When youth was marginalised and forced to adopt a spartan, stoic living by their authoritarian elders
Grazio V. Ellul
From the 1940s and 1955, young people in Malta between 12 and 25 years were under the tutelage and benevolent control of the Church and their parents. The State, up to the late 1940s, was not of much concern to most people. It gave them nothing - no free education, no financial help, no health care - but at the same time took nothing from them either - no income tax, no stealth taxes and nor did it meddle in their lives. What Church, State and parents had in common was that none of them did happiness. Happiness was not considered a valid goal for life in young people's lives during and immediately after WWII. Living spartanly and stoically waxed as part of the then cultural zeitgeist. Strength, bravery, independence and self-control were extoled. Emotions were considered weaknesses and could not be tolerated as a matter of survival and success. Add to this, in the then British Malta, the austere, solemn and melancholic atmosphere of long dead Queen Victoria lingered on and was still very much alive. The 1940s-1950s youths had the full influence of Anglo-Saxon and Teutonic rigidity thrown upon them. Most readings of the 1940s give a picture of a decade that was dark, dull and lost - and I do not think that it is much off the mark. One thing can be said of young people of those years: they were definitely not spoiled rotten. It needs also to be said: there was no such category termed as youths or teenagers then. People were either children or adults.
In their different ways, the Church, State and the parents did their best to hammer in the spartan and stoic ideal into children's heads - be it at evening catechism lessons, at home or at primary school classes. The acceptance of suffering and immunity to misfortune was regarded as the proper preparation for life. The Church applauded the virtues of mortification, penance, sacrifice, fasting and food abstention. Images of eternal damnation and hell-fire were etched into children's consciousness at a very early age. Fire and brimstone were favourite topics of preachers. Young people were used to listen to Lenten sermons and Sunday homilies meant to cause reverential fear and holy terror. Children were made very much aware of and encouraged never to lose sight of The Last Four Things, Novissimi, death, judgment, heaven and hell. Frolic and fun were not in the Church's and parents' vocabulary.
Conformity and adherence to a static, patriarchally-imposed and seemingly artificial code of behaviour was paramount. Young people were governed by three unwritten and never openly talked-about fundamentals. The first is the oft-quoted aphorism that "Not only must religion be practised but - even more importantly - it must also be seen to be practised. Then there was the unconscious observance that people were governed by the thought still found in atavistic, fundamentalist, Islamic societies where women's education, work, and pretty, colourful "worldly", frivolous dresses were deemed to be uncanonical and deeply irreligious. Then, going back to the source of their faith and following the tradition in all Abrahamic religions, everyone accepted that it was an authoritarian, man's world. The combined essence of all this was that display was paramount, that solemnity and sobriety held an elevated position and that obedience and segregation and a Church rigidly authoritarian in its governance were norms. Clearly, the spirit of youth figured nowhere in this code. At that time young people's feelings were obliterated from things that mattered. What was demanded of youth was that they religiously stick to "everyday musts" like prayers, pious devotion, the recitation of the Rosary in the evening, the wearing of the brown scapular or the Miraculous Medal under their outer wear; going to confessions on Saturday evenings, attendance at Sunday Mass plus the frequenting of one of the catholic societies, be it Malta's own Society of Catholic Doctrine (M.U.S.E.U.M.), the Italian inspired Catholic Action or that Irish institution, the Legion of Mary and other outward religious observance like taking part in processions and aux flambeaux manifestations.
This air of solemnity, conformity and reverence was replicated at home. The world was still very much devoted to parents. They were in charge of most aspects of adolescents' lives. The father enjoyed the aura bestowed upon him as being the Pater Familias. He laid down the rules. The whole household was held in clinging dependence on him. Wife and children were seen as vulnerable creatures in need of protection. Parents showered praise on the status quo and taught their offspring to always count their blessings and be thankful for small mercies. There was a general consensus that good manners, behaviour and a parental approved dress code were very important. Children faithfully followed their parents' fashion. When they were told to do something, it was done in a timely manner without question to the elders. They were taught and expected to give up their seats on the bus to elderly people, open the door to grown-ups, allow exit precedence and right of way to adults and ready to be of assistance to seniors in distress. Much was made of adhering and keeping steadfast to the then code of modesty in dress and swimwear. Boys were not allowed to grow hair up to their ears or have it cropped and shaven, girls were encouraged to wear Mary-like dresses, very loose, stretching from neck to toes. Old family values and beliefs in a nuclear family, loyalty, honesty and patriotism were held in high esteem. Children were thought to walk in the fear of God and that it was not acceptable to put materialistic gains ahead of family values. Adherence to an established, static code of conduct blanketed young people's lives. Decency, modesty and decorum were everything. Being a hipster, a teddy boy or a skinhead and conversing in special terms and lingo were not only unacceptable but downright forbidden.
