Apr 4

Patriotic Education, An Initiation of Iranians

Arthur Upham Pope On 4 April 1925, Professor Arthur Pope (born in 1881 and died in 1969, buried in Isfahan), the renowned Iranologist, announced that, based on his findings, Iranians were the first nation, who, during the reign of Darius the Great, initiated training in patriotism and taught it in schools to the children and adolescents. In the course of the first 1000 years, the method of teaching this subject was in the shape of plays, so that it got imprinted in the minds of the youth and filled their whole hearts and souls.     In the lecture in University of California Prof. Pope had said that Iranians had schools and kindergartens before the Greek; the Greek had established the Academy for teaching science, literature and philosophy to the adults, but Iranians, inspired by the teachings of Zarathushtra, had schools for the 5-years-old onwards, and in these schools patriotism, morale, health and hygiene (sports and hygiene) was given preference to science and literature.     Based on the discoveries of Prof. Pope, in ancient Iran every man who wished to enlist in the army, had to have 3 months military training and 3 months training in patriotism, part of which included learning about the history of Iran and the experiences of their ancestors. Teaching history, in the form of lectures, was compulsory in the course of the military service. The night before outset of a war heroisms and self-sacrifices of Iranians were reminded to the soldiers and national hymns and anthems were sung.     The Japanese Empire followed the same method before the World War II and in the course of this war.           Translation by Rowshan Lohrasbpour