Evening star., 1936-12-15
AdOleScentS
Have Their
Probl S
Youth as a Whole Is
Under Strain of
Uncertainties.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

1ONE has to be very understanding
about young people these days.
Boys and girls of adolescent years are
under a severe strain. Those who
are still in high school and college
are in doubt about their future. They
are not sure that the work they are
preparing for will be open to them
when they are ready, nor that they
will be able in any way to support
themselves when the time for such
self-dependence arrives.
They are suffering from the strain
Of knowing that, while they are ready
for courting and marriage, their future
is so uncertain as to make marriage
Of the accepted kind, where the man
assumes responsibility for earning the
home and the wife that of making it,
| more of a hope than a possibility
That is one of the gravest problems
youth has to face.
Along with these is the feeling that
the father and mother have more than
they can do to take on the burden of
the support such boys and girls must
have. I'D rather go out and bum it
than stay at home and see my mother
and father growing gray trying to feed
me-"
The family is all tense and weary,
and each member wears little ON the
other. There Is no cure for the state
Of affairs until things work themselves
out bit and the new era opens fully.
Then there will be room and place for
all who need them. Until then, we
must be patient with the troubled
young people, interpret their irritation
and waywardness for what it Is,
frustrated desire to help themselves
and their families.
Explain the thought you have about
this to the boys and girls. Tell them
the truth and let them know you do
not want them to feel responsible for
the conditions. All you want from
them Is their affectionate understand
ing and cooperation. Share the
troubles and you will unite the joys
Of the family, hold it together until
there is relief. Better times are COM
ing, and life will go on, not so before.
but in better cheer.
From what I can see, the best place
for unemployed boys and girls is
school. While they are waiting for
opportunities to come they can be pre-
pairing for them by studying some
branch of knowledge or skill in which
I,av + ix,faror$nl Nn Ey,Ox
edge comes amiss. Knowing and not
knowing spell success or failure In
many q young life. Know something
well and you have lever under life
that will very soon lift your weight.
The world is asking, even today, for
thorough knowledge and skill. We
have too many boys and girls whose
reply to, what can you do?" is ANY
thing"
That Is not true That is not true
account. Nobody can do anything"
meaning everything. A man is lucky
II he masters one art or craft or in
dustry. The best thing for young peo-
pie to do is to use every spare hour
in learning how to do something in
particular and to do it better than 1t
has ever been done before. Learning
how relieves strained nerves, puts hope
In the heart, confidence into every
motion. Try it If the strain is getting
to be too much for you to endure.
Older folk have their troubles, but
they will not be the lighter for making
those Of the children harder to bear.
Get together and hold each other up
until this passes.
Copyright. 1e3eJ