Evening star., 1932-10-28
AD0LESCENT AGE
WORRIES SECUTED
AFTER RESEARCH
Dr.. BigeIoW of Columbia U.
Tells Hygiene ParIey
of Investigations.
CONFERENCE ADDRESSED
BY MARRIAGE DOCTOR"
Clinic Director Describes Work of
Advising Couples and Pre-
venting Divorces.

venting Divorces.
Adolescence-roughly the period be-
tween IL and 20, when the boy or girl,
It has been supposed, is going through
especially violent mental stress-was
relegated to the class OF myths today
by DR.. Maurice A. Bigelow Of Columbia
University, speaking before the Regional
Conference en- Mental Hygiene.
Instead Of being time sharply set
off in the life of the individual by spe-
cial behavior characteristics, he said,
the latest investigations are showing
there are no clear-cut lines dividing it
from childhood and maturity.
There is no such animal as an ado
lescent," DR.. Blgelow said.
The adolescent, lie pointed out, has
been credited with being especially dis
obedient, fearful and consumed with
worries. This idea, he believes, is based
largely on the behavior of few young
people in every high school who are
highly introspective and think they are
carrying the weight of the world on
their shoulders. These are exceptions,
he finds.
Adults Questioned.
I'VE have been told a great deal of
of what the adolescent is supposed to
think about" he said. Recently I
have tried to check this by asking
many adults to tell me. as well as they
could remember. what they actually
were thinking about during that period
in their lives. The answers are what
I expected, but far different from the
how to have the best possible time.
They were not thinking of serious
things at all. We are lucky If we can
get the man or woman of Is to think
seriously about what the adolescent
has been described as worrying over"
Most of the supposed problems of
the adolescent, he said, really are the
problems of adults which they refer
to the younger people. Thus rigid
pattern of behavior has been laid down
for this time of life. The adolescent
is not by nature especially dis
obedient. but may appear so because
of revolt against this particular pat
tern. The parents worry greatly about
the future OF the growing boy or girl
and assume that the youngsters are
worrying about the same things.
Marriage Clinic.
An address by a marriage doctor"
was a feature Of the conference today:
This was Mrs. Elgin Sherk, director OF
the Cleveland marriage clinic, which
is established in q Presbyterian Church
in the center Of the city. This church
has from 500 to 600 marriages a year.
Mrs. Sherk brings to her job as ad-
visor to the prospective brides and bride
grooms first-hand contact with mar.
riage customs not only in America ana
Western Europe but in Russia and
Persia. .,
The clinic was established. she said,
when it was found that there were
half as many divorces as marriages IN
Cleveland every year. The practice Is,
if possible, to make contact with the
couple two months or more before the
date set for the ceremony, ana py
friendly conversation. go into the whole
pattern of circumstances. Cften the
couples are referred to a special course
in marriage problems conducted IN q
college across the street and they are
given special service IN arranging then
budget. ..,<
The actual marriage ceremony ITSELF
she said, is an important part OF the
program. No two ceremonies follow ex-
actiy the same pattern. Among the
practices is always to provide mowers
for the bride and to give such dignity
IN the occasion that both bride ana
brideefroom will look back upon 1t as
one of the gala days Of their lives.
The object of all this, she said: Is 70
get them to come back to the church
itself for help, rather than rushing 10
divorce court, when they run into trou-
bic later on. Then their problems can
be studied in the light OF all the oata
rathered in the past, and often the real
cause of the dif1icu1ty can be uneartned.
Conditions in Orient Described.
A study of the traffic in women and
children in the Orient was described py
DR. Bascom johnson, Washington man,
who had been director OF the special
League of Nations Commission which
has been studying this problem Tor the
past three years.
washington is enc of the cleanest
cities in the country in respect to drug
gists who prescribe quack remedieS. tne
conference was told by DIR. Walter
Clark. who conducted a recent survey.
There is a tendency to place on the
shoulders of children in the present de-
preston an unequal burden equivalent
to that placed on the men OF draft age
during the war, Miss Grace Abbott,
chief of the Children'S Bureau, told the
conference yesterday. Even in prosper
Gus times, she said, the child demands
a sacrifice on the part Of its parents
and society as whole.
circumstances are grinding out Tor
us. in the mill of the open road, ha-
bitual hoboes In numbers never before
known in this country" said MISS Alloa
Bowler of the Children's Bureau stan,
speaking of the great number OF va
grant boys found in recent 1nvestlga-
tions. Most of these boys have taken
to the box cars. she said, to escape m.
tolerable home conditions brought
about by unemployment.
Miss Milliken Speaks.
Efforts of the Women's Bureau Of the
Police Department to create q whole-
some environment for children, especial
,ly in the neighborhood Of schools, were
described by Miss Rhoda MItken, head
qof the bureau.
needs a minimum Of 20 acres OF play
ground, said John w. Cooper, United
States Commissioner of Education. He
urged announcement of such sports as
tennis. which can be carried over into
adult life, In preference to games which
appeal purely to children.
There was a joint meeting OF the
conference and the Medical Society of
the District of Columbia last night to
hear an address by DR.. Edward T.:
Keyes, president of the American Social
Hygiene Association; on The Present
Status of Prophylaxis."
Sojourners Postpone Dance.
rn,o to the death Of Lieut. Charles