Page 28 - Fr. Jimmy Tompkins Speaking

ISSUE : Issue 40

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1985/8/1

is not Christianity that is the opiate of the people, it is the inert state of Chris? tians that furnishes some semblance of truth to this libel. It is fossilized edu? cation that is the opiate of the people. .It keeps them from getting the truth about the condition that they are in. Says Doug? las Gerrold in his "Future of Freedom": "On hearing of the adoption in all civil? ized countries of compulsory education, the inhabitant of Mars would assume a wide diffusion of culture, the exaction by an educated electorate of new standards of logic from publicists, and of new stan? dards of enlightenment from statesmen.... He would feel assured that means at last exist for bringing home to all classes, by the most direct and effective of methods, the facts of every problem, means for breaking up class or sectional or national prejudice and for combating and conquering ignorance." In every one of these anticipations, the inhabitant of Mars would be wholly wrong. The problems of ignorance, of irreligion, of class prejudice, of national, racial and class hatred which were visible on the surface of things a hundred years ago, have today struck roots so deep and so pow? erful that they threaten the very founda- LLOYD MacDONALD SALES Our 25th Year KINGS ROAD - SYDNEY Toll Free 1-800-565-9427 "Service Is a Feature, Not a Promise" For fine food and lod'g. The setting is classic, the food is superb, the service is sincere. Nonnaway's 250 acre property is centrally located in the magical Margaree Valley. Itisthcidcal place to begin your discovery of the bestofCapc Breton'sscencr'and culture. "The Normaway Inn anracts more favourable comment year in and year out, than any other restaurant in this guide." (From Where to Eat in Canada 1984-1985) Walk-ins welcome. For more information and reservations call or write David MacDonald, The Normaway Inn, P.O. Box 100, Maigvee Valley, N.S. BOE 2C0 (902) 248-2987 'nNl' ,, , ORMAWAY''' i*"'/~ ' Inn TENNIS* HIKING • BIKING'SALMON FISHING The First choice for fine food and lodging on the Cabot Trail, since 1928. tions of our civilization.... Meanwhile, envy, bom of ignorance and fed by materi? al greed, threatens to destroy society from within. Adult Education for Everyone Adult Education is not for illiterates a- lone nor is it to pap-feed social climbers with appreciations of Shakespeare and Bee? thoven. It should be designed for the best brains we have, to wrestle with the worst problems we have--want and frustrated lives literally crushed under a heritage of plenty which these people cannot get their hands on. We believe also in the mute, inglorious Miltons. It is the duty of Adult Education to make the mute vocal. and to make the blind see. But education that is con- scious of its mission must be free from the patronizing air, from talking down as from some lofty oracle, from inventing de? coys and sops, handy palliatives and barri? cades, to fence injustice off from justice. Not only must it be prepared to accept truth where it finds it, it must also be prepared to accept talent where it finds it. Our experience in the Antigonish Move? ment is that there is more real Adult Edu? cation at the pit-heads, down in the mines, out among the fishermen's shacks, along the wharves, and wherever the farmers gath? er to sit and talk in the evenings, than you can get from one hundred thousand dol? lars worth of fossilized formal courses. It springs from the hearts and pains of the people. It is spontaneous--call it the cracker-barrel type, if you will--I vote for the cracker-barrel. The former doesn't fill any empty pantry, it doesn't bring milk and food and health back to babies blighted with malnu? trition already in their toddling years. We want i'- deas with marrow in them. It may be said by oracles of the opi? ate school of educa? tion- -those ped? dlers of dope and drugs in the realm of ideas--that edu? cation, such as I am talking about, smacks of propagan? da. Well, what of it? Would you ac? cuse a man, looking for a place to sleep for the night, of propaganda? If so, we are propagan? dists. If education is not the propagan? da of truth, then it is not education. And we might ask ourselves, "What is education anyhow? Is it propaganda a- (28)

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