"MONTY” STRESSES HOME INFLUENCE

Putaruru Press, Volume XXI, Issue 1238, 10 July 1947, Page 2

" MONTY” STRESSES HOME INFLUENCE

THE TRAINING OF YOUTH Strong National Character The supreme influence of family life and the secondary influences of schools and boys' clubs in training youth for building a strong nation were discussed by Field-Marshal Lord Montgomery of Alamein, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, in a speech in London. The basic requirement of every nation, he said, was a strong national character. What were the things that mattered in training boys so that they grew into men of character ? The foundation must contain a good measure of spiritual mixture. A famous British admiral had heen quoted as saying:— “ Of young men aged 18 and 19 who are joining the Navy, only 23 per cent, could repeat the Lord's Prayer word perfect, and 40 per cent, knew only the opening words. Only 70 per eent. knew who Christ was; only 45 per cent- knew about Easter.” Any nation which neglected the spiritual approach in training youth would achieve no lasting success, said Lord Montgomery. We must see to it that our young people grew up with a proper sense of religious truth. Parents had immense responsibilities. The boy must be taught what was meant by duty, unselfishness, comradeship ; unity; he must learn that certain things were good and certain things were not good; he must gain a sense of values; he must learn the essentials of honesty, sincerity, loyalty and patience. Those responsibilities belonged to the parent, and must not be shirked.

Some people thought these things would be learned at school and that the schoolmaster was responsible. Never was there a greater mistake. Instruction must begin in the home—it would be continued in the schools.

Coming to the adolescent age, 14 to 18, “ when the boy wants to find his feet in the world in a larger community,” Lord Montgomery suggested this should be the club community.

Good boys’ clubs were a real and essential need during the adolescent age; and a system covering the whole country was an essential feature of any training scheme. After suggesting that a hoy’s natural attributes should be encouraged in his spare time, and that we should seek to strengthen him at his strong points rather than to concentrate on his faults, Lord Montgomery said that on previous training would depend how the boy fared in the battle of life when he reached manhood.

If it had been good he would have the spirit of service to the community. It was essential, Lord Montgomery concluded, for soldiers to realise that national service tended to upset and interfere with the training of youth for civilian professions. Soldiers, therefore, had a responsibility to see to it that they interfered as little as possible with the future civilian profession of the national service man and to see that the training they gave him was such that they returned him to civil life a really good citizen- : - v s v