HAROLD C. HAND

This age is truly engaged in a race for "suvival of the fittest" and education's role inthis contest is paramount. That it should and must win the peace for all time by means ofmwakening minds to the urgency of working for world unification through mental ratherthan martial materiel is the theme of this disturbing (as well it should bel) article byHarold Hand, professor of education, University of Illinois, who bas returned to the fieldof education after duty with the Armed Services.

"EDUCATION IS NOW the only in-strument of survival," says WilliamBenton. In this Year II of the atombomb, no other conclusion' is possiblefrom a careful analysis of our world.Descriptive of this world of 1946 arethe following eight propositions. In anyconsideration of education's role incivilized survival, such facts must berecognized before effective action canresult.

gi946-Atom Bomb II

I. Science and technology havemade all the peoples of the earthclosely and increasingly interde-pendent; this is evidenced by suchfacts1 as these:a4 Is the long rn, no uation can beprosperous unless other uations areprosperous.

-EL If there is a serious economic de-pression anywkere, all nations even-tually sfear.EL If any reat nation attempts to

/ make itself economically self-snjfcient,the level of living will be lowered inother nations.L If oany great nation sets up high

tarifs, other nations are forced to dolikevise.L If any treat nation devaluates its

currency, other nations are obligedto follow suit.E If any great nation has bare sub.sisteace wamgs, or forced or slavelabor, labor everoywhere will even-tally saffer.AL If a dictatorship is established inay great antion, the freedoms of men

everywhere are threatened.C If any treat nation raises a largearmy, navy and air force, stockpiles,

1 Reve$, Emery. The Anatomy of Peace, Harper& Bro.

4

atom bomb, etc., other nations areforced to do the same.Lf war breaks oat anywhere, it soon

involves or adversely effects allnations-peace s indivisible.( If education or tie disseminationof iformt in any nation is per-verted, tae other peoples of the earthsufer in consequence of this fact; theideas men carry around in their headscan be as dangeroes to the peace ofthe world as the weapons they carryin their hands.

II. The result is that there are todayfew if any national problems ofany magnitude which are notalso international problems.

III. Yet, because the peoples of theworld still cling to the outmodedinstitution of unlimited nationalsovereignty, a state of almostcomplete international anarchyobtains on this earth today. Indi-vidual nations have the uncon-trolled power to make tradeagreements, raise tariffs, devalu-ate currency, submerge labor,establish dictatorships, oppressminorities, suppress the press, si-lence the radio, chain the pulpit,pervert the schools, raise hugearmies, navies and air forces,stockpile atom bombs, commitacts of aggression, and declarewar-regardless of the effects onother nations.

IV. This was frightful enough in aworld dominated by a technol-ogy based on steam, internal com-bustion, electricity and chemis-try. It cost the people of the earth

Educational Ledership

a global economic depression and consider within the framework of oldtwo wars in the short space of ideas," said President Truman. Theretwenty-five years. These pen- are many old ideas which must be eradi-alties were of our own making; cated if we are to live securely and hap-we refused to act on the evident / pily in the presence of atomic energy.fact that we lived in "one world.// But there is one so pregnant with the

V. Now we have in our hands a threat of the imminent destruction ofcompletely new and vastly more mankind as to rate the top educationalpotent type of energy, too com- priority-this is the idea of unlimitedpletely revolutionary in character national sovereignty-an idea solidly, if"to consider within the frame- not fanatically, rooted in the inheritedwork of old ideas."2 "common sense" of mankind, be it

VI. If properly controlled and used noted. It is to a consideration of the edu--i.e., if we and the other peoples cational imperatives associated with theof the earth can develop a new eradication of this now lethal idea and"common sense" appropriate to practice that I shall restrict myself inthe new situation-atomic energy this discussion.will bring great benefits to all As Reves has so convincingly demon-mankind. strated, all national groups have long

VII. But if atomic energy is not prop- since learned that peace, physical secur-erly controlled and used-i.e., if ity and freedom are possible within thean adequate new "common sense" nation state only on the basis of lawis not created and made operative, backed up by a police power adequateand that very quickly, say in less to coerce54Ie who transgresses makesthan twenty years-the odds are himself fan enemy of society and is dealtoverwhelming that man will by with accordingly, in consonance withhis own hand destroy himself and predetermined safeguards and proce-his works. "One world or none" dures, by societal machinery providedneatly epitomizes the educational in advance for exactly this purpose. Un-imperatives to which we must der law, all freedoms are limited--one'shenceforth be dedicated. rights end where the other fellow's nose

