STRATEGIC POSITIONS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2185, 5 October 1920, Page 1

STRATEGIC POSITIONS

PILLARS OF THE BRITISH NATION. (By N.E.C. in the Evening Post.) N Ouv National Debt : £10(),0«»,000 odd. Our Assets: Butter, wool, meat, cheese —young people (uncounted). Our Debits: Industrial unrest, Capital versus Labour, and Producer- versus Consumer. Our Greatest 'Need: Industrial harmony; increased production. The same cries are always heard after wars! They arc the usual prelude, either to Chaos or to a New Order. What do they portend in these thus? Something new must be coming, for the old show seems creaking in all its joints. Be optimistic and say a good time is coming. THE NEW ORDER. For forms of Government let fools contest.'’ —Pope. Socialists or Bolshevists says it s ■Socialism (their brand) —a system lit for the angels. But where arc the angels? Capitalists, or Profiteers, say it’s business as usual —a system to lit the rut of their fathers. But what kind of rut ? The Idealist chips in—“ All that —the cracking of thorns under a pot: it’s Co-operation’’; and the educationist ventures —“Yes, and the means to that are the adolescents’ education. The infant and primary school child are not the only pebbles on the educational beach. From the civic and social point of view (he strategic age is that between 14 and 18—the age we neglect most—or think about least.’’ The Psychologist moralises; “If the Slate only knew the tremendous forces lying latent in these young people, it would resort to extreme measures and spend money in harnessing the forces for future use.If the State only understood it would provide, through right education, a good outlet for the idealisms and awakening social instincts peculiar to this age —instincts that will find expression in some way or other.” But the Slate as yet does not know that to provide an outlet into the paths of citizenship for these susceptible young people will be to prevent a drift into the ways of hooliganism and go-slowism. So the State does not care that in the case of nearly half of our young people the strategic time is neglected. There is no doubt about it that 14 to 18 is the time at the Hood, for (he primary school child is 100 immature, and the adult has too hard and tough in the ways of the wicked old world to assimilate social training. Thu is not sheer nonsense; it is good science. OUR PRESENT DISCONTENTS. “Isn’t your life extremely Hat When there’s nothing whatever to grumble at?” —Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the fashion to rail at the apathy of-the people —their lack of civic spirit; to deplore their style of amusements ;thcir lack of serious pursuits; to denounce their industrial methods —their go-slow and lack of honesty. The reason of all this is not hard to find; it is mostly defective education, or lack of education, at the strategic time of life —between the ages of 14 and 18. This country cannot or will not afford continuation classes for these people. Yet even in England they have become law. THE PERSON HIMSELF. So, gentle reader, consider him and some of his ways. To you, too, he may be an uncounted asset —a tiresome hobbledehoy, obnoxious and - bumptious. All the same, if taken the right way, he is very docile, quite ready lo he directed into the paths of citizenship (and virtue), but just us ready to lapse into the ways of hooliganism and worse. If all depends. 1 HIS TRAINING. With these details we will not, of course, bore you. Doubtless you have strong opinions of your own; but this is really a mutter for experts—teachers and such-like. They carry a heavy responsibility- in bringing their methods in line with adolescent and national needs. Let’s hope they can do it. \ ’ YOUR PART, ‘Watch' our paragons of legislation in ease they forget these important assets and overlook a clause about compulsory continuation classes in the Education Bill of this session. Then, if they do this, you can tell me why, in times of peace, money is the most important thing in the world, and in times of war other calamities —man power.