Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1906. ARE WE DEGENERATING?

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3619, 8 February 1906, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1906. ARE WE DEGENERATING?

So much has been written of late on the above subject, that an occurrence of only yesterday which we were compelled to witness, and which we claim comes under the topic of conversation, cannot oa-'s by us unnoticed. While the New Zealand footballers were making their record victorious march through the Motherland, countless columns of trash were imprinted in the English and Colonial press by those who preferred to contend that the British race were degenerating—in general physique at all even's. When “ Omar ” preferred to set woman before the “ New Zealand Times ” readers as an example of degeneracy, his remarks brought [innumerable letters —all in support of woman, “ Was Woman Degenerating?” “No, woman was not degenerating,” came the r etort from everywhere. But though the charges levelled against the British physical development and against the woman of to-day many have been conclusively disproved, still we ponder over the question “ How about the rising generation : Are they Degenerating?” After what we observed yesterday afternoon, we feel inclined to answer “ Yes ! ” “ Children will be children,” is a term rightly applied to slight mis doings of the present day youngster. But we do not approve of it being applied in the present instance. The thought of a party of school-child-ren deliberately lying in wait for their school teacher and following him home through the Main street, at the same time ridding themselves of undue abuse, compels us to waft away into thought on the subject “ Are the children of ToDay Degenerating? ” It may appear to some that it was so childish an act that it should be passed by. We say: “ No! ” There is something wrong somewhere. Is it that too much liberty is given some of these children in their homes ? We ate rather inclined to think so, for no well-mannered child would be a party to yesterday’s affair. We appeal to mothers and guardians to face the question as it ought to be faced and strive to keep their children under goodmannered control, otherwise we fear outside races will speak truthfully of the generation that is to come when they say that “ They have degenerated.”