MODERN YOUTHS.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17503, 10 September 1928, Page 9

MODERN YOUTHS.

EDUCATIONAL AIMS. EAGER FOR KNOWLEDGE. (From a 'Correspondent). NEW YORK, July 30. “The modern young man of the city, in his early twenties and just starting in business, is not thinking solely to-day of his job and of advancement in it; nor arc these subjects the only ones which engross him in day or evening .school work. He is quite as eager for knowledge along cultural, religious, civic and social lines. In fact, he is quite willing to attend classes dealing with sucli subjects in order to learn more about them.” These conclusions are reached in a report on informal non-vocational education work as carried on in twenty-seven of the country’s Y'.M.C.A. schools, which was made before the Education Council of the Y.M.C.A. at its ninth annual session held recently at Chautauqua, N.Y. The report, which was presented by William F. llirsch, Senior Secretary, and Thomas 11. Nelson of the National educational staff of the “A',” asserted that there .was an increasing demand throughout the country for classes built around such ‘ subjects as the growth of personality, law for laymen, development of cultural interests, modern-day application of the teachings of Christ, ethics, current events, modern social problems, social welfare, marriage problems, thrift and economic problems, health, etiquette, and manners and dress. Sign of the Times. Another sign of tho times in the "Y” colleges, according to the report, is the great demand for extra-curri-cular activities under such general classifications as professional clubs, debating and public speaking, music, religious studies, athletic clubs and activities, dramatic societies, fraternities, publications, and friendship and hobby groups. “The average ages of those engaged in extra-curricular activities are around 22 and 2.1, except for the debating and public epeaking group, which is above 2b, and the religious study group, which ranges from 30 to -id,” the report said. “In the eighty-nine extra-curricular activities reported, there were 3100 persons enrolled out of a total student body of 1 -i,OGG; 22.1 per cent of the student body were enrolled in the extra-cur-ricular activities.” The trend in general was summed up thus by Mr llirsch in his report: “There appears to be a broadening of the programme of the schools and associations to include a greater variety of activities. There is more interest in informal activities, such as reading courses, lectures and talks, forums, educational clubs, etc. The field for this type of work is as wide as tlie association movement. Informal activities are especially adaptable for programme uses in the smaller cities, where formal class work, requiring active promotion and supervision, may be more difficult to maintain. Yet it is probably true that more progress in the development of informal activities is being made by associations with 'well-organised formal work. The extra-curricular activities of the larger schools, which are informal in nature, claim the interest of hundreds of participants. Another indication of broadening viewpoint is the increasing number of non-voca-tiunal subjects.” There is a rapid growth in the number of foremanship training events being offered by various agencies in the United States, the report revealed, with the Y.M.C.A. maintaining a constant number of classes and sponsoring an increasing number of clubs and conference groups. The report suggested that “more emphasis should be placed upon the understanding of human relationships, the analysing of the job, the understanding of job organisation, the development of co-operation among men, and less emphasis upon the methods of 'increasing production, handling of labour, materials and machinery and on the training of foremen for ne\y jobs. A new departure in public speaking continuation work, the Abraham Lincoln Public Speaking Club, which is spreading widely throughout the country, was described in the icpoi . Graduates of the “Y’s” standard course in public speaking are eligible, the clubs seek to reflect the personality of Abraham Lincoln and to be guided in their civic responsibilities by his ideas and philosophy oi govern incut.