YOUTHFUL IMMORALITY.

Taihape Daily Times, 21 September 1918, Page 2

YOUTHFUL IMMORALITY.

PRESENT-DAY CONDITIONS. SCHOOL AND HOME TRAINING. A strong indictment of conditions existent among boys and girls of the community, and of a. great defect in the Dominion's criminal law was voiced on Wednesday by several speakers at the St. Mary's Home anuai meeting in Auckland. The subject was introduced in the annual report, in which Archdeacon Mac Murray stated that the number of applications from girls for admission, and the youth of those applying, were very alarming symptoms of *uie times. There had been cases where children of 13 ha<" come to the homes as expectant mothers

Speaking upon thispoint, Miss Hancock, superintendent, said: "Again I wish to draw attention to that iniquitous clause in our criminal law, under which a man guilty of an" offence against a girl under 16 escapes scot free unless prosecuted within six months after his offence. Often the crime is hidden until after that, the unfortun-

ate child being impelled by shape from telling e'ven her parents wfcat has happened. Within the lastr.lO years no fewer than 30" girls under 1$ years of age have become mothers at the home, and in only one case have we been able to secure a conviction against the man!" At present, the speaker continued, there were 36 girls in the home, nearly all between 15 and 20 years of age, ariu quite half of them below the average of ordinary intelligence and capability. "That means that there are 36 boys responsible for all this shame and degradation, who have been just as foolish, who stand just as much in need of education and guidance a"s~ these poor girls, but they go untouched by the fires of shame and rebuke. We badly need a man's committee to take up work among the boys, and teach them the lessons of purity and chastity we are trying to teach the girls." "It is ignorance and utter thoughtlessness that have brought about this condition among our young people," said Mrs. • Kenneth Mackenzie, "and, above all, the failure of mothers to train growing girls and boys as they should be trained. Most of these erring children simply' have not been taught thelfirst thing about the essential facts of life; mothers eifeter cannot or will not instruct them. Prudery is no fit preparation for the temptations of the life of to-day, and its dangers and pitfalls must 'be pointed out to be recognised." Bishop Averill also spoke of the urgent need for enlightenment ( and training among the young. "It is not only the conditions of the home, however, that should be improved, btft that of school li?e," he said. "This is one of the worst sources of immorality at the present time. In the course of my travels in the country I have been made aware of conditions so shocking that if one dared to stand up and proclaim them the public would absolutely rebel and cry, 'These things must not be.' However, this is not a matter that our Government cares to interest itself in, although if there were only even a little religious training' in the schools, it would give the teachers some ground upon which to appeal to the children under their care."