PROBLEM OF YOUTH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 October 1929, Page 8

PROBLEM OF YOUTH.

POSITION OF THE C'HUK-CH

INFLUENCE! IN THE HOME

“10, the Church alive to the problem of Ihe child?” This was a question put most forcefully by Archbishop Averill in. the .second portion of his. charge to the iDoiCesan Synod, delivered at St. Mary's Cathedral at Auckland yesterday. Action was instantly demanded, he said, and the best way to see that children would be brought up il « Christian,s was to see that they were surrounded by a. Christian influence in their homes.

“It is estimated that there are 90,000 children, in New Zealand,' who are receiving; jh? religious instruction. ” the archbis'liop said. “We< have not got very fan toward a solution of the problem with all our academic discussions and conferences, and it is not particularly helpful to pass pious resolutions deploring youthful delinquency. We want to cea.se talking and get down to bedrock—and bedrock in this question isi the home. AVhat can we expect from children who receive' no religious training at home, none at school, and are not even encouraged to pick up the crumibisi available in Sunday School? |

“A\ r e have endeavoured for years and years to get the' reading or teaching of Holy Scripture into the curriculum of ou,r State primary sichoolis, but so far without success, because the fetish of ‘free secular and; compulsory’, education lias cam glut the popular iniagiiTation and provided a jM>puln-r ipoJiti'eal slogan.

THE YXCTORiTAN SYSTEM. “AVo are not so. foolish, as to suppose' that the millennium would be in .sight even if the. State amended the Education Act and provided i'or the spiritual slide of the child’s education; but we do say that children would be far better equipped to lace the temptations and pitfalls of life if they had some solid reason and foundation for living a moral life and some nobler vision of the meaning and opportunities of life. “The executive of the Bible in State Schools' League is not- submitting' its bill to the present Parliament, but is ►still carrying on its work, and wail 1 endeavour to secure such amendments to the Hon. G. M. Thomson’s bill, which advocates the Ariotorian system, that it may to ai large extent cover the same ground as our own Bill. The. A’ictoriau system is very similar to what is known a«' the Nelson system, and suffers from tlio same defects. Religious teaching inust he given outside school hours, and very few children in country schools can 'be reached by it. In the meantime I would recommend. the clergy to use such opportunities as they may obtain under the Nelson system.

“BEATING THE ALB.” I “At- the last session of synod we passed several resolutions bearing upon this all-important question of the welfare of youth. Personally, i am in- | dined to think that we are ‘beating ! the air,’ unless our suggested remedies ideal with home and parents, as well as children. The problem of the child is primarily the problem .of the home, and unless' the atmosphere of the home is Christian and sympathetic our work for the children. and young people gen-, eially must be to a. large' extent ineffective'. The influence of the home should be paramount in the,' life of the child, land it is the duty of the Church to fijuuiilmte that funida;mental], principle in the' niiiuds of children. There can be no substitute for the sacred I responsibility o( parents. “The problem to-day is not more machinery lor i.n foresting and training children outside their homes, but the strengthening, and in some causes the} conversion, of the hornet* them-selves, j so that children can have the opportunity of growing op in a proper atmosphere. If the atmosphere of the home iis worldly, materialistic and antiChristian, and 1 so. contradicts the teaching of Church and Sunday School, what hope is there for the child '■ As we have no right to attempt to weaken the influence of home and parents in a- child’s life, it is our duty to try and Christianise that influence.”.

PRAGTIOAL SUGGFBTIONS. Numerous practical suggestion could he made, the archbishop continued. Tlhc Sunday Schools and Bible classes were doing excellent work, but there was loom for a real council of youth, a- guild of service. The young naturally saw visions, land, so far from despising those visions, the Church, should see thorn translated into action. It, needed the vision, the .inspiration and the sei vice of youth. It was also possible to make niucili more use of simple and ' useful literature fur young people in •order to counteract the baneful influence of so. much ol' the current harmful literature which fell into their hands. “•Off course, with all our machinery for the welfare of youth, we can only touch the fringe ol' the great- problem., and can, only influence the few,” the archbishop said ,in conclusion. ‘‘Bid surely that is worth while. Unless par ents are prepared to- sacrifice them selves for the sake of their children, the problem of youth will only increase. “As far as the Church, is concerned, wo have a solemn, responsibility to guard our methods from any appearance of evil, especially ou,r methods of gaining adherents or raising funds for the -support of the Church's work. The end does not justify the means, and laxity m this direction on the part of the- Church may convey suggestions a-ii-1 sanctions to the minds of the. voung which will sow the seeds of a; deadly harvest in their lives,. The duty of the Churc-h lisi to witness to the ideals and standards' of Christ, and, not to make compromises with the world.”