14 MARCH 1969, Page 27

No. 544: Father to son

COMPETITION

And these few precepts in thy memory /See thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue. . . Polonius's admonitory words to Laertes, tediously familiar though they are, are still an acceptable catalogue of worldly virtues —hypocrisy, mean-mindedness, suspiciousness, conformity. A wise father today, however, might not find Polonius's considerations of equal weight now as they might have seemed then. Competitors are invited to compose some 'few precepts' (maximum 150 words) for the guidance of ambitious offspring—as from Her- bert Marcuse, Prince Philip, Wedgbenn or Mintech, Mick Jagger—or a latter-day Polonius himself. Style is optional: entries, marked 'Competition No. 544,' by 24 March.