LITERATURE AND EDUCATION

Hokitika Guardian, 14 February 1931, Page 6

LITERATURE AND EDUCATION

“The tendency of modern civilisation is towards a mechanical pertection in which the human element is at a discount.'’ says the “Manchester Guardian” in reference to conditions in England. The statement would he even more apt if applied to New Zealand. There, however, yet remain many men and women enlightened enough to appreciate the value of a humanistic education. One of these is Mr J. B. Priestly, the novelist, who, addressing the teachers attending the City of London vacation course last summer, pleaded for the preservation ol tile humanistic tradition in culture through literature. During the past ten years, he said, many people had been saying that it was not a time for literature. 'The world was full of chaos and of political, social and economic* conflict. Everything was in the melting pot. In America and Russia there were two new and strange civilisations. “Tn all this conflict and tumult,” continued Mr Priestly, “there seems to he little place for the art of letters. But I believe with all my heart and soul, not as a. professional author, but as a. private person, that literature j was never more important than it is to-day. In literature you get as in ! nothing else a picture o! the whole < man not the economic man, or man | as the doctor or the dentists sees him nr as the traffic expert sees him. some- | thing to he moved about—hut the j whole, complete human individual. We I are living in a world in which the • whole-man is tending to disappear.” | The speaker further said that the world to-day "’as extremely hard on ; the individual and that the individual | human being was being afforded less and less chance of asserting himself in)

all the fullness of character. In Russia. with its State autocracy, in Ame- | riea. with its standardisation of liabi its and thoughts, the individual had very little dm nee. Life everywhere was becoming more and more complicated, more and more organised, and in carrying out the tasks of life one tended .to think more and more of his cfellow creatures as automata and not as human beings. ft was very easy for one to lose touch with the dramatic imagination which helped a person to occupy for a time other people’s consciousness. Literature, if it was good, heightened one’s sense of community and gave one the whole-man. “We Have in this country.” concluded Mr Priestly. “ a very fine humanistic tradition in which the whole life of the individual is put down vividly and memorably. We have a wonderfully wise and humorous humanistic tradition. I wonder whether we are going to lose that tradition in this

age;' Wo are probably going to lose even moi'r of our money than we have already, possibly even) more of our trade, 1 don't know. But .1 would myself rather see England poor in wealth and rich in humanity than rich in wealth and'poor in humanity. That tradition reposes in our liiomtid'o. It, is a privilege of the teachers, with l heir power of influencing young minds, to guard the humanistic tradition, and to see to it that, it is not lost in the next generation. You have a great privilege, and I envy you.” New Zealand, as an off-shoot of England, has no small part in this great tradition. .Moreover, we appear at present more in need of .Mr Priestley's advice than England. There are too many among us who prefer the automaton to the individual. Every great philosopher has taught that ‘■’man does not live by bread alone.” There are greater things than material wealth. Let ns not forget this, but help to preserve tin* humanistic traditions which have made England great.