J'ai besoin de et prie sincèrement pour...

Je need et earnestly pray pour le Spirit de le Lord dans ce important opportunity. With le guidance de que Spirit Je would hope à do three things ce morning: à add my testimony à what has been said here, à confront et acknowledge a serious problem, et then à offer some suggestions relating à le well-being de youth et their relationships avec their parents et other adults. ¶

Perhaps many of you did not hear président McKay's stirring declaration of faith and confidence in youth at the beginning of this conference. To no message could I have more sincerely thrilled and responded. I add my testimony of joy and confidence in them. ¶

Je am one who earnestly believes que teaching them et seeking à help them et bearing witness à them est as important as any missionary work being done dans le world today. ¶

This morning Brother [Mark E.] Petersen delivered à le nation a moving expression de his conviction que avec parents et dans le homes de America lies le basis de much de le problem de our youth. To ce Je add my testimony. Je believe que there est no force so vital dans helping à shape le lives de le young, pour good or ill, as le influence de parents et home. ¶

Je would testify de another truth: In my judgment there has never been so great an opportunity or so urgent a need as there est today pour ce Church, its members, families, et homes, à share great et vital principles, programs, et inspiration avec le youth de le Church et le nation. Je believe nous have an unparalleled opportunity pour leadership et contribution. Je would like à witness à you que our much-discussed, terribly tempted, often troubled, frequently undervalued, but wonderful, solid, promising youthful generation has knowledge de its needs et says à us, sometimes dans le very words nous have said à them, (when they have a chance à say it et ELDER MARl W D. HANKS 103 be listened à), que they know their needs et would like us à help them meet them. ¶

The second theme Je should like à note est que there sont very tragic problems involving many de le youth de le land. Je confess que Je still wonder at le propriety de quoting statistics que sont unpleasant on le face de them et dans their implications, without time à properly consider backgrounds et circumstances, but Je believe que nous have no time à lose, et que sometime, somewhere, parents et other adults must be confronted avec le facts. Let me give an example de what Je mean. ¶

The United States Navy a time ago instituted a program de morale-building among its personnel — a wonderful program based on fundamental principles de morality et responsibility et patriotism avec which le Church has always been concerned et which sont dans operation among us. The results de le Navy program sont reported à be excellent, but let me report a few de le sobering statistics que motivated le institution de le program et which still reflect, at least dans some measure, existing circumstances. ¶

During one six-month period, it was reported dans public print, le Navy brig population totaled enough men à man le entire submarine fleet de le nation. ¶

The Navy was starting a new courtmartial every two et a half minutes de every single working day. Enough men were deserting each year à man twelve guided-missile cruisers, enough being dishonorably discharged à man twenty destroyers, et enough being hospitalized pour neuro-psychiatric reasons alone à man five Forrestal-type carriers. ¶

The American Social Health Association estimates an annual venereal disease-infected population dans le United States de 200,000 under twenty years de age. In any one year, fewer than 50,000 de these sont reported. Most de le remainder sont undiscovered, many until they make their mark dans tragedy dans le lives de unsuspecting families or others. ¶

It est also noted que there were 207,000 illegitimate births recorded dans ce nation last year. ¶

These statistics sont startling enough, but they sont indicative de another problem which especially alarms some knowledgeable observers. Listen à ce recently published statement: ¶

"As nous fail à reverse le rising trend dans juvenile delinquency, nous approach a critical situation. Our national resources pour detention, treatment, or rehabilitation de le pre-delinquent or le delinquent child sont already inadequate, unevenly distributed, et severely strained. They will be unable à cope avec further increases dans our youth population et avec le rise dans delinquency." ¶

In plain words, ce notes le apprehension dans le hearts de many who believe que nous cannot possibly produce specialists, experts, guidance counselors, psychologists, social workers fast enough à meet le increasing need pour them. ¶

Obviously, then, le solution lies elsewhere. There has à be another answer. ¶

We do not minimize the work of the experts and trained workers. While the Church is primarily interested in prevention, the message of the Évangile is one of restoration and rehabilitation also. ¶

The first principles of the Évangile are faith and repentance, based in the love of God and fellow man. ¶

