“Emphasis On Promotion, Not Repair, Of Marriage”

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29179, 13 April 1960, Page 10

“Emphasis On Promotion, Not Repair, Of Marriage”

(New Zealand Prese Association)

WELLINGTON, April 12. The time had come for emphasis on marriage guidance to swing to the promotion, not the repair, of marriage, said the Rev L. C. Clements, today. He was addressing the annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of Home and Family. Mr Clements has been appointed adviser in marriage guidance by the Justice Department and will ‘.be associated with the recently - established National Marriage Guidance Advisory Committee. Education for marriage and parenthood could not come from a few lectures before marriage, said Mr Clements. It was a work which was going to command all the agencies in this field in the community. He quotes from a South Queensland study involving 1500 adolescents which sought to establish where they obtained their sex education. Of 1200 who gave answers it was disturbing to find that most got It from school and play mates and work mates. The adolescents questioned were aged 13 to 19. To lesser degrees others gave books, school lessons, novels, general or documentary films, as being among other sources. Only 7 per cent, said the family ministers. And only 1.5 per cent, gave comics, as the source of information. Here was something which should be investigated in New Zealand, he said. A study should

be made as to where and how our young people obtained their information about sex, and, as a result, a good educational programme could be instituted. Mr Clements said he did not mean the physical facts about tex. One of the biggest difficulties, in remedial marriage guidance work was breaking down resistance to the idea that nothing could be done to help save a broken marriage. The new national advisory committee felt its work was important and urgent. A point in marriage guidance work had been reached where emphasis was branching out into a new field of educational help. An awakening of interest and concern was evident on the part of those linked to the work.