THE Í"¡ORKING MIND: THE RADICAL WORKERS' RESPONSE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION; I,IINNIPEG, L9I2-I92L BY BILL MACIEJKO A Thesis Presented to the University of ManiEoba in Partial FulfÍ1Iment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations University of Manitoba ./*.. I.Iinnipeg, ManiÈoba { { } August 9, 1985 Permission has been granted L'autorisation a été accordée to the National LibrarY of ã 1a Bibliothèque nationale Canada to microf i Im th i s du Canada de microfilmer thesis and to lend or sell cette thèse et de Prêter ou copies of tlre film. de vendre des exemPlaires du f ilm. The author (coPYright owner) Lrauteur ( titulaire du droit has reserved other d' auteur) se réserve l-es publ-ication rights' and autres droits de Publication; ne ither the thes is nor ni Ia thèse ni de longs extensive extracts from it extraits de celle-ci ne may be printed or otherwise doivent être imPrimés ou reproduced without his/her autrement reproduits sans son written Permission. autorisation écrite. rsBN Ø_3L5-33 93Ø_6 THE WORKING MIND: THE RADICAL I^IORKERS' RESPONSE T0 PUBLIC EDUCATION; wINNIPEG, LgLZ-L921 BY BILL MACIEJKO A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the university of Manitoba in partial fulfìll¡nent of the requirenìe¡ìrs of the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION @ 1985 Pernlission has been granted to tlle LIBRARY OF THE UNIVER- SITY OF MANITOBA to le¡rd or sell copies of this thesis. to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfilnr rhis thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS to publish an absrract of this rhesis. The author reserves other publication rights, a¡rd neither the fhesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or other- wise reproduced without the author's written perntission. CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE fntroductíon.. I CHAPTER TI^IO Cultures ín Conflict... ...... 29 CHAPTER THREE The State, the School, and the i^Iorking-Class 68 CHAPTER FOUR Schoolíng in Bourgeois Socíety.. " 105 CHAPTER FIVE Education in the liorkers'Ifoveuent.... 156 CHAPTER SIX Conclusion.... ..... 223 CITED BIBLIOGRAPHY.. .... 230 CT1APTER ONE: INTRODUCTÏON This study is an ínterpretive report of the English-speaking radical working-class respon.se to publíc schoolíng at tr{ínnípeg in the period from 1912 through I92I. The thesís presented ís that the radícals criticized the instítution of (but not necessaríly the institutionalízation of) public schooling, as that ínstítution was perceíved Ëo conflict \{íth the culture of the working-class; in short, thaË, public schooling was seen to be insËrumental ín the workers struggle to creaËe a society structured on thelr loosely defined t'collectivist" ideals. School-ing is, therefore, an insËrument of social conflíct and change, because publíc schooling, ín many fundamental ways, has been carríed out in contravention of the expressed desires of, and in opposition to the basic ethos of, working people. This chapter r.rill def ine the terms used ín this thesis. It v¡ill a1so provide a framework by delíneating the parameters of thís work, and by placing this thesis in the conËext of other research into western Canadian history. The second chapter v¡í11- íllustrate workl-ng-class culture in the period. If it is accepted that there exísted a separate working-class culture, ít becomes possible to deduce that the workersr struggle \,,ras deeply based in a distinctive ethos, and cannot be disnissed as only an effort to redress ímbalance within an unequal continuum of social and economic advantage. The workersr struggle vras also an expression of deeply felt ideological and culËural values, a result of socía1 ideals which varíed from those dominant in society. The exístence of a dístínct working-class culture in part discredits the concept of rpan-Angloísmt ín Ëhe social- conflicts of the time. The íssue of bilíngual schooling, Ëhe -2- removal of r,¡hich may be perceived as a movement for rAnglo-conformítyr, will be díscussed in this context. The third chapter v¡í1l illustrate the general criticisn whích arose from t.he rr¡orkersr culture in response to the use of state controlled schooling to facilítate socíal dominatíon by the bourgeoísíe. The issue here is the role of the school as an instrument to create a social order prescribed by the bourgeoísie. The dileuma presented by the workersr opposítion Lo bourgeois schoollng whíle they supported coupulsory schoolíng will then be discussed. The fourËh chapter will continue the theme of conflict, and the instrumental role of the school in that conflict, by focusing on íssues arísíng from the use of the school to facílitate the creatíon loya1tíes and activitíes supportive of the bourgeoísie th.rough moral training, patriotic instruct.ion and nilitarism in Ëhe schools. The fifth chapter vríll examine the efforts of r¿orkers to control the schooling of chíldren, íneluding attempts of workers to gain politícal influence ín the conduct of those schools. The chapter