REMAKING THE WORLD

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3046, 31 August 1933, Page 3

REMAKING THE WORLD

YOUTH IN REVOLT. VIEWPOINT OF NEW GENERATION. The other day a well-known author who has professed the most “advanced” views brought to me for my opinion the manuscript of the book he has just written (writes Sisley Huddleston in the Daily Mail). To my astonishment I found it was a plea for the old virtues. It had come to him as a great discovery that the old-fashioned •code of conduct, the old-fashioned belief in principles, were necessary and desirable. Now this reaction, which has touched many of the older men, is especial]}’ to be found in the newest generation. Consider what happened. Those classes which were the most industrious and conscientious were peculiarly affected by the great shalcc-up. All over Europe, even in countries where it had been severely practised, thrift became ridiculous with the collapse of currencies, and spending took its place. Money appeared to come easily and , was squandered lightly. There was suffering, but there was also a resolve to have a gay time. Eat, drink and lie merry, for to-morrow we may bo ruined! Post War Turmoil. Generalisations may often be misleading, but in this case there is no doubt that notions of permanence and of steadiness were badly shattered in the craze for money-making and for pleasure-seeking which followed the -war. In some countries the crash came quickly, but in others an ambience was created which was unfortunate not merely for the older men and women, but for those who, without real knowledge of war, arrived at maturity in the years of unregulated folly. They could not have failed to bo influenced by the political, financial and social turmoil; they were caught up in the whirl of intellectual and moral disorder. Not all, of course, but the prevailing tone was one of facility and heedlessncss. Landmarks disappeared. But for those vdio came after the conditions were more difficult. I am convinced, from my own widespread inquiries, and I am sure that parents, educationalists and all w r ho cndcavoui to guide youth will agree, that those whose most impressionable years were spent amid the muddle of moral, of

finance and of politics, which they could scarcely understand, and who arc now reaching full manhood and womanhood, are in serious revolt against the excesses of our time. Youth Movement in Germany. They missed the fun —if fun it was; l>ut. they did not miss the consequences of the post-war follies. When I was in Germany I was profoundly struck by the youth movement. There was a genuine thoughtfulness, a conscientiousness of the need for action, a sense of an intolerable injustice towards the newer generation which was not -so much political as moral, and these thoughts and feelings were accompanied by a healthy love of athletics in natural surroundings. In Italy, tooj Mussolini was perspicacious enough to realise that the building of a great nation, as distinct from immediate political triumphs, calls for the proper direction of the energies of youth. He has attached the greatest importance to the serious training of tho coming generation. Yet, if he is to be commended for his discernment, it should likewise be added that he availed himself of the natural impulses and desires of Italian youth. In France and in Great Britain it may be doubted whether this reaction of youth, w r hich manifests itself in a multitude of ways, has been officially canalised. But it exists, as anyone would be persuaded who talked with the youth of these countries.

It is a poor business that we, their elders, have made of the old world and its Thc ; ! young people do not appreciate the causes of our failure; blit it is up to’ |them to make a better job of the ndiv world and its infinite resources. They have the desire and determination to do so, and we should be grateful for these signs of returning sanity.