Show FOOD FOR THOUGHT A stirring editorial in the deseret news of june 29 calls attention to the destruction wrought by the young sons and daughters of well to do families in salt lake city recreation centers we quote in part as follows up in lindsay gardens new toilets were installed within four days the bowls had been smashed rags and rocks jammed down the sewer connections and the facilities wrecked in general officials say this is a yearly occurrence at athletic park wash basins were wrenched off the walls holes drilled in the plumbing plaster ripped off the walls water pipes bent beyond repair and even the cement floor chipped up over 1000 worth of damage was done at victory playground nearly worth at thle the eighteenth east ast play center 1 and hundreds of dollars worth of equipment has been stolen from nearly all the parks and playgrounds and so it goes oes by far the greatest part of this vicious vandalism has occurred on the east side in localities normally frequented by the children of the more financially well to do reports indicate that many of the culprits are the offspring za of doctors lawyers and businessmen fast becoming a national scandal this type of juvenile vandalism like charity begins at home the number one evildoers are not the brats who wield the axes but the overindulgent parents who have let down the bars of discipline A serious charge this but one that must be reckoned with by parents not only in salt lake city but in every city and town suggestions are ilso also made through this editorial for corrective measures measure 9 and the statement that what america needs to cure this ill is a revival of the old fashioned home life we doubt if this would correct the conditions now in evidence as far as teenage teen age youngsters are concerned but it might help if the little children are more carefully reared and a more rigid discipline is en forced by parents from now on the editorial closes w with itil the following perhaps if parents were made to foot the bill for all damage done by their errant children invest in a little home training it is reported that in some cities if children are out and do damage after a certain hour the parents are subject to a 50 fine perhaps these things are worthy of consideration by our city fathers food for thought indeed although it would seem to avail little in so far as the present generation is concerned when the order of the day among the so called better class of people is to permit children of all ages to go and come at will and tor to have an unlimited supply of money to spend for extravagant pleasures during the war homes 9 were disrupted among the so called working class clas sand and teenage teen age students were receiving salaries for war work way beyond reason so with money plentiful and home life disrupted carefree living and destructive tive habits gained momentum with the result that we must now reap the results of such manner of living livin something to think about however and although there is less of vandalism and more of an attempt made in rural communities to guide children in the pathway of right living the influence of radio stories storie sand and unfit movies which children listen to see is anything but good while it is true that references are made in biblical records that these things would occur in the last days and that children would drive parents to the funeral p pile ile aquarian gospel the things happening today are not to be condoned and everything possible should be done to correct the evil that is being wro wrought light |