PERVERTED EDUCATION The most wonderful educational fact of the age has appealed to the imagination of every thinking man, but the significance of it for our own educational system has not everywhere been appreciated. This outstanding fact is that one generation of carefully planned, statedirected education has left on the minds of the German people exactly the impress it was designed to leave. Teachers everywhere are seeing an overwhelming proof of their thesis, loudly asserted before but only half believed, that "Education actually is potent to direct emotions and to build ideals into character." To be more specific we have all seen the wonderful but ignoble work that Germany's school system has performed. We have seen it grind relentlessly and perfectly until a Hohenzollern product, "made in Germany," was piteously turned out. It has been revealed to us that those who survived that hard regime would do the Kaiser's will in air or under sea-with Zeppelin or Submarine they hasten to do his bidding,-barbarous and inhuman as it might be. How far the plan was conscious, or to what extent it was unconscious we do not know, but of this we are sure that there radiated from Prussia through all the German empire a scheme of education calculated to fix the Teutonic mind from its youth to accept with blind submission the ambitions of the ruling dynasty, to believe in Germany, the exalted, and to be obsessed like a national kleptomaniac with the idea that Germany must conquer her neighbor's territory. The Imperial family did not neglect to have its praises sung by the text-book writers. "In time of danger," says one text-book, "Divine Providence has always sent a Hohenzollern to rescue Germany. Only grateful devotion to our prince can maintain the state on the heights she has attained." No kind of text-book was left unused for the purpose of administration. Readers quoted the passage from Heine about waking the ancient Teutonic battle madness, and rousing Thor from his thousand years' sleep to shatter the Gothic cathedrals (Rheims Cathedral perhaps) with his giant hammer, and send the old German thunder crashing as nought ever crashed before in the history of the world. Could an Apache Indian shout a more blatant battle song? The very choruses roared all over Germany reminded Germans that they were of the Hammer God's race and ought to inherit his world empire. Even the omissions in education worked to the same warlike end. The Kaiser would never interfere with the student duelling, because it drilled the future officers in the cruelty suited to the war of frightfulness which the General Staff had planned. All of this perverted education had the aim of preparing the German mind to be exploited when their rulers were ready for the carrying out of the aims of "the little group of ambitious men," to use President Wilson's words, "who were accustomed to use their fellow men as pawns and tools." It is far from me to wish ever to behold education in America directed even for a good purpose by any small group at the center of our political system, but would it not be well if it were impressed upon those who direct education from the many centers scattered all over this broad land that certain fundamental American ideals ought to be everywhere impressed upon American youth? The crisis through which this nation recently passed, before it could be brought to a wholehearted support of a war begun for the purpose of preserving the most vital principles upon which it was founded, has aroused educators everywhere, like a fire-bell in the night, to understand that we must employ our educational machinery more than we have in the past to imbue every American citizen with a comprehension of democratic principles. If we can find some definite means of securing an understanding of democratic ideals, we may expect as a result a patriotic zeal in defending them. If Americanism is a belief in and a habit of supporting such ideals, then we may hope that such a process will produce it. There are many things that differing minds would select as the minimum essentials that our schools should teach in this direction, and I wish to suggest only a few which will make my thought more concrete. The American's theory of the state is that it exists to protect him in the enjoyment of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that the individual is the important thing not the state. An opposing theory, and it happens to be the German theory, is that the state is the important thing, that to it the individual owes everything, life and liberty and even blind obedience of orders to do cruel and brutal acts. Why not teach that difference to boys and girls instead of mere dry facts about the organs of government and their functions? Let us not be so shy and modest about the virtues of our political system. The Germans are not. Let us say To American Teachers, Publicists, and Others, Hoping for Victory. Knowledge is the only basis upon which can be erected a successful democracy. The National Security League is striving to give to the people knowledge of our national purpose and ideals, and with this end has been able to distribute free to teachers and others much text-book and related material for the dissemination of knowledge of the causes and issues of the war. Will you help us in this work? US 6960.80 Patriotism Through Education Series No. 1 Knowledge By the People True Basis of National Security Address by S. STANWOOD MENKEN President of the National Security League at SPEAKERS' TRAINING CAMP FOR EDUCATION and CONFERENCE OF ORGANIZATIONS ENGAGED IN Chautauqua, N. Y., July 2, 1917. NATIONAL • SECURITY: LEAGUE Issued by NATIONAL SECURITY LEAGUE, 19 WEST 44th STREET |