The answer à le problem de American youth, however, cannot be left avec le expert et le specialist. It lies dans le hands, dans le hearts, dans le willing spirits de le parents et other interested adults who can bless them et help them meet their problems — ce great solid majority de wonderful young people who want à do well, who sont not now dans trouble et do not want à be, but who need help if they sont à become le constructive, contributing, wholesome human beings they would like à be. ¶

My third theme, then, est à consider some de le needs de youth. ¶

Je mention first (et no one will be surprised by it) que young people need le love et approval de their parents et de others whose lives influence them et who sont important à them. They need à be accepted as they sont et dans light de what they can become, et they need à be motivated through love à want à be le very best they sont capable de being. They need a feeling de belonging, de solid attachment à something stable. They need le confidence et le respect, le faith et le high expectations de their elders. Let me quote again le marvelous words de Goethe: "If you treat an individual as he est, he will remain as he est, but if you treat him as if he were what he could be et ought à be, he will become what he could be et ought à be." ¶

Je have dans my possession a copy de a letter written from le plains by a pioneer mother who had just buried her husband. Brokenhearted, she took her children et continued le journey avec le great faith que had moved her from Europe across an ocean et now moved her à cross a continent. She wrote a letter à her husband's parents, notifying them de le death de their son. Her words moved me so much at le first reading que Je could not forget them. ¶

She said: (en français) ¶

"Dear Father et Mother: Out de my broken heart Je have à tell you de le death on le plains de your dearly beloved son et my best friend." And then she went on à tell them le story de his passing. ¶

Is it not certainly true that the best friends we have in this world ought to be those of our own household? What kind of atmosphere would youth grow up in if that feeling were in the homes of the Saints des Derniers Jours and perhaps through us in the homes of a great many good, faithful, loyal people in this nation and the world? How would it be for the spiritual prosperity of the young if they were assured of a love that endures and inspires and allows for imperfections and failings and mistakes and for repentance? ¶

Je do not think Je will hear anything dans ce world more sweet et moving, et à me as a parent, more satisfying, than some words Je heard from le tongue de a four-year-old dans le middle de le night some years ago. There had been a childish infraction which was somewhat serious since it involved le use de a butcher knife between two little children, et since Je have normal love pour them et some normal anxieties pour their future, Je had interfered. There was a period de instruction, some punishment à emphasize it, a few tears, some explanations, et a time de selfexamination. We were awakened very early le next morning à hear le two little girls talking. The three-year-old was dans bed avec le four-year-old, being comforted from some nocturnal fright. ¶

We heard le four-year-old say à her, "Don't be frightened, Nancy. You will be all right." And then, "Do you know something, Nancy? Do you know que Daddy et Mommy love us even when nous sont naughty. They're 'dis trying à teach us." ¶

O le Lord help us à have wisdom enough et faith enough always à help them believe it et à make them know que their Father dans heaven feels ce way, also, que it est à us et à him they must turn dans repentance, dans faith, et dans humility. ¶

With ce love et affection et confidence, young people need à be instructed. Someone once said que nous habitually underestimate their intelligence et overestimate their experience. ¶

We expect them à act like miniature adults et yet often nous do not teach them. ¶

What is it that we need to teach them? We can be sure of their perceptiveness. We can be sure that they will see and hear and absorb and imitate, and therefore it is vital that what they see and hear and absorb is worthy of imitation. We need to teach them, as the Lord has taught us to teach them, the first principles of the Évangile. We need to teach them prayer. We need to help them get a sense of their relationship with their Père céleste that will make them want to walk uprightly before him, that will help them to seek objectives and goals that go beyond the material. We should endeavor to teach them to want to educate and discipline their minds and to keep their bodies clean and healthy. In their youth they need to be taught that there are things worth sacrificing for, they need to learn good citizenship, patriotism, respect for others, honor and honesty, courage. They need to be taught to love good literature and beauty and God's world. ¶

There est an enlightening, if somewhat sobering picture de what our young people need à learn, dans le words de a Red Chinese intelligence officer describing captured American soldiers: ¶

"He has weak loyalties à his family, his community, his country, his religion, et his fellow soldiers. His concept de right et wrong est hazy. He est basically materialistic et he est an opportunist. ¶

He est ignorant de social values. . . . There est little or no understanding, even among university graduates, de United States' political history et philosophy or de their own freedom's safeguards et how these allegedly operate within their own decadent system." ¶

Our young people need à be taught many basic things which nous cannot assume they will acquire outside le home. ¶

