The Hawera Star. SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1924. PARENTS AND CHILDREN.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 August 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1924. PARENTS AND CHILDREN.

Delivered every evening Dy 6 o’clock in Hawere, Manilla, Norman by. Okaiawa, El t bam, Pate*, Waverley, Mokoia, Wbakamara, Ohangai, Meremere. Fraeer Hoad. and Otakeu# Man Utah), Alton, Burleyville, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake,

School masters mu-st find that apart Irom the routine of working to the syllabus, their task gives them the opportunity for interesting study of pupils’ natures and learning their strong and weak points, and through the quiet study of the pupils a fairly accurate idea can be gained of the parents and the homes. It is generally recognised that the school teachers hold positions of great importance, for they have the task of moulding the plastic minds of children and developing them for their future places as citizens of the British Empire. People should therefore be very interested in what teachers

have to say concerning boys and girls. We print to-day in another column a lew remarks upon boys of to-day by two- of the- best known teachers in Wellington. Mr. Webb, headmaster of the Thorndon Sehqol, thinks that the boys of twenty years ago had more application and devoted themselves to study better. He made the serious charge that “lathers and mothers did not look after their boys as they used to,” and concluded by saying that “it was during the age of adolescence that care from outside bodies was most welcome.” Mr. W. H. L. Poster, headmaster of the Clyde Quay School, blamed environment for the lack of parental control, and said that “the housing problem was undoubtedly at the root of the deterioration of home life.’’ His remarks upon the attitude- of boys towards work and the bad example set them by men who dodged work whenever possible were important, and lie made an excellent suggestion that “if greater interest were taken in the boy when he entered business life and some such scheme as that in force in the Royal Navy to conserve a small portion of his earnings until the period when it was most useful to him were adopted, it would help considerably to make a man of him.” Although there was a. difference between the view's expressed by the two speakers, they were in agreement in pointing out that weaknesses should be remedied. That boys after they leave school have a tendency to get out of hand is a problem that seems to become more serious as the years pass. There has been a general decline- in recent years in the standards required by parents, and many people seem +o have lost the sound belief of their forefathers in discipline. In Victorian times discipline may have been too severe, but the- pendulum has swung too far, in the opinion of those who are keen that the standard of citizenship should be kept up, and to-day many young people abuse the freedom to w'hieh laxity of parental control has led. The moulding of the minds of young people is a, task requiring great care and thought, for it is very easy to spoil their lives. “Boys will be boys,,” it is true, and given healthy, wellnourished bodies it is natural that they will be- inclined to escape doing whatever may appear to them to be monotonous or uninteresting. It is here that parental control and influence may be exercised with great benefit. There are few boys leaving school w r ho do not wish to make a success of their lives, and if they are properly instructed by their parents, upon whom the whole responsibility falls after they leave school, the majority will make great efforts to progress. Such matters as the proper proportion of time to devote to work, play, hobbies and sleep are perhaps the most important. The- boy who thinks that after his day’s work is over he- is free to do whatever he wishes until he returns to his work next morning is more likely to grow' lax and go astray than the boy who has been taught to ma,p out his time andxto follow definite rules, of life. We believe that parents, by giving careful thought to the question, may encourage their children during the difficult years between leaving school and reaching adult age to lay the foundations for well-ordered and successful lives. No sensible person believes in all w'ork and no play, hut all play and no work is absolutely impossible. Parents would do well to instruct their children that work is a blessing and not an evil, and that without work the world w’ould starve. Children should also be shown that w’ork well done will bring rewards, not financial benefits only in the way of higher wages or salaries, hut also moral rewards, for to do work well and consistently the worker _must live according to well-defined laws. He must keep his body and mind fit, and he cannot do that if he does not exercise the necessary discipline. Similarly the good which is to be gained from participation in clean, healthy sports at the proper time and from hobbies could with advantage he discussed by parents with the children as they leave school to embark upon life’s journey, and the dangers and pitfalls with which all will sooner or later he faced should be referred to and suitable warnings given. We believe that if all parents would discuss these matters with their children, not in a dictatorial way, but more as companions and friends, much would be done to help the young people to take a more accurate perspective of the life that lies ahead of them, and many a boy and girl would be enabled to set out with the knowledge of how to kcey their various activities in the right balance and reach the success winch they hope for when they leave school.