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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