On its part, the State came boldly forward to oblige and endorse the culture of the Church and family and helped in further fostering a brave countenance to austerity and the harshness of life. From primary school age, children were brought up against anything that could remotely resemble pampering, cajoling and mollycoddling. Classroom windows were deliberately seldom closed, even in cold weather. "Fresh air" was everything. Heating was thought to make children "soft". No mother dared walk her children to the school gate. That would have been an unforgivable sin and would have embarrassed both parent and child. The infliction of physical punishment was never questioned at home or school. There was a silent general consensus among teachers, parents and children themselves that any sort of misbehaving needs to be punished. Discipline was invariably strict. The cane, the strap, the ruler or just plain smacking was an accepted norm in dealing with classroom disobedience and playground misbehaviour. For lesser misdemeanours, like talking too much in class, spelling mistakes and arriving late at school there were other forms of dealing with them like writing lines while others were enjoying their break, "on your knees" or detention after school hours. One had to be respectful, if not, one was punished. You asked for it; you got what you deserved. Pupils simply sank further down in their seats hoping they would not be the next victim whenever the teacher called one of them to the front of the class.
Militarism and army discipline were quietly idealised. Physical education at primary education, then suitably known as Drill, was run on army lines. Lessons consisted of endless marching in the school yard and corridors. Pupils were instructed to "mark time", "keep the distance" and "by the right, quick march". Not "keeping in step" was a very grievous matter. In tune with the times, throughout the primary stage, education was very formal. Repetition and learning by rote were standard features. Rules were everything. Children were disciplined in spelling and a dictation exercise was held once a week that brought any failings in writing common words to the surface. There were the times tables and poems to learn by heart. Spelling and grammar were deemed pivotal in learning a language. Formal grammar was taken seriously. There was not today's trend where those who correct others' language are seen as clinging to conventions that are unimportant. Grammar snobbery was then not seen as a tool to silence those who had less of a voice in society. Likewise, people would have moaned the way the digital age, with its typing and texting, have left us unable to jot down the simplest of notes with anything like penmanship. The sheer beauty of writing shows what effort must have been put in to master the skill. Teachers of that time would have condemned the abandonment of phonetic and formal grammar in favour of the trendy "word recognition" methods condemning children to leave school virtually illiterate. A pupil having his own desk and chair in class was a luxury not yet invented. Children had to make use of dual benches. These benches lent themselves to a lot of litigation, yet pupils had to be thankful as they had just escaped the era of long benches sitting four or five pupils. Schoolchildren shared with a classmate the same inkpot that was placed in a hole in the middle of the benchtop which had also grooves for resting pens and pencils. The sharing of the inkpot and writing with nib pens often proved to be a very messy business. Blotting paper, erasers and pencil sharpeners were spread along the benches.
As pupils reached the end of the primary school years, they had to face the entrance exam to The Lyceum. Now that put everyone, class teacher, parent and child in a pressure-cooker environment. Mother and child were put through the wringer. It was judgement day revisited. The concept in many people's mind then was that that examination separated the wheat from the chaff; the academically gifted from the rest. Many thought of the examination as a pass or fail measurement. In the year preceding the examination, every child was put on the treadmill of working in old money and weights, of imperial weights and measure, fractions, decimals, square roots, long division, English composition and comprehensions, of endless add, take away, divide and multiply situations,
As if the Church and State had not piled enough misery on young people growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, they had their youth further blighted by the spectre of two ominous diseases - Tuberculosis and Poliomyelitis, popularly known as TB and Polio. These two beasts made life miserable for everyone. Young lives were put on the alert and on notice. Teenagers and their parents were held in constant fear of being struck by either one of the two crippling, contagious diseases. A dark shadow was cast over young people's lives. TB and Polio were at their devastating heights in mid-century. They caused lifelong disabilities. People lived in fear that they could be next in line to catch either of these two scourges.
