Youths’ Immorality ‘Exaggerated’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31091, 21 June 1966, Page 3

Youths’ Immorality ‘Exaggerated’

(New Zealand Press Association! HAMILTON, June 20. Professor J. Ritchie, professor of psychology at Waikato University, believes too much emphasis is being placed on the immorality of young people in New Zealand today.

“I suspect that most of our young people are moral, progressive, and go-ahead. Most of them are fine, quality-seek-ing individuals,” he said at a reunion of Nelson College old boys.

“Too many of us are concentrating on failings of the younger generation. But on the whole they are a body who are far more frank, who speak their minds more actively and clearly than we did 20 years ago.” Professor Ritchie said to-

day’s young people were much less prepared to accept the mediocre. They strove for excellence and sought to be potent and strong in all spheres of activity open to them.

“Students are increasingly looking for challenges,” he said. “They are being drawn toward a stimulus which we should be giving them but too often are not. If young people are expected to act morally then we should be providing an example by acting morally ourselves.”