THE LESSER HALF

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 14

THE LESSER HALF

WHY NOT A "FATHERS' GUILD?"

In merry comment—shrewd withal— 'Mr. Ken Alexander lets his fancy play with "Faulty Fathers" in the "Railway Magazine." "It must seem to the wise child unversed in the weird ways of the world," he remarks, "that 'dad may come and dad-may go, but mum goes on for ever.' Motherhood is a full-time job, but fatherhood also has its responsibilities. And yet, how is it that fathers seem to get so little good advice on a Job they do so badly, while, mothers, who know their maternal alphabet from 'ache' to 'zip' are honoured by tons of advisory, tomes? ' . "First, of all, what is a father? Is he. just- a mother's husband or is. he an entity in whose bosom there surges the fierce protective instinct of fatherhood? Do fathers .fight for their young with that primeval ferocity attributed to mothers? We doubt it. The only primeval ferocity they register is when Willie kicks his football through the bathroom window. Do fathers 'organise' to make themselves better fathers? Do we hear of fathers' guilds, fathers' day, or fathers' meetings? We do not. v "Any such, meetings are conducted in the secret sanctums of lodges, social clubs, bars, and such-like haunts of fatherhood, where the happy cries of little children are never heard. ■ All of which seems to indicate that the chief aim of fathers is to forget for a few fleeting hours that they have been called to the solemn state of fatherhood. Taking everything into consideration, it seems clear that fathers are made, not born."