1940-10-25 — Page 7

Humbug From Hamburg

But

Christ's

By Gerald Dillon

1

a

recognising its importance in the human sphere as well? And though a man, may be "the tenth transmitter of a foolish face lie. can at least redeem that condi- tion by behaving in an agreeable fashion, though an inverted form of srobbery would have us believe

that all this is "side." It is "side" when it is a mere adornment, but where habit makes it second nat- ure, it becomes · natural,

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the totalitarian the idea of a perfectly well recog-system and the idea of a liberal nised type belonging to a definic | education for the freeman are social caste. No greater fallacy irreconcilable. The Nazi ideal in could exist, for, not only do Pub education is to turn out men and lib schools in England differ from women with no more individuality each other in respect of the boys than a tank, a machine-gun, or a who attend them, but even boys high-explosive bomb, though they who go to the same school come have special training schools for

from widely different social cir- cles and homes.

The recent Washington and Hee-Haws of Hamburg and conversations between Humbug. Myself, I am never Lord Lothian, Mr. Casey, very certain whether the folk who and Mr. Cordell Hull and make these jests about the old schools, though practically all are Lloyd George, and others who open to day boys. Perhaps about have risen to the highest positions school tie really know anything 50, beginning with Eton and Har-in Britain, were not Public school Colonel Knox's announce about old schools at all.

row, would icrm the heart of the products. English upper and upper middle ments on American pre-

Speaking literally, I have, in class system of education.

Though many Public schools The war, perhaps, will change the Public schools. One hopes paredness, are promising ufe, met few people who actually there would also be at least 150 are centuries old, it is quite

other schools which would con- modern idea for a well-to-do fath that they will become less exclu- signs of the development wore their old school tie, except, form to the definition of "Puber to think of sending his son to sive, if only for the reason that one of them as part of his duty. the charge that they are exclusive of mutual interest and possibly, in such cases as when lic School," All follow, more or

less, the same methods and are in days gone by the average coun. is a sort of back-handed compli- it was a very new school tie

animated by the same aims and

try squire thought the local gram- ment. One hopes also that, be- support in the common

The English Public School

is, principles.

mar school good enough for his cause the average Public school- task of maintaining stab- of course, a very human institu-

son, and the sons of the wealthy man does so many things well, he The cost of sending a boy as a

were educated mostly by private will be trained in the future to ility in the Pacific. After tion, and, as such, liable to many boarder to one of these schools tutors. It is also quite a modern do them better.

£100 to would range fron Behind it all, however, is much as £400 a year. One or, school boy"--as if that conveyed Nevertheless,

as practice to talk of "an old Publiz the momentous and far-

the laudable idea of providing a two, however, such as reaching agreement made liberal education, which means, Hospital, provide free education between Great Britain essentially, education for the idea to all but a few. and the United States of being a freeman, as opposed to Many of these schools are old, for the defence of the At-the condition of being a slave. Ac- but a fen, ett ton dates back in the sense that Eton dates back lantic, it was only natural cording to the Greek conception to 14-40, and new in the sense that that Americans should work; while the freeman's job turn their thoughts to the was to be the best kind of man Pacific. For the moment possible. they can feel that the im- mediate task of stemming the wave of European aggression belongs to the British, now that the lines of American support have been laid down and that good progress is being made in forwarding assis- tance. There is evidence in the United States of growing concern over the dangerous situation in the

The English Public Schools are Pacific, however, and it no more public than a workhoust is only natural that, while is a place where people" work a great effort is being Properly, they should launched to strengthen the forward bases of the United States, negotia- tions should simultane- ously be carried on with other Powers interested in the building of a barrier

Nowadays, everybody has to work, more or less, but some people can afford to have a shot at becoming the best possible kind of man before they start working.

are

Breeding And Manners

the

leaders. In Britain, selection for leadership is based on ล much wider franchise. Any one of the hundreds of boys at-Eton to-day may be the Prime Minister of to- morrow; but the Prime Minister may equally be a product of a board school at Bermondsey or the free school at Worplespoon- under-Moss.

some few were started compara- tively recently. Also, they

The Public school spirit is a de- exclusive in the sense that they finite thing, though hard to de-

and provide education for some 60,000 | fine,

it offers to boys only, which is not a very world certain qualities from large proportion of England's which we might all learn.

The old school tic gibe on Ger- To produce that best possible

youth. It is also a fact, of course,

man tips is humbug, for, though The chief aim is that the school the OS.T. might occasionally kind of man is the object of what that entrance to such schools is

school."very often, but not exclusively, a should turn out men with a strong carry a man into a position for Naturally the old school fails in Privilege of birth and wealth. The sense of public and of private which without the tie he would majority of Cabinet Ministers in duty, and with a strong inclina- stand as much chance as a man It also without a shirt, the party mem- many cases to produce this result.j Britain, the great proportion of tion to public service. but then it is a purely human the Berch of Bishops, and some- betokens a due sense of the imper-bership in Germany (ie, mem- institution dealing with ordinary thing like 152 out of every 200 tance of what we might call goud bership of the one and only party) Civil servants earning over £1,000 breeding and manners We recog- is a similar lever with far less human material.

a year have usually been to Public | nise the importance of breeding in guarantee that the man wearing schools. On the other hand, Ram- horses, sheep, cows, and poultry. the Nazi badge will be the most say Macdonald, Disraeli, Asquith, Surely there is nothing amuss in

we might call "the

old

be called Schools. The English Private

dates misleading term {"Public") from the time Monastic schools prepared boys for the Church while the Public schools prepar- ed boys for public life

These schools in England vary in size and importance from those against naked aggression. housing about 100 boys, to those Though it is hardly to be which accommodate as many as expected that such dis-1,100. They are mainly boarding cussions should result in

a basic agreement, unless

the course of events-inity." Such a project has Asia should make it im- been talked about far! perative, the steady de- years, and it is doubtful if velopment of Anglo- anything more than a American cooperation is loose federation of Chur- revealed by the mere fact ches could be brought in- that such discussions to existence. But what- should take place involv- ever happens in the field ing as they do the pos- of organisation, doctrinal sibility of Singapore, and ly there will be strong at presumably Australian tempts to produce a "Jap ports, being placed at the anese Christianity." This disposal of the United means a greater approxi- States fleet. Only sheer mation between Chris- desperate opportunism tianity and Shinto. The could lead Japan to disre- influence of the Church gard the clear warnings would be made in every that have been uttered.

way the instrument of State policy. What will happen now is uncertain,

JAPANESE BRAND but there are those well

а

acquainted with Japan One by one the foreign who think that, left to experts who educated Jap- themselves, the Japanese

possibly an in all other aspects of may

find modern civilisation have Church organisation and been superseded by Jap- a method of evangelisa- anese; now the same pro- tion which are both in cess is to be repeated in line with historic Chris- religious affairs. Not only tianity and at the same are foreign bishops to be time more successful in dispensed with but

eign monetary aid as their appeal to the Japan-

ese mind than anything In addition there is a plan which has been imported to combine all Japanese from abroad. It must be Christians in a Japanese adınitted that the chan- Church which is to exem- ces of this do not seem plify "Japanese Christian- very great.

PLAN

FOR AN ARK

DRAFT

ARMY

WATI FLOOD

ROOSEVELT

GRESS

RIVAL NOAHS

kultacie man or the job.

AS THEY SEE IT ABROAD ["Pittsburgh Post-Gazette""1