GUIDANCE OF THE CHILD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 15 January 1931, Page 7

GUIDANCE OF THE CHILD

THE ADOLESCENT AGE ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR SHELLEY The psychology of adolescent youth, the attendant changes in the lives of children, and the instilling of suitable ideals into their minds were subjects touched upon by Professor J. Shelley in the course of an address to about 50 members of the Dominion camp of the Now Zealand Anglican Girls’ Bible Class Union at Christchurch (reports the “Press”). “As far as actual guidance of the early adolescent is concerned, we cannot do much,” said (lie Professor; ‘we have to leave it to chance, but wo can find an outlet for their ideals and if we had their confidence there would ho no difficulties or mental troubles, for these would be solved if we could get children to realise that they are ordinary human beings and that oilier people think just as they do. “The adolescent as a whole finds all sorts of things wrong with the institutions of life. He is right, but unfortunately we cannot alter them, though we should get him to see no reason why lie should giye up his beliefs to fit himself into the institution. Whoever does that is dead, and may just as well cease to exist, for an institution is fixed, and any Christian must he a revolutionary —much, I think, in the way of Socrates, who believed in preaching the life he felt and tried to live, but who had to Submit to llio rules of the institution. That is the fight which has been going on and will always go on. RADICAL CHANGES “About the age of times later, the average child undergoes radical changes. Things which before have interested him for years, cease to exert that interest. We in psychological • work. test children for totally different capacities. For a few years they do not know quite what they" are, and though some have decent homes which act in a steadying manner, homes unfortunately have changed radically since about 50 years ago. and no longer do children look to the homo for the standards and ideals for the rest of their lives. It is of no [use people becoming wild, writing to the papers, and wanting more parental discipline. Facts must be faced, and the actual life of children in the lioms is totally different. Children then had to make their own life in relation to the home; their creative and social capacities were all centred in the home. That is not so in most cases these days, and we have to face that fact. DOMINATING INTERESTS

“The tilings which dominate the child mind now are the things found on the hoardings and on the pictures. It is not the home which stimulates these interests. I am not condemning pictures, but the things which stimulate tho child’s interests are going to rule his mind It is no use trying to get Government censorship, because they wifi probably do it the wrong way, and cut out the very thing which it is desirable should be left in.” Professor Shelley went on to say that the different images in the child’s mind really determined their actions, unconsciously if not consciously. What was wanted was the instilling of an image of Christ as a living Person Who did things and said things ; something which would be present gll limqU Before this'stage was reached in the’child life lie had been a gregarious type of being and a practical, person. Adolescent mental changes were as definite as physical ones. Tho mind was stirred by ideals and abstract things, and gradually the child became conscious that other people felt tho same. This recognition was a dominating influence at that time.

,“I think of the ideals of life in terms of the highest human behavioui,” con tinued Professor Shelley. “Human beings will always make images for themselves, so do not fight shy of images. It is our business to see that these images are dissolved in a real image of Christ s life.”