VIII. This desperately needed new begins. Further, under law one may not"common sense" can only be engage in personal war when his nosecreated upon the basis of under- has been violated. Instead, society in itsstanding. This puts the problem own name steps in to punish the of-squarely in the laps of all who fender, and redress the injury.educate, whether through the Patently, this is what must obtain atpress, radio, or motion pictures, the international level if we are to haveor from the pulpit, or in the societal good health at that level. Diplo-schools. "Education is no'w the macy and treaties have always failed us,only instrument of surivral." and always will. Only true internationaif

law, now non-existent, will suffice. Al-Unlimited National Sovereignty Is Lethal bert Einstein, in One Woild or ione,bert Einstein, in One World or None,

"The release of atomic energy con- puts it succinctly-"There is, in mstitutes a new force too revolutionary to opinion, only one way out. It is necessar

2 Presiden Truman. that conditions be established that guar-

October 1946 A

antee the individual state the right tosolve its conflicts with other states on alegal basis and under international juris-diction. It is necessary that the individ-ual state be prevented from making warby a supranational organization sup-ported by a military power that is ex-clusively under its control."l WalterLippmann, in the same '--, added anecessary additional element: "Theprinciple is to make individuals, notsovereign states, the objects of inter-national agreements; it is to have lawsoperate upon individuals." The alterna-tive, he says, is to attempt-"to achievepeace through law by calling upon greatmasses of innocent people to stand readyto exterminate great masses of innocentpeople. No world order abe foundedupon such a principle"

If, as the price of sirvival, the idea andpractice of unlimited national sover-eignty must give way to the idea andpractice of world government, if thismust be sanctioned by a new "commonsense" before it can be effected, and ifthe creation of this new "commonsense" is exclusively a function of educa-tion, what must educators do? What en-abling objectives must they accept andtranslate into learning experiences?

Eduation's Tasks Are Legion

We must be awakened to the factthat we live in an interdependent world.First and foremost, and basic to all therest, is the necessity of insuring thateverybody realizes how completelyevery important aspect of his futurewell-being is conditioned if not shapedby peoples in other lands-by what theybelieve or do not believe, what they door do not do and vice versa. To reachmost people, this must be personalized.It must be demonstrated to them thatthe realization of their hopes for a de-

6

cent life is thus conditioned-their hopesfor steady employment in good jobs; forthe material good things of life whichcan be theirs only if there are goodsand only if their wages can commandthem; for economic security in old age;for a life of peace; for physical security;for freedom to come and go, speak orbe silent; for freedom from the pryingsof secret police, and so on.

This realization of the interdepend-ence of peoples must be instilled notonly into the minds but also into theemotions of the children, youth andadults of this and all other lands. Menwho know, but do not feel, that a seri-ous fire hazard exists in the house nextdoor are not likely to do much about it.

The facts of international anarchymust be taught. All who educate mustaid children, youth and adults in gain-ing a clear-eyed view of the interna-tional anarchy which is our inheritancefrom the past. The hurtful things whichnation states are now legally entitled todo--and do do-to one another with nothought except for their own short-runbenefits should be detailed, documented,and appraised. The microscope shouldbe trained on our own as well as all othernational states. Again, "social con-science" as well as intellect should beeducated.

The consequences of internationalanarchy must be made apparent. Thepast and present consequences of inter-national anarchy should be traced interms of its economic, political and socialeffects on the common people of thecountries of the world, our own in-cluded. The chief emphasis should prob-ably be focused on documented past andespecially present consequences. But thefuture should not be left out of account;the probable consequences of the pro-jection of present trends should also be

Educational Leadership

assessed, again in personal terms wher-ever possible. Will these lead to prosper-ity or depression, peace or war, the ex-tension or the negation of freedom, abetter or a worsened life? Let the emo-tions be touched.

We must teach that the devil theoryof war is an opiate. Educators must pointout that the devil theory of war explainslittle or nothing; it merely affords thevictors a specious sense of innocence.Unless and until we all see, accept, andact upon the fact that wars are a conse-quence of international anarchy-forwhich we and all the other peoples ofthe earth are jointly responsible-weshall not progress very far along theroad to peace. This, too, must be felt aswell as known.

