A — The West no longer looks upon learning as sufficient in itself, but as a means to an end — the endeavor to make human beings happy and to improve their living. A country like England has found happiness by harnessing learning to positive, productive work... The English people feel a great responsibility to use their learning and knowledge for the sake of a better life, not only for themselves, but for society as a whole.
Q — You have touched a sensitive chord, and hinted quietly at one of the weak points in our own people; for on the whole we are "individualists" — each of us works for himself, while our readiness for collective work is very weak..
A — And in truth, what most stirs my admiration and respect for the English people is their sense of public responsibility, their respect for regulations and laws, their confidence in their government, and the merging of the individual's interest in the interest of the whole; therein lies the secret of their success and their steadfastness in the face of currents and calamities.
And perhaps the frailty of this trait among us is likewise one of the causes of our failure in the causes that demand sacrifice, solidarity, and unity of opinion... And now, Mrs. Cortas, let us move on to speak of the state of the English school, for you have no doubt acquainted yourself amply with this subject... Did you find the English school provided with the "requirements of comfort"?
A — On the contrary; bodily comfort, relatively speaking, is available in our schools here to a far greater degree, and I find no explanation for that but the English attachment to their traditions and their desire to accustom their sons to a rough way of living — this is a striking feature in most of their schools. Imagine that His Majesty King Faisal II, when he was at Harrow, used to carry the water pitcher some distance in order to wash
his face and hands, because the nearest water tap was far from his bedroom... And this in the city of Oxford, famous for its high institutions of learning: most of its boarding schools are without hot baths, and the students take on great hardship to wait upon themselves..
Q — And what features in the schools for the little ones caught your attention, Mrs. Cortas?
A — Yes, I noticed that English children are brought up to rely on themselves and to be independent. A boy of eight, for example, rides his bicycle, or the electric train, a long distance to his school, with
no grown person accompanying him. And the family takes care that every child should have a room of his own, even if that obliges them to divide a room with a partition of cloth or of cardboard — the important thing is that the child be raised to independence, and thus enabled to show his natural gifts and his individual capacities.
Q — And what is the standing of the state schools in
England, compared with the private schools?
A — The standard of the state schools in England surpasses that
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