DO you know who William Caxton was? According to my morning paper last week, more than 90 per cent of young adults don't. In addition, many young adults don't seem to know even the basic facts of British history. Is this evidence that the younger generation are less knowledgeable than we were? I don't think so.

In the more settled days in which I grew up, the basic facts of history were part of our educational diet. But the pace of change was slower then. We learned more slowly and took a longer view of things.

When I was an engineering apprentice, some of the skills I had to learn were centuries old. It was a matter of patiently watching someone at work and gradually learning the skills. But now, all these skills have been swept away, almost everything is done by writing a computer programme for a machine.

Today young people have to grasp new knowledge almost immediately. If they don't, they lose their place in our fast-moving society. I am constantly amazed at how quickly young people pick up skills on computers that take me ages to learn.

Traditional

In terms of knowledge and understanding, you can only cram in so much into a one-pint pot. If we want young people to grasp all the modern technology as well as the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic, then it is no wonder that more traditional areas of teaching get left out.

I agree that it is important that young people should have a proper grasp of our shared history. But we need to understand that we can't have it both ways. The long, slow view and the rapid change of our present society don't mix.

From a religious point of view, the lack of knowledge that young adults show never ceases to amaze me. Even the basic facts of the Christian religion are no longer known. But this gives me a great opportunity. It means to say that people come fresh to things and they show a greater excitement about the faith than some of us who seem to take our faith for granted.

And so, do you know who Caxton was? My computer spell check didn't even recognise his name!

Michael Williams

Vicar of Bolton Parish Church