Going Steady?

"Going steady" was banned last week for students at Saint Mary's High School in Lynn. In announcing the move, Msgr. Joseph McGlinchey declared that going steady leads to "forced marriages" and violation of the sixth and ninth Commandments.

As Msgr. McGlinchey based his stand on religious principles, the action was both his privilege and duty. But there is no such excuse for Dr. Dennis Haley, Boston's Superintendent of School, who not only praised the ban, but that going steady "robs the youngster of one of the finer experiences of growing up--the friendship and companionship of as wide a circle of acquaintances of both sexes as possible." This argument was stated more succinctly by Harvard sociologist George C. Homans who said, "A man gets a much better education playing the field."

But regardless of the relative merits or demerits of going steady, a student's personal life and dating behavior concern only the Church and the Home, and should not be subject to regulation or coercion by public officials. This is especially true when the regulation represents a view which is not necessarily held in many homes and by many churches.

Public officials, like Dr. Haley, should not use their positions to enforce or recommend rulings which concern the private individual.