The central authority itself, as represented by Lunatcharsky, has, during
the XIII Congress of the Soviets, pronounced that the greatest part of
students and pupils are enemies and political adversaries, whom he considers
it would be well to expel from all educational institutions; or, at best,
one might allow them to enter Universities, but only through a loophole
“as small as a needle’s eye”. Such is the predominant atmosphere in
schools. Is it surprising that such a soil breeds all varieties of hooligans?
Hatred is easily vented on anybody who is not of your opinion: on the
lady-teacher*), on a surgeon, on a stranger, on any one belonging to
another religion™*).
The second factor which demoralizes our youth is the premature
awakening of sex instincts. The subjects taught do much to awaken these
instincts. All this is done in a pseudo-scientific manner, in connection with
the study of anatomy and physiology; it is done at an age when children
are not at all interested in questions of sex-relations. Questionaires, which
are quite incredible by their immodesty, are sent out among the school-
children; “free love” is openly applauded, and unnatural, monstrous
relationships are encouraged among the children of the school. According
to the questionaires sent out among the Leningrad schools 88 0% of the
girls had had sexual relations. In the children’s homes and asylums, in which
boys and girls live together, the moral atmosphere of their environment
leads to such outrageous looseness of conduct that literally all the children
are infected with venereal diseases.
The third and chief reason of the children’s demoralization is the fact
that not only all religious feeling has been taken out of education, but that
1 bitter struggle against it is being waged in the school.
“From the very kindergarten the child must be surrounded by unbe-
lievers” (XIII Congress). “You must know how to profit by each doubt
arising in the heart of a child when his demands have not been answered
by God”. The teacher is officially bound: a) To abstain personally from
all observances of religious rites; b) to organize a “scientific” anti-religious
croup and to take part in such a group; c) to help and organize an
“anti-religious corner’ in the local reading-room; d) to hold anti-religious
lectures, etc.
*) If a lady-teacher has reprimanded a pupil she can never be sure that a stone
or a stick will not be hurled at her from behind a fence. The teachers are all well
used to be spoken to in a rude and dastardly manner. “Give me hack my book”,
calls out a boy whom the lady-teacher has punished him by taking away a book.
“Give it back or I shall kill you”. Labour, No. 114, 1926.
*) The pedagogical literature notes with anxiety the growing spirit of anti-
semitism in Soviet schools and the painful cases when Jewish children were severely
persecuted in Russian schools. (“On the Way” — Na Putiack, No. 9, 1926.)
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