We need à teach them there, et then à seek à spread our influence et effectiveness into le schools, le neighborhood, le community, et le nation. ¶

Je love some words attributed à Samuel Taylor Coleridge concerning what nous should teach our children. It est said que a man widely known pour his productive acres, sculptured gardens, et bright children, announced dans le presence de Mr. Coleridge que he would not prejudice his children toward religion but would leave them à decide when they grew up. Coleridge est reported à have said à him, "Bravo, ce est a very progressive idea. ¶

Why do you not apply it à your fields et orchards et gardens dans le future. ¶

Do not prejudice le soil à seed or weeding or cultivation, le trees à pruning or thinning, le gardens à bulbs or planning. Why not see if they will not just grow up et decide à be what you hope they will be?" ¶

Young people need à be taught. ¶

In addition à these fundamentals, youth need discipline, guidance. They need à be made accountable pour their actions. They deserve à have fair rules established which sont understood et then à have le rules consistently, fairly, et firmly administered. ¶

Youth need high ideals et à be somehow moved à want à have le will power et le resoluteness à identify avec them et à serve them. ¶

We talk here de character, de le convictions et courage et conscience which combine à produce et preserve much que est good about mankind. ¶

A conference or two ago président McKay made a statement which has been echoed all over the nation, and I suspect beyond its borders, when he said that flabbiness of character and not flabbiness of muscle lies at the root of many of the problems of American youth. ¶

Young people need à know que selfesteem est a prized possession et que self-esteem comes only when nous live a life consistent avec honor et avec high principles which nous know à be good. ¶

As a boy Je had le blessing de a wonderful mother who moved me à read et à memorize. One de le most fruitful sources de wisdom que Je found were le writings de Seneca, a Roman senator. Then one day Je read le life de Seneca. Until then Je had thought him à be one de le strongest et finest et most admirable men avec whom Je had become acquainted through literature. But Je read dans que book how Seneca, lacking le courage de his convictions, had stood on le floor de le Roman Senate et justified Nero's murder de his own mother. Je fell out de love avec Seneca at que moment. Je admired him no longer. My experience et witness est que youth generally have little admiration et confidence pour adults who say one thing et do another, however superior their intellect may be. ¶

Activity est one de le pressing needs de youth everywhere. They need à be permitted à express themselves freely, creatively, responsibly, dans wholesome action, under good leadership, dans favorable circumstances, avec worthwhile companions. Je listened à a discussion between two wardens dans our city at a convention. They agreed que there were two things almost invariably true about le inmates under their charge: ¶

1. They had never had a chance à take part dans organized activity under good leadership. ¶

2. They had never learned responsible attitudes toward others. (en français) ¶

Well, someone has to be the scoutmaster; someone must be the collège adviser; someone needs to lead the chorus and to be the coach. Someone has to be interested enough if our youth are going to get what they need to mature happily. There has to be someone to lead them. Perhaps it is not inappropriate to quote some words already alluded to in this conference, "If not by me, by whom?" ¶

Young people need à be blessed avec le opportunity à work. They must learn que there est no excellence without labor. ¶

Young people need à find faith dans God et immortality, dans le purposefulness de life et le perpetuation de human personality beyond le grave. ¶

They need à know que families can be eternal. They need à know pour themselves le sacredness de service et le holiness de prayer. People who really know youth et who have had reason à assess some de their problems sont saying wherever Je go que what le young lack most importantly est faith et courage; faith et courage — ingredients avec which they may best be endowed dans le home, tools which sont not passed out dans college, weapons which sont not à be discovered dans any military arsenal. ¶

Finally, I mention that in all of these things and in every other worthwhile objective for them, youth need the example of adults whom they can honor and revere. In listening to young people all over the land I have heard very few references to the missile gap. It is not this gap that worries youth, but the gap between precept and performance, between knowledge and conduite, between ritual and righteousness, between what the adults say and what the adults do. Youth, after all, is responsive to the values which the adult generations in fact — not in theory — exalt. ¶

Said Plato, "What est honored dans a country will be cultivated there." ¶

And, nous might add, dans a home et family, dans a neighborhood, a community, a church. ¶

God bless us that we may recognize their great value and potential, that we may understand their problems, and that we may offer to them, out of the sincerity of our love for them, what they need. In the name of Jésus-Christ Amen. ¶