PARENTS AND SONS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 70, 15 December 1932, Page 8

PARENTS AND SONS

“Selfishness and Lack of Control” PRINCIPAL’S ADVICE “No parent enjoys having it suggested that he is not bringing up his son along the best lines,” said Mr. J. R. Sutcliffe, principal, at Scots College prize distribution last evening. “I still maintain that selfishness and lack of parental control are rife in New Zealand, and are not going to help in creating a future worthy citizenship. If you ponder on the matter you will realise that several of the worst crimes that have been committed in this country in the last two or three years can be traced directly or indirectly to these two causes.” Selfishness of Youth. Mr. Sutcliffe said he had recently been taken to task for stating that modern young people were extremely selfish, but he was quite unconvinced by the arguments which had been brought against him. He regarded it as a duty to combat selfishness in youth, for he believed it was ingrained in them. He did not speak of boys of the college only, but of all modern young people. Of course there were exceptions, but he spoke of the majority. He knew a friend, two of whose pupils said they could not pay his fees for his services, yet one of them never missed a wrestling bout and went to the pictures once a week, and the other possessed a new set of golf clubs and presumably paid a subscription to a club. Then there were boys who let down their teams on the flimsiest of pretexts, but never thought of telephoning that they -were unable to be present where expected. Too Many Distractions. “We lire in a period of rush and excitement and of pursuit of pleasure,’’ proceeded Mr. Sutcliffe. "It is not generally recognised that during our earlier years it is essential to become accustomed to a certain amount of monotony in life. ' The passive amusements which so many parents bestow on their sons too freely do not really bring as much pleasure as those they extract by their own exertions and inventiveness. Too many theatres, too many talkies, and too much excitement act as a narcotic of which more and mdre comes to be required. A boy who lives a life of distractions and dissipations must inevitably direct his thoughts to imminent pleasures rather than to future constructive achievement.

“I am not a kill-joy. I am as fond of attending theatres, talkies, wrestling bouts and boxing matches as any other normal man, but I ask you parents to regard your sons’ attendance at all passive amusements in the light of occasional treats and not as customary habits.”