FREEDOM breeds freedom. The people of Hong Kong are used to civil and commercial freedoms and do not want to live without them. That much is clear from a South China Morning Post opinion poll last week which showed most people were moved by Governor Chris Patten's challenge to stand up for democracy. This attachment to freedom also is marked among Hong Kong's yuppies - the young, upwardly-mobile professionals. They are often characterised as interested only in promotion, making money and mobile telephones, with their prime concern being where their next margarita is coming from. But in a poll published in the Sunday Morning Post yesterday they show greater maturity than their critics would allow. They cherish more than the god of growth. They want both good, and properly constituted, government. They want social stability but not in a society that lacks freedom of speech. They want freedom - not just the freedom to make money. The young will be handed the task of shaping the future - of shaping life in Hong Kong in the 21st century, after it reverts to Chinese sovereignty. It is comforting to see that this task will be taken up by mature hands. The future leaders of Hong Kong society should not be denied the tools needed to ensure they can fulfil their responsibility.