The need for true international lawmust be made known-and gotten intoour emotions. Even prior to the atombomb, it could be demonstrated that se-curity, peace, freedom and prosperitywere possible in this highly and evermore interdependent world only undertrue international law; i.e., law backedup by a supranational police power 1capable of enforcing it anywhere, at anytime. This should be demonstrated inthe schools (and through the press,radio, and pulpit), along with the factthat diplomacy and treaties are of butillusory value.and hence no substitute-they have always failed us and must al-ways be expected to do so. Again, feel-ing is no less important than knowing.

We must teach that unlimited nationalsovereignty is in reality a myth. One ofthe easiest imaginable generalizations todocument and demonstrate is that effec-tive, unlimited national sovereignty istoday a myth. When national states areforced against their will to rig their cur-rency, raise tariffs, create huge armiesand go to war, they can scarcely be said

October 1946

to be sovereign. The myth of sover-eignty is also evident when nation statesare swept by economic depressions orepidemics of contagious disease whichoriginate elsewhere. This myth can andshould be exploded beyond repair by allwho educate, whatever their medium,and wherever they may be.

We must demonstrate that atomicenergy makes world government im-perative. All children, youth, and adultsshould, of course, be helped to acquireat least an elementary knowledge of thefission process and related matters.Equally obvious, all should be helped tovisualize the great possibilities for thebetterment of mankind which atomicenergy promises if properly controlledand used. But what especially concernsus here is that all educators everywherewith all possible speed lead youth andadults to understand and appreciate thelethal consequences certain to flow fromthe atom bomb when compounded withunlimited national sovereignty. The aw-ful destructiveness of this weapon ofsaturation must be made clear, and felt.The fact that there is no secret, that ina very few years other powers will alsobe stockpiling atom bombs, must effec-tively be taught. That there is no mili-tary defense, that the present ongoingatomic armament race can only end in atie, and that destruction can be avoidedonly by the establishment of at least alimited world government, must be in-jected into the nervous system of everyvouth and adult. The urgency of thisneed cannot be over-emphasized; theperil is so real and so imminent as todefy exaggeration.

Teaching loyalty to one's nationalstate as the highest possible form of pa-triotism is now education for self-de-struction. As a necessary condition forsurvival in a world in which all powers,

7

not-so-great, as well as great, will soonbe stockpiling atom bombs and in whichall major cities are within bombingrange of any country, all educators mustnow teach that there is today and hence-forth a higher loyalty-loyalty to theideal of the universal brotherhood ofman and its concomitant, world govern-ment.

Antidotes must be provided for otherpoisons spread by radio and press. Theallusion here is to those columnists, edi-tors and radio commentators who aremore intent on inducing our people todistrust and hate other nationals than onbuilding understanding and good will.Many educators have taught us howpupils can be helped to inoculate them-selves against such enemies of worldpeace--this "know how" we must applymore widely and vigorously. Worldgovernment cannot be based on distrustand hate.. Cultural barbarians must be civilized.

We use the term "cultural barbarian"to designate the person who confidentlyassumes that a difference implies an in-feriority--on the other national's part,of course; a belief based on the naive as-sumption that "we" (whoever "we"may be, whether Americans, French,British, Russians, or whatnot) are the"chosen of God" to whom has been re-vealed the one and only correct way ofthinking, believing, and doing. If theoverseas behavior of our troops, officersand enlisted men alike, was any criterionwe are to an appalling degree a nationof "cultural barbarians." Anythingthought, believed, or done either by ourallies or by native populations whichdiffered appreciably from "our way ofdoing it" instantly and indelibly stampedthe ally or native population as inferior-an evaluation which our troops did

8

not hesitate to announce to the world,too frequently in an ingeniously offen-sive manner. This characteristic-an at-titude of mind not at all foreign to othernational groups as well-is anything butconducive to that international under-standing and good will without whichworld government is impossible. Sincewe know that all attitudes are learned,here is an educational problem of thefirst order of magnitude and significancewhich must be attacked by all whowould educate for civilized survival.

We must teach that America cannotexpect to have everything her own 'way.It is an axiom of social psychology thatpeople who live differently think differ-ently, believe differently, value differ-ently, and hence conclude differentlyfrom the same set of facts. Given theextremely wide diversities in the experi-ences of the peoples of the earth-whichwe should realistically teach in ourschools-- it is absurd to suppose that"they" will conclude as "we" do in anybut a relatively small number of in-stances. It is equally absurd to assumethat the peoples of the earth can live to-gether in peace on this drasticallyshrunken globe on any 'other basis ex-cept that of compromise. We must teachaccordingly, not overlooking the disci-plining of our students' emotions in thisregard.

