INCULCATION OF PATRIOTIC VIRTUES IN SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2618, 13 November 1915, Page 3

INCULCATION OF PATRIOTIC VIRTUES IN SCHOOL.

Sir,—By a late issue of jour paper, I noticed that the Minister" of Education says that ho is heartily in sympathy wth any method that will incul■csito.trae patriotism into tho minds of our school children. 'litis being so, ho cannot surely bo ill favour of tlie practice of appointing single men to tako the place of tho 'patriotic ones who enlist. There are oven cases where unencumbered military young men have been promoted to fill positions vacated.by father teachers wlio 'havo enlisted. Tho soldier teacher plays tho game and sets an example of true patriotism, never to be forgotten by his old pupils, and the shirker waits at the door to grab his vacant chair, and to the shame of everybody concerned he gets it. Sinco patriotism should bo dealt with as a moral lesson, example should bo the rule Yet there are many who are hypocrites enough to battle with this subject on the floor of the school. when' from the depths of their hearts (if they havo any) they must know that they pose as shirkers before the class. By such teachers, as alike by aliens,'the whole lesson must be a farce, and they should not bo expected to deal with it. As a subscriber of your valuablo paper I thank you for inserting the above.—l am, etc., OROUA GLEN.