COMMUNIST DANGER CITED
A friend telephoned Friday night
to comment favorably on that evening's
editorial, and expressed the hope that
America will somehow become mind
ful of the menace of Communism. The
caller has a record of distinguished
service in education and has,’ perhaps
as much as any other North Carolinian,
an awareness of problems in our edu
cational system.
He expressed the hope that we
would comment on the failure of our
public school system to provide train
ing for our boys and girls as to the
inherent dangers of Communism. He
mentioned that there exists today a
virtual impasse between schools and
parents on the question of whether a
study of Communism should be made
in our schools.
This is not so strange as might
appear at first glance, but it is none
theless regrettable. Certainly it
underscores a failure on the part of
both the schools and the parents. And
it is difficult to say, constructively,
who should make the first move in
correcting the situation.
It hardly seems debatable that
the young people of America should
know and understand Communism,
and the terror and the tyranny which
it is breeding around the world. But
we imagine that many parents would
prefer that nothing be taught in our
schools about Communism if there is
a risk that the teachers themselves
do not fully understand and appreciate
the difference between the principles
of American and the fundamentals of
Communi s m.
It is easy to understand the un
easiness on the part of parents when
a proposal is advanced that a course
in Communism be added to a school's
curriculum. So much has beenheard
from certain educators, implying
that they speaik for all teachers,
advocating- -and even originating--
governmental trends which they call
"social reform. " Often these trends
are too far a departure from funda
mental Americanism for many parents
to swallow. Thus flags of suspicion
are unjustifiably raised over all
school teachers.
Fortunately, school teachers are
in a position to establish a climate of
acceptance for teaching the menace
of Communism. This can be achieved
by emphasizing the things which made
this country great--and different from
all other nations in history.
This means, of course, that in
direct ridicule of the free enterprise
system must be discontinued, and that
support for further socialistic inroads
must be abandoned. School teachers
must exercise care that children are
taught that a government that promises
to give them everything they want is
also a government that will one day
take everything they have. The chil
dren must be persuaded that personal
responsibility, while not always the
easy way, is the only way that real
freedom can be preserved.
This is not to suggest that many
teachers are not already espousing
this philosophy, but it is also true that
many do not. And those who do not
are unwittingly creating the climate of
distrust which, as our friend acknowl
edged on Friday night, does exist.
There is a need for increased
confidence between parent and teacher,
for when this is achieved, support for
schools and their programs will come
with a rush far beyond the imagination
of any visionary on the political scene.
And this should be the origin of such
support, for then there will truly be
a new day for public education.
This should not involve undue
problems. The thinking of some--
both parents and teachers--may need
some adjustment; some textbooks may
need discarding. But once parents
are convinced that all teachers know
what real Americanism is, then there
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