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Page 1 : Produced by Zoran Stefanovic, Frank van Drogen and Distributed Proofreaders Europe. This file was produced from images generously made available by Project Rastko. THE NEW IDEAL IN EDUCATION AN ADDRESS GIVEN BEFORE THE LEAGUE OF THE EMPIRE On July 16th, 1916. BY FR. NICHOLAI VELIMIROVIC, PH.D. Reprinted from the "FEDERAL MAGAZINE." LONDON "THE ELECTRICIAN" PRINTING AND PUBLISHING CO., LIMITED. SALISBURY COURT, FLEET STREET, E.C. THE NEW IDEAL IN EDUCATION. By Father Nicholai Velimirovic, Ph.D. "Nature takes sufficient care of our individualistic sense, leaving to Education the care of our panhumanistic sense." Ladies and Gentlemen, If we do not want war we must look to the children. There is the only hope and the only wise starting point. It is not without a deep prophetic significance that Christ asked children to come unto Him.

Page 2 : The sophistic theories of Athens of old have been renewed in Central Europe--the individuum is the ultimate aim of education. A human individuum is of limitless worth, said the German interpreters of the New Testament. Materialistic science, contradicting itself, agreed on that point with modern theology. Art, in all its branches, presented itself as the sole expression of one individuum, i.e., of the artist. The modern socialism, contradicting its own name, supported individualism very strongly in every department of human activity. Consequently modern Pedagogy, based upon the general tendencies, put up the same individualistic ideal as the aim to be achieved by the schools, church, state, and by many other social institutions. THE RESULTS OF THE OLD IDEAL. War is the result of the old ideal of education. I call it old because it is over for ever, I hope, with this war. The old European ideal of education was so called individualistic.

Page 3 : From this point of view we get the true ideal of education. The purpose of education is not to make grand personalities, but to make bricks for the building, i.e., to make suitable members of a collective body and suitable workers of a collective work. COLLECTIVE WORKS Are greater than personal works. A pupil from the old, individualistic school would object: --And what do you think of the work of Ibsen? I: I think it is incomparably smaller than the ancient Scandinavian legends. He: Do you not grant that Alfred the Great was the real creator of the English Kingdom? I: Never. Millions and millions of human creatures are built into this building that we call England, or English history, or English civilisation. He: And what about the man who built St. Paul's Cathedral? I: It is a collective work, as are all the great works that have been done. The architecture of St.

Page 4 : Behold, how illusory are all international restrictions when the education of a nation is quite excluded from any control! When the Nitzschean education of Germany teaches the German youth to despise all neighbours, all nations and races as inferior ones, how could you expect the Germans to respect the laws and regulations about Belgium, and submarines--and Zeppelin-warfare, and use of the dum-dum bullets and of poisonous gases? If there is anything to be learned from this war it is doubtless this: The education of youth in all the countries of the world must become an international affair of the very first importance. THE RUSSIAN TSAR, MR. CARNEGIE AND NOBEL. The Russian Tsar suggested the Peace Conference of The Hague. Mr. Carnegie built a wonderful Hall of Peace there, formed several commissions for the investigation of war cruelties during the Balkan Wars, and founded many public libraries for the instruction of the poor.

Page 5 : THE INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF EDUCATION. 1. It shall consist of the representatives of all the boards of education in the world. 2. The members of the board shall officially represent their own country. 3. The board will be supported materially by the respective Governments, and it will dispose of a great fortune from private legacies. For all the philanthropists and peacemakers and peace wishers will support such an institution rather than any other in the world. 4. The authority of this board shall be equal to the authority of an international political congress. 5. Its duty will be to control education all over the world, banishing or restricting individualism, egotism, chauvinism and bigotism, and promoting by all means panhumanism by developing the mind for collective work, mutual help, personal goodness and humbleness and social greatness. TO BRING CHILDREN OF THE WORLD CLOSER TOGETHER.

Page 6 : Let the children, the representatives of all the countries in the world, come to The Hague to hold the International Peace Congress. The programme of this Congress should be: Singing, playing, dancing, smiling and praying. They will meet as friends and speak every one in his native language, and they will understand each other very well as friends always understand each other. This Children's Hague Conference will promote the world peace more than The Hague Conference composed of enemies, mutually annoying themselves by obligatory politeness and bad French. But, you will ask, who is going to arrange and execute all this? The International Board of Education. But, you will say, it will be very expensive? Yes, but, supposing it will be as expensive as the war, for which of the two do you prefer to give money--for such a salvatory experiment or for the war? Yet, I am sure of one thing, it will cost less than a war. THE INTERNATIONAL CONTROL OF EDUCATION.

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