LOYALTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 November 1921, Page 4

LOYALTY.

Tn the course of his speech, when moving the second reading of the Education Amendment Bill, the Minister (the Hon. C. J. Parr) referred to the steps the Government intended to take in the direction of ensuring that all teachers shall take the oath of allegiance, thereby declaring their loyalty to the King. That is satisfactory as far as it goes, and is not likely to be resented by the teachers. The main trouble, however, in this matter is the disloyalty of a small buf obstinate section of parents who forbid their children taking part in any loyal observance, such as saluting the flag. Disloyal teachers can be speedily and effectively dealt with, but the parents a?d children who deliberately refuse to show a loyalty that should exist in every man, woman and child in the Bri-

tish Empire, constitute a more difficult problem. Fortunately the exceptions to the general rule are few and far bet!ween. Mr. Malcolm (Clutha) considers that no martyrs must be made among children who are instigated by their parents to refuse io. salute the flag. In this he is quite right, for it is the parents who should be dealt with if they could be. Inasmuch as the whole structure of our Constitution depends on loyalty to the Throne, it would seem that people who are not prepared to subscribe to the test of loyalty should find no dwelling place within the Empire. To all intents and purposes they are an alien element, and the only way that seems fitting to deal with them is to require them to go to a more congenial country. The question is one that, sooner or later, will have to <be faced, as it has been faced in the United States, and the Government proposes to start operations by compelling teachers to testify to their loyalty. What the next step will be remains to be seen, but it is quite evident that there must be an end put to the undermining of 'he loyalty, of children, otherwise anarchy will be fostered.