From the News

Dated: June 28, 1916

Pandering to Alien Born

Because Germans and Austrians at Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan, do not like Canadian patriotic songs, the provincial authorities ordered the teacher to cut out these loyal airs. The teacher did better than that. He joined an Overseas Battalion.

Discussing this incident, the Vancouver Province remarks:--

Much excitement was recently created at Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan, and vicinity, owing to the hostile attitude of German and Austrian residents, who have apparently been able to exert sufficient pressure upon the educational authorities of the province to prevent a school principal from teaching his students to sing a patriotic song lauding the British Empire.

In an official letter from the Saskatchewan government the teacher, an Englishman, was threatened with the cancellation of his certificate if he did not comply with the order obtained by the German and Austrian aliens, and cause his pupils to desist from the singing of the song.

He did not resist, but he is no longer the principal of Blaine Lake school. However, his German prosecutors could not prevent this same courageous teacher donning khaki. He is now Lieut. E. R. Johnstone, 188th Battalion, C.E.F. The Courier, a German weekly at Regina, took the subject up, and denouced Johnstone and all others for daring to sing in the schools anything that would hurt the feelings of Germans and Austrians.

Who is this Regina editor? Is he a Prussian?