Social problems of the family / by Ernest R. Groves.

  • Ernest R. Groves
Date:
[1927]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Social problems of the family / by Ernest R. Groves. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    in both of the child's duties, for the family will suffer a loss if either task is omitted. It is also true that as the child comes more under the dominance of outside social organizations such as school and church—and such institutions are continually encroaching farther upon what was once entirely family territory—it is harder to adjust the various codes of conduct and the differing standards and purposes. The family has to assume the rôle of arbitrator; it must help the child adjust not only to the conflicting demands of outside institutions but also to the opposing interests expressed in the home program and that of other social organizations. The husband and wife in their response to out-of-the-home conditions have to meet diffi culties similar to those encountered by the children. The family may have less function than in former times, but what it does becomes more complex and difficult. Program for Reconstruction. —At a time when family defects and failures have become numerous and obvious there is need of a program which will tend to conserve family welfare. It is impos sible to let the family meet its storm and stress with no effort to direct its course. Our other social institutions have the benefit of intelligent criticism, investigations and undertakings that attempt to strengthen them. At a time when people are so aware of their social needs, it is inevitable that movements and programs should originate that have for their purpose the betterment of family life. Even the idea of giving specific training for parenthood and marriage is making headway. This is not entirely new, for in some form it is often present in savage society, but the present tendency is toward a kind of instruction that is different from that of the past. There is common agreement that the ordinary home does not, indeed cannot, give such instruction satisfactorily although for merly under more simple conditions its failures were less costly. Specialization is required on the part of those who would teach the conditions of happy parenthood and marriage; the average parent and teacher realize that the information science has for them must be gathered by the expert and passed out in some popular form of instruction. Magazines have taken over a large part of such teach ing and make increasing use of those specialists who can give in an
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