wíl1 end by presenting some suggested alternatives, supported by workers, to the educational hegemony of Ëhe bourgeois schools. In concluding this thesis the sixth chapter will drar"r ímplications for further research into the role of education ín the ¡¿orkerst movement, and the role of workers in the schools. Although all attempts at periodízation are largely arbitrary, the period 1912 through 1921 has been selected for study because, these years do provide a conveníenË 'períodt or terar within a historical continuum. In these years social change and uncertaínty were obvious to almost all who lived through them. The l{orld lJar threatened, or promísed, the end of -3- tradÍtíonal authoríties; industrial-capítalísm was imposed on a community which could reuember craft tradiËions and workersr autonomy; and, the rise of ruorkers states and socialist revolutions in Europe promísed or threatened an inspiration for r¿orkers the world over, includíng those ín trIinnipeg. In this context the schools were used to support a r¡rar opposed by Ëhe radicals to create the knowledge and attítudes necessary for industrial technology, and to inculcate in children the ideals, values and beliefs of bourgeois culture. In Ëhe rniddle of this períod, as worker milítancy increased, schooling v/as made cornpulsory in Manitoba. The sËatements, criticísms, and acËions of members of the working-class movement came out of, and T¡rere part of, a working-class culture whích can be dístínguished from the culture of the bourgeoisie. The public school may be seen as an expression of bourgeoís culture and r{as, in this period, criticized as such by radícal workers. The term ttradicaltt is used here in reference to those persons whose actions and ídeas followed a critique of society at íts most fundamental level. RadÍcal r¿orkers are those who sought not only to equalize opportuniËy ín an unequal system, but to restructure the system to remove the perceived basis for inequíty. In thís context the basis for social ínequíty was capítalism, as that economic system was desígned to facilitate the control by índivíduals of resources for achievement, achieveuent inclusíve of materíal products, socíal advanËage and polítieal authoríty. A radical ís here distinguished by his or her social ends, not by the means tor¿ards Ëhose ends. Consistent \4rith the usage Ín A. Ross McCormackrs study of v¡estern Canadian workers ís an overlapping, but slíghtly earlier period, the rradical movement? consisted of treformerst, those who sought to change society by moderate trade unÍon actívity and parlimentary act.íon; rrebelst -4- r,sho used tactícs of industríal and even syndalícalist unionism -. direct actíon - to challenge the rule of boÈh employers and the state; and, trerzolutionariesr, hrho \,/ere ttcommiËted to the destructíon of Índustría1 capítalism through politíca1 actíon."1 Al1 three, through frequently opposíng each other ín particular activíties, had ín commontfa cornmítmenË to socía1 change and a desígn for rnodifying socíety which r¿ere based ultímately on a Marxían analysís of capitalisrn."2 It will be demonstrated below that one area of commonality among radicals v¡as their vier¿ of publ-ic schooling. The term fbourgeoisier ís used to refer to those persons who adopted or accepted the values and ideals of capítalism. The bourgeoísie r^'ere epitomized by the genrms¡gi¿l elite of trdínnipeg, but bourgeoís culture extended beyond thís elite to encompass many others, includíng representatíves of professionals, ner¡rspaper editors, educators, shop-keepers, and even nany working people who chose to emulate the success and achievements of their employers through índívidual- enterprise and effort. Specific examples of bourgeois and radical personalíties, ídeas and actívíties, especially as these were evidenced ín íssues concerning public schooling are the subjecË of the following chapterr but ít may here be staËed that the radicals and the bourgeoisíe r,¡ere ultimately disËínguished by the conmitmenË to varianË social ideals, by differences in basic ethos and ídeas - by distínct cultures. Raymond l^Iíllía¡ns has noted that culture goes beyond material and behavioural expressÍons to include "personal and social relationships...both as a recognítion of practical separation and as an emphasís of alternatives."3 Culture then both provides identíty "separaÈionr" a meËhod of choosíng. Culture ís fa body of appealt which -5- Legitímized the "¡¿hole way of life."4 l^Iillíarns ü/arns against arËifícally creatíng a concept of working-class culture r,rhere none exísts, and against describíng workíng-class culËure only in terns of materíal existence or the tsongs and. associatíonsr of r¿ork"r".5 He also poínts out that the acquísitíon of ne\¡r materials such as mass produced fashion or suburban housing does not necessarily entail the acquísition of bourgeoís culture and the d.estruction of workers' crrlËtlr".6 Culture is to be found in ídeas, t¿hich affect the utilization of, and Ëhe manner of acquíring, the materíal expressíons.