she knew that charming lectures were given at Home on Empire Day. She thought they should appeal to the Education Department, but unless they all appealed they would have no hope. She was thankful to say the teaching of loyalty in the north was spreading. Mrs Chilton said she thought that in Christchurch the children were assembled on Empire Day, the flag hoisted and addresses given.

After reading this I felt like going out and starting a School Childrens’ Protection League. Fortunately the Education Department, with one of their rare glimmerings of commonsense, have gently closed the door against the Victoria League and their sticky patriotism. Hence the complaint of Miss Mowbray, who thinks it would be

“a charming idea” to deliver “charming lectures” on Empire Day. If I were the Education Department I would not allow the charming Miss Mowbray within sight of any school in New Zealand.

Another innocent diversion of the Victoria League and kindred bodies is encouraging the study of history, or of what they believed to be the study of history. One may quote again from the Otago Times.—

Mrs Chilton said that in Christchurch when they were choosing subjects for essays, they tried to select something that would bring in history. They were most successful with their essays, through which they were doing really good work. History was not taught now as it was when she was at school.

The supreme value of history, according to these estimable ladies, is that it can be dragged into Victoria League essays. This view of the subject is not uncommon; Sir James Parr, the distinguished Minister of Education, is also very strongly in favour of more history being taught in schools, history as he conceives it being an exposition of how the mighty forces of creation evolved their finished product, the British Empire. Such a conception is no doubt very stimulating to the Young Mind, but it is not exactly history. Moreover, in many schools now history is taught along saner lines. Hence Mrs Chilton’s complaint that “history was not taught now as it was when she was at school.” No doubt history in her day was a pleasant collection of those well-known fairy tales having to do with Alfred and the Cakes, the Magna Charts, the Spanish Armada, Good Queen Bess, the Princes in the Tower and such like stuff whose proper place is with the nursery rhymes and the works of Hans Anderson. This writing of historical essays is perhaps an even more painful business than that of listening to lectures. The unfortunate children, ninety-nine per cent of whom know quite well that their heroic effort will never be recognised, sweat to compose sufficient patriotic sentiments to satisfy the teacher. The other one per cent., for having written an essay containing not one original thought or idea, are rewarded with suitably inscribed volumes of patriotic literature which they will never read.

In the name of the thousands of dumb but suffering Young Mim of this Dominion, I raise my voice loudly against this infamous and merciless campaign of inculcation. If there is one being on earth who is essentially patriotic, religious and entirely conventional in outlook in these matters it is the average school child. If the Victoria League really wants to instill patriotism where it is needed, let them deliver “charming lectures” to the university students, journalists, waterside workers and others who are naturally skeptical and profane where such matters are concerned.