“Towards Divine Sameness"

Press, Volume C, Issue 29504, 4 May 1961, Page 6

“Towards Divine Sameness"

[Specialty written for "The Press" by "CLAIRE"]

In common with many women teachers, I have lately noticed with alarm the tendency of girls, and boys, to leave their hats or caps at home, and sometimes to appear at school in wrongcoloured cardigans or jerseys. Now I think it regrettable enough that children should be recognised as individuals from the front even in spite of the curious headgear that they have so properly been cajoled into wearing. But that they should look dissimilar when viewed from the rear because of difference in types of hair styles, clasps or ribbons, is to be intolerable. We in the elementary schools must meet this situation with firmness, otherwise we shall see girls and boys going on to secondary schools (do let us forget that idiotic term “post-primary schools”) to universities and even to their jobs as individuals. The Chinese used to bind their children's feet. Here we are wiser; we bind their minds. To this worthy end. much is being done by mass sports, mass entertainment, popular or rather “pulpular” papers and network broadcasts to train our children to think alike. But all this good work

may well be undone if we in the schools allow them to look different from one another. Personally, I find that a few public jibes of the, “Of course if your parents can’t afford to buy you the correct beret ...” type, will soon make even the most defiant cover those glinting curls. And if a girl dares to have plaits, a little careful bribery can cause these to be so tugged, knotted and inked that the standard hacked-off cut will soon be adopted. Differences of Feature Until plastic surgery for voluntary facial alteration comes under social security, the child of average-income parents who has the misfortune to look different from the accepted mass norm will rightly be discriminated against. Fortunately this matter of feature difference is receiving attention. We have been led to understand that by 1965 all scholars from Standard 111 upwards will have to wear sterile facemasks of an authorised pattern. Then, whether at home, at school or on the street, all will look the same. Psychiatrists are said to be right behind this idea as the shrink-

ing soul will have the protection of anonymity and the high spirits of those who trade on their reputations will be quelled. If none are identifiable there are no reputations. So that parents may know if it is their own pea which they tuck into the family pod at the stated hour, a small flap is to be provided on the forehead of the mask. On lifting this, an act to be restricted to parents, the number and symbol stencilled on at birth may be seen. Wellington rumours assert that the D.S.I.R. is close to success in the search for a suitable non-poisonous but permanent pigment. School Reports Most primary school reports conceal what they are supposed to reveal. By jiggery pokery the mind of the parent is so confused by scales from A to Z, Ex. to Fair, 1 to 5, code words and percentages, hackneyed cliches, polite platitudes and vague generalisations that these reports convey much less than nothing. Fortunately the reports study group of the I.E.D. (Identical Education Division) has this matter in

hand. Certain selected schools may shortly be issued with trial reports made out for the various classes from Upper P.I to Upper Form 11. There will be no middle or lower classes. Beside each subject will be printed the word "Excellent,” followed by the comment “Is working up to capacity." Conduct will be described as “Suited to the times,” and attendance as “Frequent.” No signatures will be required so that when a child enrols at a school his parents will be given a wad of reports, identical except for the class name, one of which may be peeled off for study each June and December. This innovation will save many headaches and heartaches and is in direct conformity with current psychological trends. Those parents who give their offspring a shilling for every “Excellent" gained, would be well advised to begin taperingoff this custom. Needless to say the use of such reports will simplify matters at the secondary schools. To be divided into forms, the newcomers will be carefully lined up in random order, and counted off in thirties from one end of the line.