SEDITIOUS TEACHING. (Hansard, 27 March 1928)

Sir JOHN BUTCHER
I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to prevent the teaching of seditious doctrines or methods to the young; and for other purposes connected therewith. The object of this Bill is to prevent the teaching of seditious matter to children under 16 years of age, and the dissemination of seditious literature among children. Let me make two points perfectly clear. First, no teaching or literature is interfered with by this Bill unless 274 it be seditious according to the common law of England, and therefore illegal; and, secondly, this Bill in no way affects propaganda among adults. The teaching and literature at which this Bill is directed is of the recognised Communist type, which aims at destroying the existing Constitution and order of things, by force if necessary, and the setting up in its place of a revolution on the Russian model. For this purpose, class-hatred, a rebel spirit, and hatred and disaffection against the King and the Constitution are preached. Love of country and patriotism are denounced. [HON. MEMBERS: "No! "] Yes. Private property is anathematised as robbery, and owners of property—I wonder if hon. Members will cheer this—are held up to execration as "robbers and Judas Iscariots." I am quoting their words. Revolution on the Russian model is glorified, and, to use their own language, "Russia is the one bright spot," Let me say a word or two upon the object of this movement. The movement is the outcome of the First Congress of the Young Communist International, held at Berlin in November, 1919. That Congress issued a manifesto to the proletarian youth of all nations, which was published in England and Scotland, and which advocated the subversal of the existing order of things and—these are their words—for that purpose the use of every instrument of revolutionary class warfare, including armed resistance. As a result, Young Communist Leagues have, been established in Great Britain and in many other countries. Schools have been established, and much literature has been published and circulated for inculcating these doctrines. The chief organ of the Young Communist League of Great Britain is a monthly paper called the "Young Communist," which is widely issued and distributed in the schools, and in the first number of that paper of December, 1921, there is announced—to use its own words— an intensive campaign to inspire the communist rebel spirit in the young people of our class. At a later stage of the Bill, I hope to give illustrations of their preaching and literature, but it is not possible to give, or at least I cannot give at the moment, the exact number of these schools in Great Britain.

§ Mr. W. THORNE
Name one.

Sir J. BUTCHER
My information is that there are somewhere near 100 of them.

§ Mr. W. THORNE
Name one anywhere.

Sir J. BUTCHER
They are very numerous, and it is worthy of note that some of the schools Which have been lately known as Socialist Sunday Schools have been captured and turned into Communist Sunday Schools. The reason given by the promoters of this movement for inculcating these doctrines among the young is significant. The reason, in their own language, is this: Boys and girls are not so afraid of anything of a revolutionary nature as grown-up people. What does that mean? It means that these people are prepared and desire to trade on the experience and helplessness of youth in order to poison their minds. I say that is a base act, and it is to be noted that resolutions have been passed and petitions have been sent by almost innumerable societies in this country, representing hundreds of thousands if not millions of people, calling for legislation on this subject.
The provisions of the Bill are exceedingly simple. Those who teach seditious matter to children under 16 or publish and disseminate seditious literature for the purpose of giving 'instruction to such children are guilty of an offence under the Bill, and on summary conviction are liable to a maximum fine of £50 or to a maximum term of imprisonment of three months. The Bill creates no new offence. The only change effected by the Bill is one of procedure. It provides that, instead of prosecution by indictment, people who offend under the Bill may be brought. before the magistrates and sentenced, subject, of course, to an appeal to Quarter Sessions.
There is only one other point that I wish to make. Complaints have been made from sonic quarters that this Bill is an infringement of freedom of speech. There could not be a greater misapprehension. The object of the Bill is the protection of children. The State has already recognised its obligation to protect children from long hours, from overwork, and from physical contamination and assault. That refers to their bodies. Can it be maintained that the State, which has recognised its obligation to protect the bodies of children, is not bound to protect their 276 souls and their minds from contamination in their early and impressionable years?

