THE ADOLESCENT YOUTH

Evening Star, Issue 20322, 2 November 1929, Page 6

THE ADOLESCENT YOUTH

DEVELOPMENT OF IDEALS IMPORTANT WORK FOR THE CRORCH Call him adolescent youth, hobbledehoy, or what you will, the young male, aged from fourteen to eighteen years, is an interesting personality whose welfare is almost entirely dependent on the sympathy and understanding of his elders. He is an idealist. His being is charged with new emotions which must find expression. And, since every healthy youth has the creative instinct deeply embedded in his nature, it is important that such powerful emotions as these should be sublimated. With infinite understanding on. the part of his instructors, he must be directed tactfully _ along the highway that leads to artistic and constructive self-expression. Being naturally . a religious person, he is easily attracted to the church, and, therefore, it is essential that the church, together with'its affiliated organisations, should not only open up their arms to receive him, but also strive to keep him in the fold by means of a practical exploitation of his emotions. The creative force, the desire for action, the urge towards idealism, and every phase of spiritual yearning must be connected up to form a perfect whole. It is only when this is done, when every faculty is existing in harmony, one with the other, that the road to greatness is opened up to every intelligent, virile youth. These are thoughts which accumulate rapidly after one has conversed with Mr L. F. de Berry (rector of Normal District. High School). Apart altogether from obeying the demands made upo ri him by his profession, Mr de Berry has made a special study of child psychology, and to this has been added intensive thought for the wellbeing of the adolescent. An interview which Mr de Berry granted a * Star * representative contains an important message to all, whether they be_ parents, tutors, o- religious supervisors, who desire to help the adolescent youth towards the goal of realised ambition. abundant energy. Mr de Berry stated that perhaps the most vital problem facing the church to-day was that of adjusting itself to suit the young man In the adolescent we found a tremendous reservoir of energy which, if directed sympathetically and used properly, could transform . this world of ours. He did not agree with people who held the view that it was a difficult matter to get the adolescent youth to interest himself in the church and all that it stood for, because a young man at this stage of his life was by nature a religious person, and, as a consequence, was the possessor of lofty thoughts and noble visions Consciously or unconsciously, he had an ideal always before him —an ideal which was very much more worthy than most people gave him credit for. It was our duty to help him to give form, direction, and substance to that ideal, and it was only efficient organisation that could make this ' contribution towards the development of a young man s lire.

. The church was frequently _ lacking in ■ the particular organisation which would do something for'the boy, for at times the full value of the principle was lost. However, it was in connection with church matters; that _ many organisations at present in existence came, into being. WHAT OF THE SOUL? Referring to military training, the speaker pointed , out.that the State came along and compelled youths during their most, impressionable years to come together , for a certain type dr training. Excellent work was being done, but it appeared to him that it brought the boys together in order to direct them purely from the physical point of view. Insufficient was taken of the opportunity to help them to attain their spiritual ambitions. The soul was left without any guidance at all. Although the Government had established many institutions which cared well for the mind and intellect of the boy, it seemed as though the development of a very important part of his being was left to the emotional influence of the moving pictures. The picture theatres constituted practically the only powerful organisation which concentrated on the deliberate exploitation of the emotions. Closely allied to this question of the boy’s emotional life was the creative part of him.. If the churches and all organisations relating to them were to co-operate with, or at least make use of, any helpful institutions that existed to-day, and through them give to youths the chance of sublimating those creative instincts which so frequently brought about disaster in the lives of young people, that great reservoir of creative ability could be harnessed and utilised for some very great purpose, along’artistic as well as constructive lines. It could well be the beginning of a tremendous revival. ACCORDING TO RITUAL.

Church organisations often made the mistake of not connecting with adolescence that full burst or life which found manifestation in so many different ways—in sport and even in larrikinism. This powerful force in youth, it should be recognised, could not find perfect expression in any form of quietism, and no mere establishment. of organisation, no mere establishment of clubs, which did not present an opSortunity for doing something, for proucing something, or even for breaking something could satisfy the soul of youth. In many parts of the world church services had been developed and conducted entirely by the young men themselves. To a very great extent the boy, at this critical time, was an ardent ritualist, but it frequently happened that the ritual of the adult made little appeal to him. It could well be said that in cases where the boys themselves had been allowed to develop according to their own ritual they had attained a very high standard of devotion and worship. In all this work and in all work connected with the younger child we must appreciate the fact that the child was not merely a young grown-up. This was one of the great discoveries of modern educationists. Yet this discovery must be remade again and again, because at the various stages of a child’s_ up-bringing every parent had to realise that the least significant of actions had-a meaning for him. The time for a complete understanding of. the child mind had now arrived. Child study and child psychology had led us so far along the right road, .but, despite, the fact that Stanley Hall and others had made detailed and important studies in, all questions of adolescence, the application of these principles and the discoveries made by the investigators had not been so fully used as in the case of younger children. “EMOTION OF THE IDEAL.”

Professor. Kidd’s insistence upon , the importance of the “emotion of the ideal” afford a key to the solution of this adolescent problem. If could be raised from the medieval stage to a modern state of civilisation within two generations, by means of exploiting “ the emotion of the ideal,” was it not conceivable - that, if the church and its organisations placed before youth those ideals for which the church stood and' then exploited the emotions roused by those ideals, within two generations The whole standard of comnfunity life, perhaps even of civilisation itself , would be raised to heights of which we now only dreamed? THE CHURCH AND SPORT. The young people were to an increasing degree finding expression in sport, and perhaps the ideals of this cult of body was finding an increased appeal among adolescents. On the Continent the youth movement was gradually developing along more spiritual lines, and there was no reason why the same type of development should not be embraced and stimulated in this country. The relationship between the church and sport might well be made a little more definite.' The Y.M.C.A. movement and the various Bible class associations in the dominion did remarkably fine work, but only too frequently they did not attract the amount of active support which they deserved. As a consequence they sometimes failed- to keep in contact with the very type of young man who would benefit most . from such movements. One of the finest gestures the speaker had seen for a .long time was the_action of the Grange Cricket Club, which, as part of its jubilee celebrations, had held a church parade. It was. fitting that a body with •such an honourable career should recognise the spiritual aspect of life, and realise also that cricket clubs should have_ some ideals other than the mere winning of championships. If every church organisation held out both hands to all such bodies—and he quite believed that they were prepared to do it—then he felt certain that the time would com© when young men would find abundant opportunities of realising somewhat of those ideals which they cherished, but of which they were sometimes a little shy. .