322 THE CLASS STRUGGLE 323 The Biology of Peace and War sponsibility, and with a readiness at the first signal from the people to give up my post and join the ranks again, and address myself to you you men and women teachers of Russia, to put aside the unworthy boycott, and while waiting for the day when the Constitutional Convention will establish a definite order in the matter of public education, to begin our work By DR. JOHN KALLEN now. appeal to you for the fulfillment of the following program: The immediate preparation for an educational congress on the most democratic lines; the realization of such congress at the very earliest opportunity; the friendly co operation of the proletariat and the best part of the Intelligenzia in the creation of a united and free public school in the broadest sense of these words.
When am writing this call to you, teachers, a new master of the land is guiding my hand young, inexperienced, but mighty the very same worker whom you wanted to serve. Go to his aid. He has conquered but he is alone. He is full of strength but surrounded with trouble. Glory to the one who in the heavy hour of trial by fire, will be on the side of the people such as it is, and shame on those who forsake it.
And; remember, if the ugly revolt of the Intelligentsia against the worker were to continue, it would sow his path of suffering with only new thorns, but it will not stop the wheels of his chariot. The people are calling on you to work to gether to build a new school in common. If you decline it will undertake its task alone, together with its true adherents and well wishers.
The European War is a rare opportunity for Socialist invasion of a field monopolized by thinkers hostile or at best unsympathetic to the movement. This invasion becomes imperative in the light of present tendencies in this field when events are being interpreted in ways that distort the truth in favor of international Parasitism. refer to social psychology. Trotter mid war attempt at impartial, scientific analysis of the world debacle in his Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War is interesting in this light. The carefully presented analysis of the first part can be used to reach conclusions vastly different from those the author draws when he applies those principles to the world war.
There is a grain of truth in the skeptic sneer that there is no science of society possible. The truth is that under certain conditions it is impossible to conduct an investigation that shall be with malice towards none and justice towards all, that shall conform to the tenet of science, nil admirari. War is one of those conditions. The German intellectuals, Trotter tells us, exhibit the infinite insecurity of the hold of reason in the most carefully cultivated minds when it is opposed by strong herd feeling. And he himself admits his bias against Germany, and he thinks, having recognized the existence of that as a necessary obstacle to complete freedom of thought it may be possible to allow for it and to counteract what aberations of judgment it may be likely to produce. 157. This frankness in no way has secured the object it aims at, we shall see. However much he seeks to fight it his judgment and method of inquiry are vitiated to such an extent as to detract from his fundamental premises which should have been the point at which he stopped his inquiry to leave the reader to draw his own conclusions. Or, allowing himself the luxury to apply his principle of psychology derived from There is no return to the past.
The People Commissary of Education, Lunacharsky.