New Britain herald., 1928-06-27
Truth Should Be
 Taught Children
Is Basis of Their Entire
 Life and Education.

Probably nothing is more charac- teristlc of the courage and intelli- gence of American parents than the efforts they are making to enlighten themselves on the subject of child training.
 Not only do they consider the mental and moral upbringing of their children nowadays as import ant as physical welfare, but they have come to realize that the old way of preparing a child for a shell tered life in sheltered world is of no more use nowadays than an um- brella in a. typhoon.
 Parents are apt to blame them- selves, and other people have been quick to criticize them for a lack of discipline that has resulted in what we call the terrible younger gener- ation."
 l believe that parents are entitled to sympathy instead of censure in these rather chaotic times. All trans ition stages from the old to the new i are chaotic. Forewarned is fore- armed, and how were parents to know that times were going to change practically overnight? For times did change suddenly. with the advent of quick travel and instan- l taneous thought-a renaissance more tremendous and far-reaching than that which occurred in Europe in the fifteenth century. Events that took 50 years to happen then are history now in a week.
 But not only the tempo of the times has quickened; it takes no astrologer to tell us that the new era is not only one of material and physical changes, but that the great est change of all has been in thought attitude toward world~old institu- tions.
 This new freedom suddenly le, loose upon the world has, for one generation at least. been dangerous ly near its undoing. Trained for the cloistered shelter of more or less artificial life, young people sudden ly found the walls down.
 Some have lost their heads and paid dearly in the school of eXperi. .nce. But these very children will make the best parents in the end bo cause they will know what theii children are up against. They vii give them better defense than the old fashioned precepts handed dowr from a placid past.
 Children today are facing a rather . unsentimental. matter -of-fact, bu more honest age. Things are beint dragged out into the open, and in deed it is the children themselve! largely, who are doing it.
 Greater than ever will be theil need for straight. clear thinking. un. biased by prejudice, and unwarpet by complexes of mind and charac ter. The child of the future must bt free from the hindrance and un happiness of inhibitions He must be free from his own bigotry.
 He must be able to select the righ values of living and conduct ant base his standards on what he be T1ieves 10 be right. rather than upor what people will think or say. o1 upon unreasonable custom. With th' world wide open, ne must De m own defense. He will have no us' for the eleventh commandment Thou must not be found out.'
 Truth and frankness! That shoult be the basis of all child training But we must go back farther thai that It won't do to wait until a chilt is 10. or even s, and then say. wv now must begin to think of John lcharacter."
 Child training begins at birth, O ] as soon as instinct develops int mental initiative and sense reaction , And strangely enough it does not be gin with habit training, althougl l habit training is considered the frs , step in character training. It begin with health.