Article September 1, 2013

The family

Melita Knowles, Paul Wohl, Geoffrey Godsell, Kimmis Hendrick, Takashi Oka, J. Emlyn Williams

Originally published in the February 15, 1963 issue of The Christian Science Monitor

The family in Britain, despite some disruptive inﬂuences, is still a strong social link, though the welfare state has diminished its inﬂuence as a compact economic unit. The average child is well fed, well clad, and competent. He generally goes to a good school with gymnasium, music rooms, craft rooms. He gets a comparatively well-paid job in a world bristling with opportunity and entertainment.

The material picture generally is one of afﬂuence. The children have been called the fortunate generation. Yet the steady rise in crime among children and young people points up weaknesses in the moral ﬁber. The incidence of divorce and broken homes is seen as a major factor contributing to a sense of insecurity to which most child crime is attributed.

The welfare state has banished to a large extent the malnutrition and underprivilege of former generations. The rise in child crime which has come with improved material conditions points up the need for more constructive moral, social, and educational leadership from parents, youth workers, and others.

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