The New York herald., 1922-04-23

Stephen S. Wise. The Macmillan
Company.
GIVE ME- THE YOUNG. BY Edmond
Holmes. E. p. Dutton Co.
MEETING YOUR CHILD'S PROB
LENS. BY Miriam Finn Scott. Lit |
tie, Brown & Co.
I'm one of Bernard Shaw's plays
there is a woman who laughs
scornfully at the idea that she
should respect her own daughter.
The absurdity of paying respect, she
holds, arises not from any shortcom-
ing of the younger woman, but from
the very relationship Of parent and
child This attitude, ludicrous as IL
may seem, Is typical of an old but
unfortunately not yet obsolete point
of view toward the young, for it is
still too common for parents to re-
gard children as objects to labor for
and cherish after the manner of
other valuables, rather than as sepa-
rate entities with individual rights
and desires that merit respect. But
! the fallacy of the old point Of view
is gradually coming to be realized;
and no more definite testimony to
that fact need be cited than the
three books under review, wherein
we have an appeal for a more con-
siderate and rational treatment of
the young.
Honor thy son and daughter,
born and unborn" urges Rabbi
Stephen S. Wise, in his interesting
and thoughtful volume on Child
Versus Parent" Though I'VE can
not choose our grandparents" re-
marks the author, 1--WE can in some
measure choose our grandchildren"
and, though the regulation OF hered-
ity be a difficult thing. "the least
some parents can do for their chill
dren is through environmental in
f1uence to neutralize the heredity
which they have inflicted upon
them" For the future Of the man
and woman depends largely upon
the home life Of the child; the par
ents cannot safely leave to the
, school teacher the intellectual train
ing of their sons and daughters, nor
to the priest their moral training;
and If fathers and mothers take the
path of least resistance and allow
their children to drift from then
). during childhood, they cannot expec
that by some miracle they will b.
any closer after maturity. Parent.
: should be interested in all the doing
of their children. without ASSUMING
\ a dictatorial attitude; they shoul'
advise without being autocratie
;. should aid without exacting graft
: tude in return, and should reverenc
: without looking upon their childre'
= as upon mere chattels to be pos
> sessed. AS DR.. Wise significant
: declares, "What is really involve
is seen to be a new concep
ton of the home. TIL
a home must become school wherei
!, parents and children alike sit
:, eager learners and humble teacher
!, a school for parents in the latter day
!, in the arts of renunciation and fc
; children in the fine arts of outwar
; courtesy and inward chivalry."
~ II.
1 a..
IN Edmond Holmes In his volume eI
of titled "Give Me the Young; but nj
d. Holmes probes somewhat deep
than does DR.. Wise, and his dedu
is tions are more far reaching al
sc philosophical in their nature. As b
in major premise he makes some gel
wv eralizations that are certainly su
ch ject to challenge; he contends. +
be example, that "Never, within d
re memory of man, was the standa
ii of duty lower than II Is to-da
"a Never was the law Of the land lie
ch respected. Never were solemn e
IL gagements less binding" Seelxil
ill to find the cause and the remed
tie he considers the question OF I
of training of the young; and he
D. whether or not his original assum
as tions be exaggerations. the auth
is treading on solid ground. For
en- establishes beyond question that
est ideals are ever to be instilled, tn
* must be implanted In the minds