MALE TEACHERS AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 86, 4 January 1918, Page 6

MALE TEACHERS AND THE WAR

[ EXEMPTION NOT WANTED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE'S VIEW AN INTERESTING DEBATE The following important remit from Masterton was the subject of a discussion by the Teachers' Conference yesterday :— "That as education is of vital importance to the life and prosperity of any community, and as it is already impossible for education boards to fill vacancies with qualified teachers, this institute is of the opinion that the Education Department should take some steps towards, tho exemption of a due proportion of male teachers from military service, as is being done by other official bodies, with a view to the maintenance of efficiency."

Mr. F. L. Combs, M.A. (Masterfcm), moved the remit. He said that lie based his argument for it chiefly upon the importanco of tho teacher to tho nation. He himself was right at the end of the Second Division. It had been urged on behalf of tho Marist Brothers that they occupied an unusual position, and that their attitude towards their work was rather a sacrificial one. They received small emoluments, and derated themselves wholly to their work. Pie' had aways held that a malo teacher should be a married man, with a discreet number of children. He was prepared to maintain, before educationists that a married teacher was better man a 'celibate teacher, and that in sending a Marist Brother away the country would lose less than in sending away a married and experienced teacher.' A married teacher on tho average salary of iho profession must take up his work, in a spirit of something like self-sacrifice. After he had done lus duty to his wife and family, his surplus for personal expenditure was 110 larger than that of a Marist Brother. The country's educational system, if thero was any good in it, cousisted, wholly in the experienced teachers in the service—tho men oi strong and vigorous personality who had lent character to it. In the oxtent to which those teachers woro sent away the efficiency of the educational sei'vico was being impaired. If anyone said that he, in moving the Temit, was backing out, 110 was prepared to show that he was not. Mr. J. H. Fieldhouse (Mastorton) seconded tho motion pro forma.

< The Institute's Attitude. _ Mr. H. A. Parkinson, M.A. (Wellington) said that he thought the motion worthy of very serious discussion. Ho sympathised with it a great deal, and yet it- implied that the executive was to change its attitude on the question of military service. The institute had most clearly felt and 'said that it was the duty of teachers to shoulder their share of the burden of defending tho Empire. It would liavo meant a very sorious impairment of the usefulness of the teaching profession if the institute had taken up any other attitude at the beginning of tho war. It would have impaired the influence of the profession, and would liavo set up a dry rot of exemptions within the country. It should therefore bo made quite clear that the institute 110 whit regretted the fact that its men had volunteered in such large numbers to do their duty in tho field. A few weeks ago, when offered by Parliament general exemption, tho executive thought it its duty to insert in the Press a statement setting nut what the institute's attitude was. Tho statement was to tho,effect that exemption as offered by Parliament had 110 moaning for the body of primary school teachers, because all the male teachers who were free to go to the war had gone. But there was this ouestion'to bo faced: How long could ,the country go on depicting its teaching service? He was not quite sure at the moment how he was going to vote upon the remit. He wanted to hear it discussed. The institute would be doing the State very bad service indeed if it becan to hoist tile flag of exemptions. There wore enough people who were doing that already.- On the other hand, the teachers must by some means, for the good of tho nation, avert as far as possible the evils that would come of depletion. If the remit was carried many would say: "Hullo, here are the teachers getting tired!" If they got so-'tirod_ tliat, the war was not carried to a finish of the right kind, our educational system would-not be worth very much. Mr. T. \V. Ambrose, B.A. (Ashleyl said that if the Second Division had to go, the teachers who were members of it ought to go too. The first thin* was to win the war. Education would get along fairly well in the meantime, and the teachers who had gone would have a far better standing in the community when they returned, having done their duty. He was opposed to the motion.

The Women's View). Airs. Dowling (Taranaki) expressed the opinion that women teachers could be found to take the nlace of those who had to go. She thought it was the duty of the men to go and 1 fight for those who were willing to do tl'-o work in the meantime. ' Mr. 0. D. Flainank (Dunedin) opposed the motion. The teachers, he said, had nailed their colours to the mast, and he did r.ot think that the institute should now do .anything to lower them. Our educational system must suffer, but it would suffer much more if the Allies did not win the war. Mr. Nairn (Wanganui) opposed the motion. , , Mr. B. N. I. Blake. M.A. (Wellington), explained that he was in much the same position in the reserve as Mr. 1 Combs. Ho intended to vote against the remit. There was the immediate duty of winning the war. That must be faced, even if the last man had to he sent. There was. in sending teachers away, an immediate effect that all could' see. but there was also a remote effect that was not so evident. The tradition that the profession had never failed to do its duty was something that would lie handed down from year to year and would increase the value of teachers to the community, for it would he recognised that teachers knew their duty when they saw it. Though our educational system must suffer from deoletion of the teachers' ranks, he still felt that finally they would gain more, than they would lose by sending teachers away. Messrs. J. M'K. Miller J. D. M.'Naughton lAucklaml), and W. D. Maclcay (Westlatid) also spoke against the motion. Mr. D. W. Low (Manawatu) said that there was another side from which the question might be viewed. Mr. Combs had claimed that it was as highly patriotic to ask that the educational system of the country should not suffer' as it was to express willingness to fight. He did not think that there was anything more important to the nation at present than the education of the children. If it was neglected it would mean that the next generation would he crippled, and it -was the dutv of the institute, thp Department, and the public to sen that tho next generation was not crippled by neglect of any kind. Ho therefore supported the motion. The oxemption of teachers was of far more importance than the exemption of clergymen. The service of the teacher was far higher than that of tho clergyman to-day. It was

not for their own sakes that teachers would ask for exemption. There wits not a mail among tho teachers of military age who was not willing to go. The Department might, however, do something to eliminate the necessity for exemption of teachers. It might consolidate certain schools, and take advantage of the services of those teachers who had retired on superannuation. There would not then bo such reason for the exemption of many of the teachers.

Mr. F. Coleman (Nelson) was strongly opposed to the motion. In his opinion, no service to-day was so im- | portant as military service. Teachers had been denouncing shirkers to their children, and surely they were not going to shirk when their time came. Mr. I] said that, after hearing the excellent address of Mr. Combs, ho was 110 longer very hostile to the motion, though he still intended to oppose it. The Real Point. Mr. Combs, in reply to the criticisms of tne other speakers, said tlias first of all he had made it plain that if his personal position were called in question, and tile authorities required as a test of his bona lidos that lib should enter the forces next day, ho would do it. Tho point that seemed to havo been missed by other speakers was that exemption was a recognised principle of our military service. He had emphasised the fact that our educational system was tho wost important system, tho absolutely indispensable foundation of democracy, and that if there woro to bo exemptions (which was the settled policy of tho country) there was 110 organisation.in which exemptions should be more carefully or more thoroughly made than in the case of teachers. He knew from the study of history that without education tlioro could be 110 democracy. Thero was something, worso than the present war, and that Svas tho possibility of such internal disaster as prevailed in Bussia owing to tho appalling ignorance of the people. Ho did not see any possibility of our being reduced to the condition of Russia, but tho political questions that would have to be dealt wjtn after tho war would be of a very crucial character, and unless the people were sufficiently educated a condition of mild anarchy might prevail. To thoso who would say that there had never been any symptoms of anarchy in New Zealand, he would point out the waterside workers' strike of a few years ago. The skill of an experienced teacher could not bo replaced, and thero were many unqualified peoplo coming into the profession, and not doing their work well. Tho motion was lost 011 the voices.