Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-02-09
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Open Forum
why Muzzic Our Teachers? ?

| To the Editor: Lovers of free
speech and free press and free ex-
preston of opinion will feel keen
interest in such legislation as that
proposed in house bill No. SO now
under consideration before our
state legislature. 1t provides for
a patriotic oath for all teachers
/ and professors of public or private
schools, and only those subscrib-
| ing to such oath, will be granted
the privilege to teach. While the
oath is nothing that any citizen
would likely object to, and other
provisions embodied in he bill are
innocent looking enough to the
casual boserver, close study of its
| provisions leaves an impression
| that it might be open to a multi
tude of various interpretations, and
reeds only the bellishment Of
few reactionary amendments to
run closely parallel to the famous
| Carlsbad decree of Germany in
| "Metternick," of Austria, a strong
man politically and ardently ad-
vocating the perpetuation of mon
archial rule. Quoting from a text
book on modern history, edited by
j. S. Schapiro, he writes, in part:
This decree, later adopted by the
diet of the confederation, provided
that special officials be appointed
to supervise the conduct of stu
dents and teachers. Now these
officials were to report any de-
parture from conservative princi-
pies, and to give 'salutary direc-
tion to the instructions of the
young, and, any teacher who was
known to propagate harmful doc
trines, hostile to public order, or
subversive of governmental in
Stitutions' was to be dismissed
from his position, and his appoint
ment. to any other university was
forbidden"
The fact that our news sources
are directly controlled or indi-
rectly influenced by special privi-
lege, has long since passed the
stage of argument, and is now
frankly admitted by many con-
servative magazines. 1t has even
become a part of the study of So
GEOLOGY and political economy.
Since it is known that special priv
ilege has thus far succeeded in
dominating the educational propa-
ganda which is passed out to-
mould the public mind in the form
of news, is there any reason to as
sumo that these same forces will
not avail themselves of the first
opportunity to control the boards
which would censor all books,
pamphlets, papers and literature
which comprise the school work.
Would not this same board be in
position to censor the acts, words
and deeds of our instructors, and
deny the privilege of teaching to
all who under oath would nSt
promise TO teach only sucn doc
trines and policies as seemed con-
sistent with the interest of special
privilege? The writer does not
believe in teaching socialism, boil
shevism, or any other political
creed or sectarian doctrine in our
public schools, but he does believe
that the knowledge acquired by
our professors and teachers 10y
years of study, observation and
personal contact with existing
problems of society, is valuable to-
the youthful mind, and, that in the
course of school study they should
be permitted to point out the ex-
listing evils in our political, indus
trial and social order, without fear
of prosecution or persecution for
disseminating such radical propa-'
ganda as the truth. 1t will be a
sorry day for free America when
our public school system becomes
subjected to the rule of special in
terests, which, through power of
capital, or military coercion -
which was the case in Germany :
dictates and directs the policies
of its schools and teachers. Teach
ers would become the mouthpiece
of powerful interests, teaching on
ly such thought as seemed consis-
tent with powers in control. If we
are living in the light of past eX-
perience, this is not idle talk. 1t
: a question of deepest concern to
our citizens, whether or not, men
who revert to European practices
of a hundred years ago, are Ssle
leaders or wise counsellors. Our
statesmen may well reflect before
enacting into law, discarded relics
OF imperialism, which, quoting the
exact words of Schapiro, "fettered
the intellectual. life of Germany for
an entire generation" The writer
maintains that a nation following
out the principal Of Justice to all,
special privilege to none" needs
no patriotic tests for its teachers.
Patriotism is not commodity, can
be neither bought nor sold, and
true principles of justice are the
only grounds on which it was ever
known to thrive or propagate.
Night not our statesmen better
employ their time trying to elimi-
nate some of the evils that make
for social unrest, rather than p1as1
ing laws compelling liberation
through system of censorship of
our educational institutions. the
purpose of which is, no doubt, to
dslude the youthful mind with the
misinformation that evils in our
political and industrial life is non
existent, that we have reached the
hight of development along these
lines. and that any attempt to
change the existing order is moth
ing short of treason, and a law
disallowing our teachers to criti- |