An international history is an im-perative necessity. In his This PoisonCalled History, H. G. Wells tells usthat the nationalistic-that is to saybiased and distorted-teaching of his-tory is one of the important causes ofwars. There can be little doubt that thisis true. For some misguided reason,every national group seems to feel thatits youth must be taught half truths andmyths which make "us" appear always

Educational Leadership

to have been wise, right, and virtuous;the other fellow not so. Yet we professto believe with Charles A. Beard thata nation cannot safely live by lies anddeceit. Now that the world has becomea small neighborhood, an objective in-ternational history to be used in theschools of all nations is desperatelyneeded-and that very quickly. At themoment we do not even have a historywhich can be used in Canada and theUnited States-two friendly neighborsif ever such existed.

Erroneous stereotypes of other na-tionals must be eradicated. Every na-tional group seems to have its stereo-types of all other nationals of which itsmembers are aware. These stereotypesare unflattering to an extent exceededonly by the degree to which they areuntrue-which is very considerable.Say "Englishman" to the average Amer-ican and he immediately sees a some-what ludicrous person (inferior, ofcourse to the American) who is cold,aloof, and "stuck up"; who lacks a senseof humor, is a bit slow-witted, inclinesto stupidity, and is always plotting howhe can get other people-especiallyAmericans-to pull his chestnuts out ofthe fire. Say "Yank" to the averageEnglishman, and he immediately sees asomewhat ludicrous person (inferior, ofcourse to the Englishman) who lacksnot only good taste, but proper inhibi-tions of any sort, gives offense by brag-ging and exaggerating; throws hismoney away in a conspicuous manner;knows gadgets, but is otherwise not toobright; and gets rich out of war, whileother people do the fighting. The dis-torted lenses of these stereotypes do notpermit the people in either group reallyto see those in the other-as was evi-denced so disastrously by American and

October 1946

British troops in both world wars. In-stead, they can perceive only what theirstereotypes, operative on their sensessince birth, will permit them to see inthe other nationals-be they British,American, Russian, German, or whatyou will!

Obviously, if educators are to lay thefoundations of reciprocal understandingand good will so necessary for any ad-vance along the road to world govern-ment, they must eradicate these mali-ciously erroneous stereotypes. Thismeans that serious work must be doneto substitute reality for the "LordPlushbottom" characterizations in ourcomic strips, radio skits, motion pictures,vaudeville, and the like.

Educators must wage war on a par-ticularly vicious species of internationalilliteracy. All who saw military servicearound the globe-as I happened to do inthe recent war-must have been appalledby the almost complete degree to which"we" were ignorant of "them" andvice-versa. Each national group was ob-served to be woefully innocent of anyknowledge or understanding of the tra-ditions, economic, political and socialconditions and problems, folkways,mores, hopes, ambitions, fears, frustra-tions of any of the other nationals. Nar-rowly provincial education was reflectedeverywhere, in the American group toa degree perhaps greater than that inany of our English-speaking allies. Buteverywhere was mirrored a curriculumtotally inadequate to the needs of aworld faced with the necessity of estab-lishing international government andlaw as the only alternative to destruc-tion.

Language barriers must be overcome.Not only are the interdependent peoplesof this earth ignorant of one another;

9

most are prevented from effective in-tercommunication by the barrier oflanguage. I shall never forget the frus-tration I experienced when a brotherofficer and I vainly tried to conversewith three or four Russian air-force offi-cers in Cairo in early 1943. How thislanguage dilemma can be resolved isanything but clear to me. Perhaps asmall number of our more capable stu-dents should be encouraged to study thelanguages of at least the major nationalpowers. Translators, if not interpreters,will, I hope, be put to work increas-ingly. Perhaps Esperanto or some equiv-alent will prove to be the answer. Itis inconceivable that the present barrierwill be tolerated once the peoples ofthe world awaken to the necessity ofcommunicating with one another.

