CHIEF GUIDE TELLS OF WORK FOR PEACE OF GUIDES' ASSOCIATIONS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 30, 16 March 1948, Page 3

CHIEF GUIDE TELLS OF WORK FOR PEACE OF GUIDES' ASSOCIATIONS

The inspiration which created these two Associations, both catches and holds those of us to whom it sounds its clarion call; and up and down the length and breadth of the whole world, Scouting and Guiding demands full measure of one's thought and effort, if it is to take its full share in the full promotion of good, in the melting pot of world conditions today, said Lady BadenPowell, Chief Guide, in a broadcast. It has been built up by the highminded efforts of hundreds of thousands of fine people, who have seen the vision of the good that the movement can do and the happiness that it can bring to the young people for whom the Guide training was devised—and I find that there is never an idle moment or an hour's time to be wasted, for the game of Guiding demands vigorous leadership, and has now risen to a status which merits due support. In its early days the movement was counted . light-heartedly as a rather vague and unusual occupation for the children—just to "keep them out of mischief," and only to be indulged in by an enthusiastic few. But the passing of the years has altered all that. The care and the leading of the young people of thitj generation has become the concern of every thinking man and woman; and the right influences and up-lifting training for body, mind and soul, are more needed now in the world than ever before. And it is for this heartening business that Scouting and Guiding as designed," and for which it has proved its value in full measure. The acid test of two wars, and the unsettled periods of peace between, have shown that the Guide system and activities are full of interest for the young, that the ideas within the Movement are acceptable to old and young alike, and that its ideals are revered and embraced by peoples of all races, religions and nationalities; and through its steady development both during and since the war, Guides have a new standing in the life of the community. This has been most marked on the continent of Europe, and in the countries which were occupied and suffered most. A French Guider said to me: "The ideals of Guiding, the fellowship of it, the new interests that it brings, the friendship it gives between us and other Guides of the world, have opened my eyes and engaged my hands—Guiding is no longer just an activity ... It is a mode of life."