No. 40 Easter 1939.

Editor: P. S. G. Flint

SPEAKING EDITORIALLY
Time and time again the Editor's lament has filled the first pages of the Monovian. The School has been upbraided for its apathy and refusal to take an interest in its Magazine. Often has an irate Editor pointed out that since the School Magazine must, besides recording football results and house activities, also reveal the mind and outlook of the School, it must have many contributors. This term, however, we must put aside this old lament a new one has arrived to take its place. There has been no dearth of articles for this issue of the Monovian. Many of them, alas, have been written in doubtful English and in almost, if not quite, illegible handwriting. In one case we had to ask the author to translate his scribbled hieroglyphics into intelligible English! We hope that in the future our contributors will be more considerate. Since the last issue of the Monovian appeared, several people have bewailed the fact that a number of its articles were of a political nature. If we grant that the School Magazine must reflect the opinions of the School, surely we must not bar politics from its pages. Future generations of Monovians may not be interested in the football results of 1938, but it is not unlikely that they will be deeply interested in our attitude towards, say, the Munich Agreement and the German occupation of Austria and Sudetenland. This term we include an article on the problem in Palestine. We would be very grateful for any criticism given in a kindly spirit. It is rather ironical that the day after the fall of Barcelona the Debating Society decided that "It is vital to the interests of Democracy that arms should be supplied to the Spanish Government immediately." The House apparently realised that it is of the utmost importance to the peace of the world that in its fight against Fascism, Democracy should win, and that the interests of the weak should be protected. In the international field today the question of right and wrong seems to have been forgotten. We would like here to quote from an article by Sir Norman Angell: The rival ideologies which, ought to exist in the international field are the ideologies, not of Democracy versus Fascism, or Bolshevism versus anything else, but the ideology of constitutionalism, law as against anarchy; the ideal of the equality of right for great and small, powerful and weak alike, as against the ideal of allowing the survival of the strong and violent, irrespective of right." The Debating Society has shown on which side it is ranged

P.S.G.F.

No. 41 Summer 1939

Editor : P. S. G. Flint
Vol. XV No. 41. Summer 1939.
SPEAKING EDITORIALLY
The school year that is now drawing to a close has proved extremely successful. Proof of this is to be found in the scholastic achievements of Epton and Rushman and the good fortune enjoyed by the School Football and Cricket Teams. The Fete, by the time the Monovian appears, will be history. The extent of its success or failure will be known. At the moment, however, all is excitement. Householders are being showered with leaflets and programmes and in some cases even asked to buy coco-nut ice" to help the Monoux School"; side-shows are appearing from nowhere; forms are conspiring together to draw from the public's pocket as much as possible. We can but hope they will succeed. The Loan Fund for which the Fete is being held is deserving of every support. The difficulties confronting those who seek to reach a university are all too great, and many on gaining admission to one of them have not the financial resources necessary to take full advantage of what it offers. Since the last issue of the Monovian we have seen the introduction of conscription. For six months every youth will be taught more effective ways of killing the enemy, not his own, but his masters' enemy. With the exception of those who have been told to believe that we are free only to starve, we Englishmen are proud of our freedom. But lately we have begun to fear that that free-dom of which we boast was dwindling away. The Government's new measure confirms this. Recently the Debating Society was unable to reach a decision concerning the advisability of conscription, and so we are unable to record its opinion. But it is obvious that opinion throughout the School is against this advance to totalitarianism. The irony of it, of course, is that to thwart the dictators we have had to adopt their methods. The future will prove the folly of such a step.