These three can be the best possible supporters or the worst enemies of
your educational scheme. Mothers by nature adore their children and
excite their individualism. Patriots try to engage the whole heart and
imagination of a child for its own country. Priests are asking the whole
sympathy of a child for their creed and their church. To be
individualistic, to be a patriot and a believer are the quite natural
gifts of a healthy person. But maternal love exaggerates very often the
individualism of a child and makes it egotistic and selfish; exclusively
cultivated patriotism degenerates into chauvinism; and exclusive church
education makes a bigot. These three kinds of people (alas! the
majority), egotists, chauvinists and bigots, will be against an
international scheme of education. But you must say to the sensible
mothers: The international education of your child will not kill its
individuality, but, on the contrary, will use it to the best advantage
for mankind and for itself. You are an enemy of your son if you educate
him to be an egotist and egoist. In egotism and egoism one has the worst
company in this life, the company which leads to pessimism and disgust
of life.
You must say to the sensible patriots: International education approves
of patriotic as of a natural inclination; only the new education intends
to make a window in every fatherland so that the child may see its
neighbours and stretch its hand to greet them.
And you must say to the sensible priests: The international board of
education will let every child go to its own church and learn the
catechism from its own parish priest; but it will be brought in touch
with the children of different creeds, and it will pray with them upon
the general ground of all the creeds.