Mr. TURNER
I am reminded of two lines by a poet of the past— Never let your zeal outrun your charity. The former is but human; the latter is divine. It does seem to me that the promoter of this Bill is allowing his zeal to outrun his charity and to sonic extent also his judgment. T want to call attention also to the fact that in the petitions presented by various hon. Gentlemen on the other side of the House, there are 72,718 signatures, and I find that those petitions are irregular to the number of 26 in the first. case, 28 in the second, and 11 in the third, thus discounting to a considerable degree their value. It seems to me that there has been a considerable attempt to manufacture opinion in regard to these Sunday schools, and that the promotion of this Bill is largely political spite in place of political wisdom. It is not at all in the interests of the nation or in the interests of fair play between Sunday school and Sunday school. The innocent ignorance of the hon. and learned Member who introduced the Bill is shown when he says that there are about 100 schools of the character he indicates in this country. When challenged, he failed to name even one.

Sir J. BUTCHER
I was not challenged to name one. [HON. MEMBERS: "Yes!"]

Mr. TURNER
It seems to me that the Bill is a general attack upon what may he termed democratic Sunday schools, as distinct from Sunday schools connected with our churches and our chapels. This country has had a variety of Sunday schools for ages past. In the early days of last century, there were Sunday schools in which children were taught the three "R's "—reading, writing and arithmetic—and in my young days we were taught to read and to do sums and so forth at our Sunday school. T have not a single word to say against either church or chapel or any other Sunday school. Let them all come. Those Sunday schools which are teaching wrong will die, because truth is eternal, and will alone stand the test. of time. It therefore seems to me that some of the opposition has not been manufactured and engendered out of any desire to pre- 277 vent sedition being taught, because there has been more sedition taught in clubs and institutions connected with organisations of hon. Gentlemen opposite than has ever been taught in any Sunday school. [Interruption.] I would like to challenge any criticism upon what I am going to assert are the doctrines taught by Sunday schools on the lines indicated by my observation just now. The first is: Love your schoolfellows who will he your fellow-workmen in life. Love learning which is the food of the mind. Be as grateful to your teachers as to your parents. Make every day holy by good and useful deeds and kindly practices. Honour the good. Be courteous to all. Bow down to none. Do not hate or speak evil of anyone. [Interruption.] Do not be revengeful, but stand up for your rights, and resist oppression. Do not be cowardly. Be a friend to the weak and love justice. Remember that all the good things of the earth are produced by labour. [Interruption.] Whoever enjoys them without working for them is stealing the bread of the workers,"— and do not forget that there are workers by hand and by brain. We do not exclude any of these sections by these doctrines which we are teaching now. Every person who gives service is a worker. Then it says: Observe and think in order to discover the truth. Do not believe what is contrary to reason and never deceive yourself or others. Do not think that those who love their own country must hate and despise other nations, or wish for war, which is a remnant of barbarism. Look forward to the day —[Interruption].

§ Mr. COOPER RAWSON
On a point of Order. [HON. MEMBERS: "Sit down!"] This is extremely interesting, but it is not in the proletarian—[Interruption>].

Captain ERSKINE-BOLST
It has nothing to do with the communist doctrines. [Interruption.]

§ Mr. SPEAKER
If hon. Members on both sides do not observe order, I shall decline to allow the Question to be put. There is no cause for interruption, and I shall not allow the interruption of anybody.

Mr. TURNER
My final quotation is Look forward to the day when all men and women will be free citizens of one Fatherland and live together as brothers and sisters in peace and righteousness. I ask my hon. Friends if that is seditious teaching. [HON. MEMBERS "No!" and 278 " Eyewash! "] Then I wish there were more eyewash taught to-day. That does not include all the teaching. It teaches us so to guide the human soul that we shall have an understanding of the Beatitudes when they say, "Blessed are the peacemakers," and it teaches the principles of the 13th Chapter of Corinthians which are love, faith and justice. Then again the hymns include Longfellow, Morris, Shelley, Whittier, Montgomery and many others. The last observation which I have to make is in these declarations of the Sunday schools we say we desire to be just and loving to all our fellow-men and women, to work together as brothers, to be kind to every living creature, and so to help to form a new society with justice as its foundation and love as its law.