YOUTH OF TO-DAY

Hokitika Guardian, 24 July 1925, Page 4

YOUTH OF TO-DAY

UNIIKAI.TUFUL TENDENCIES. AUC KLAND. July 21. The unhealthy tendencies among the youth of to-day received attention from ( anon Percival James, preaching in St. Alary’s Cathedral, lie spoke especially ol immodesty in dress both oil the street and at the beaches, ol the salacious trend of model'll fiction and pictures, and oi bridge playing lor money among girl:;. •• Safety first ” might to he the maxim of (hose responsible lor the care and education ol children, said Canon James m his opening rcniai'KS. Ihe natural reaction against the too rigid discipline of the Victorians had gone so far that in many homes there was no ofi"dive parental supervision and emit 101. There was an milieu Ithl.v precocity among children. ■■ls tlieie not too much reason to fear immorality below the -mboe alien we all see immodesty stalking abroad naked and unashamed in the light of day!'" he said. ".Modesty used to he thought the crown and glory ol womanhood. Jt is tin unpopular word to-day. book at the pictures ot women m the magazines and illustrated papers. A large proportion ol them ar.immodest in dress or altitude, and

Dial is apparently the only reason lor publishing them. 1 lie public Wants them, and gets what it wants. Again, there are recurrent protests against immodesty in dress. Inti the evil seems to he increasing. Decent people who live near the popular bathing beaches tell its they dislike to leave their I,utiles or let their children go out on Sunday in tic summer. Boys and girls, young m at and young women, as near to complete nudity as they can lie without rendering themselves liable to prosecution, spend the whole day, not in the water, hut sporting about and lying about Ingot her. Modesty is a pro (.'less ini.-session ol a hoy and a girl. o| a man and a maid, it they arc robbed of their beautiful natural reserve, a great safeguard is gone. This is a matter lor the women. United action hv head mistresses ot the great girls’ secondary schools in Auckland could do much to remedy this.” There was aunt her thing to w hich Canon James said lie wished to direct alt ‘itlion, that in Auckland it had become a fashionable thing for girls to play bridge for money. Not long ago a icm ncr gave a birthday present to her girl just leaving seliool. It was a bridge purse iit which to put her winnings and from which to pay her losses at bridge. In another ease a young girl had been forbidden by her parents to play lor money, lull the mother had now sml this prohibition mils' h" in moved " because if she does not play On money she cannot have a goo,| time.” It was s;ti.| (hat young people could not even play a round of golf except there was a stake upon it. lie declared the answer to the question, "is the child sale!'” was ultimately to ho I(>itnd in the home and school, lie made an earnest plea that the handling- of character should he regarded not only as within the teacher’s province, Inn also as his supreme enni "i'n. rTT-[irinir-iri>rir~fTriTiiiiMaMiiiiißiii