Evening star., 1936-09-11
Very Pleasant Memories of New England Week Holiday
Experience
Must Guide
Youngsters
Age and Authority Should
Be Counted on to Act as
Support for Adolescent.
BY ANGELO PATRI,

ONE of the most annoying, because
" it Is one of the most difficult, re-
plies to combat is, Everybody else is
doing it. Why can't II" It is hard to
answer because the child is expressing
an error. He believes, or implies he
believes, that any form of behavior
must be right because some one else
practices it, and in the language of
the situation, gets away with it."
Perhaps the best reply is the old one,
"And if he robbed a bank and was
hung for it you would think you ought
to do the same"
But replies prove inadequate. One
word leads to an avalanche of them
and nothing is gained What is one
to do with the child who insists upon
doing what IS harmful because another
does so? Tell him calmly, and with
conviction, that he is not to do this be-
cause it is wrong. Say no more than
that and let his words roll over you
until they pass into silence.
Cigarettes are harmful for young
people. You are not to smoke them.
When you are full grown you can do
as you like, but until then, as long as
you are the child you are, you don't
smoke"
Everybody else does. I'm to be the
cows tail as usual"
Don't answer.
When drinking intoxicating liquor
Is under discussion speak with convic-
ton against it. Hard drinks are not
for growing boys and girls. Further
more, no young person, boy or girl, who
drives a car is to touch liquor. A car
driver is carrying life and death in his
hands, and his hands depend upon his
brains. Brains clouded by liquor are
likely to be the cause of accident. mo
drinks for the driver" The fact that
some other boy, some other girl, takes
a cocktail or two before driving is no
reason for another's being so foolish.
To the contrary, the sober driver is
doubly needed if there happens to be a
muddled one on the road.
Ask the next protesting young per-
son who says, We'll, he does it," if he
could find among his respected ac-
ouaintances one who did not do it..
Get him to search his mind. He will
not have to search long. and the fact
that there is another example before
him, one that shows him better, more
acceptable way, will weaken his already
weak position.
When one looks for another erring
human being in order to bolster up
ones own error the mistake is
strengthened, not the right. And it is
clear that the protesting one is looking
for strength for his own desire. 1t is
more dramatic, more fun to smoke
than not; more exciting to speed than
to stay within the limits prescribed by
law and experience; more popular to
be daring than it is to be cautious.
These are bats that youth finds hard
to resist Age and experience and
authority must come to the support of
anexperience and say no, and mean it.
Once in an older day this question
was under discussion. The wise old
leader said: "As for me and my house
we serve the Lord" There is no other
answer. Youth must choose between
error and rightness some day or other,
and it is our duty as elders to train
him against the temptation of leaning
against the brittle strength Of error.
What another does will not help him
In the day of trial.
Copyright. 1850