TB, also popularly known as consumption, "consumed" the victim through weight loss and breathlessness. Spitting, very widespread all over the island, was seen as a ready source of flying bacteria. All route buses at the back of the driver's cabin carried the stark warning "Do not spit". The true message was not to control an antisocial habit but to halt a mortal disease caused by infection. A boring little infection often suddenly became a very dangerous matter. There was no identified cause and no known cure for polio and that made it even more terrifying. The lasting ramifications that both these scourges left on their victims hit that generation of young people to the core. While TB declined sharply by early 1950s due to vaccination, early diagnosis and antibiotics, polio saw a sharp increase in its severity but by mid-1950s the widespread use of vaccine finally put an almost end to it -little comfort to the young people who went through those terrifying years.
Fairly recent means of mass education and entertaining like wireless radio stations and cabled ones like Rediffusion were seen as further means of consolidating the above status quo. They too were sober, never steered off the path of conformity and sobriety and were in effect Their Masters' Voice. They consolidated the conservatism and rigidness of the elders and authority.
In stark contrast to the Church, State and parent, at times regarded as busy bodies in young people's lives, the tobacco industry was all out to give an injection of sparkle, zest and buzz into young people's life. And the immediate post WWII youth lapped it all up with much gusto. Cigarette smoking was glamorised and glorified. Cigarettes were considered as masculine accessories and a wholly benign aid to relaxation. Its salubrious medicinal effects were said to be many and varied. In the miserable years, 1942 - 1950s, cigarettes promoted health benefits like keeping a clear head and giving protection against colds. They were branded as the best way to relax while enjoying moments of pure bliss.
Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, James Dean and a host of film stars were often seen lighting a cigarette. This subtle endorsement of cigarette smoking by models and film stars on screens and advertisements made smoking the "cool" thing. Even the arch conservative, catholic Opus Dei joined in the fray. When it was founded a priest was deliberately selected to smoke cigarettes alongside working men. The message was loud and clear: unless a cleric smoked, he could never be a part of ordinary life. I witnessed the joy as my brother Paul, a young man in the 1940s, went through the ritual of breaking open a new pack of cigarettes. With great love and care he peeled off the cellophane, opened the lid, ran his fingernails down the foil of the unmolested packet, removed the same foil and pulled out the first pristine cigarette. For him, it was as enjoyable as the act of smoking itself. In performing this ritual he spent longer time consuming the cigarette and appreciated its flavours to the full. He meticulously kept cigarettes in a metal case made for their safety and dry guarantee.
It was no wonder that young people regarded the advent of the cinema as nothing short of a God-sent blessing. They interpreted film shows as nothing less than a divine means of getting away from adults and a great opportunity to mix with one's own peers and a chance for collective expressions. They were great occasions for seeing and meeting people. Seemed as if freedom had finally arrived; was celebrated with delight as cinema audiences screamed, jeered, applauded and sang along with the latest film productions, whistled along the theme of The Bridge On The River Kwai, joined Bing Crosby as he sang White Christmas, went frantic as they listened to Glenn Miller's In the Mood and sank in their seat as Doris Day sang Silvery Moon.
Along with cigarettes and cinema came music. Music was soon to become the last nail hammered in the old-schooled establishment of Church, State and parents. It was soon to be seen as the messenger of Freedom Delivered. Up to the 1955s music was enjoyed by all - church, state and parents. Orderly, solemn and sober music was the right prescription. "White" music, simple and melodic with catchy lyrics, often influenced by jazz, swing and big band, songs that had been released years previously but already well known by most and sang by the lines of Perry Como and Ella Fitzgerald were welcomed. But in the mid-1950s there came Fats Domino, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and their music horrified the establishment. It was seen as a deliberate attempt to annoy the Church and parents. It was interpreted as rebellious, promoting rudeness and encouraging undesirable agitation amounting to ecstasy. Youths were instantly converted to the new genre of music. And that spelled the end of the old authoritarian world.
The elders' nostalgia for a dignified but simpler time gave way to a more excited nostalgia that lay ahead - a nostalgia for the future. Life that seemed so austere and mean had suddenly given way to a life of expected abundance. Youth and the teenager have come to age.
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