Mental health is a survival need. Ifone may judge from the recent sad his-tory of the world, particularly from thesorry story of racial and other minoritypersecution both abroad and here athome, a great many people obviouslyhave had built into their nervous sys-tems aggressive drives of such vigor andsavagery as to require scapegoats forpurposes of emotional catharsis. Thesepeople are emotionally sick, the prod-ucts of viciously mis-educative life ex-periences in home, school, and other en-vironments. Educators, particularlythose concerned with infants and youngchildren, have a tremendous responsi-bility in this respect. Emotional illness,especially of this type, must be substan-tially reduced as a necessary conditionfor peace through world government.

We mus? keep youth and adultsabreast of the work of the new AtomicEnergy Commission, help them to criti-cize it constructively, and to be helpfulto it in every 'way. The passing of the

10

Atomic Energy Act is a historic stepforward. As the Federation of Ameri-can Scientists sa.d in an August 1946press release:

The men of the atomic (energy) com-mission will be our pilots as we move for-ward into a new world. It is as if a newColumbus were telling us of a new era,and we were appointing a new commissionto study and plan and guide us throughepochal changes... For atomic energy isa world problem, a world peril, and aworld promise.

Only on the basis of an informed andactive popular consent can this com-mission chart our course through thetroubled waters which lie ahead. Theengineering of this consent is one of themost crucially important tasks con-fronting all who educate.

Through education, we must support,utilize and strengthen UNESCO. It iswithin the power of those who educateeither to reduce this agency to a skele-ton through the starvation of indiffer-ence and neglect, or to make it a robustagent for international understandingand peace through the red meat of pa-tient understanding, constructive criti-cism, and active, full support. Only asit is everywhere understood by chil-dren, youth, and especially adults, canthe great potentialities of UNESCO berealized.

Plans for 'world government must beformulated and appraised. The structureof world government must first be cre-ated by and in the minds of men. NoMoses is likely to come down from anymountain bearing the blueprint of anideal world state. Instead, this designwill have to be constructed through theprocesses of proposal and debate. Theformer task will necessarily be per-formed by a relative handful of excep-

Educational Leadership

tionally imaginative self-dedicated men.These we can confidently expect tocome forward wherever on this earthmen are free to think and speak. Indeed,a distinguished group has already doneso here and in Canada. Debate musr becarried forward on the widest possiblebasis in order that true consent may beengineered in support of whatevermodified proposal emerges from thetotal process of inquiry. These totalprocesses of inquiry should deal withall proposals wherever originated, andutilize all media of education in allcountries.

Shall We Sleep This One Out?

Education all oVer the world wascaught napping when the steam engine,the automobile, the airplane, the radio,and other revolutionary inventions ordiscoveries put in their appearances and

quietly began to transform society. Nosystematic effort was made to predicttheir probable social effects; no carefulattempt to ferret out and act upon theirresultant educational implications wasundertaken. The effects proved to berevolutionary, but the school curricu-lum slumbered on. Little wonder, then,that many investigators have beenforced to conclude that the schools typi-cally educate in reference to "the edu-cational, social and vocational realitiesof an era that is past."

Now we stand in the developingpresence of atomic energy. Its revolu-tionary consequences give every prom-ise of dwarfing all that have gone before.If we elect to sleep this one out, we shallin all probability be killed in our beds.Those of us who visited Hiroshima andNagasaki can attest how awfully com-plete, and how completely awful, thatend is likely to be!

TEACHING OF INTERNATIONALUNDERSTANDING

We present the following report of the World Conference of the Teaching Professionbecause we believe it is particularly pertinent to this issue and because we realize its greatsignificance for all people concerned with international unity. This conference was heldin Endicott, New York, August 17-30, 1946, and the recommendations citedwere adopted by representatives of thirty-six teachers associations from twventy-eight different nations.

I.

The teaching of international under-standing rests upon ihe cultivation ofideals and the development of a sense ofpersonal responsibility for cooperationwith others in all matters affecting hu-man welfare. It does not involve thesacrifice of national culture or nationalcitizenship, or the subordination of oneto another. It requires thorough study ofworld problems, including the knowl-

October 1946

edge of economic forces and historicalbackgrounds.

This Conference, therefore, declaresthat teachers should instruct the youthof all lands to act upon the followingprinciples and should strive, alone orwith others, to make these principlesprevail in all areas of human relation-ship:

I. The fundamental needs of mankindfor food, clothing, shelter, health, recrea-tion, and security should be satisfied.

11

Copyright © 1946 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. All rights reserved.