CHIEF SCOUT.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20177, 4 March 1931, Page 9

CHIEF SCOUT.

LORD BADEN-POWELL'S ARRIVAL. CIVIC RECEPTION HELD, Paying his first visit to Christchufch for twenty years the Chief Seout, Lord Baden-PowelJ, and the Chief Guide, Lady Baden-Powell, arrived in the Cjty yesterday morning. They were welcorned at the railway station by Lieu-tenant-Colonel F. B. CresweU (DeputyChief Commissioner), Major W. E. Furby (Dominion Headquarters Cpm* missioner), Mr W. H. Montgomery (Metropolitan Boy Scouts Commissioner for Canterbury), Miss Bromley Cocks (Provincial Commissioner for Girl Guides), Miss Dorothy Anderson (District Commissioner for North-West Ohristchurch), and Miss C. O'Rorke. Accompanying Lord and Lady BadenPowell were Colonel P. Clennell Fenwick (Dominion Chief Commissioner of Boy Scouts), Lieutenant-Colonel E. P. Le Breton (Touring Commissioner), Mrs W. 3. Wilson (Dominion Chief (Commissioner of Girl Guides),"and Miss Enid Bell (Deputy-Chief Dominion Commissioner of' Girl Guides). c

Lord and lady Baden-Powell, after being briefly welcomed at the station, were taken to the United Service Hotel, where, during their stay in Christchurch, they win be the guests of Mr and Mrs E. Boulton., In the morning Scout commissioners of Canterbury were presented to the Chief Scout, and Guide commissioners to the Chief Guide. There were present Lieutenant-Colonel Creswell, the Rev, W, B, Qrbell, Messrs W. H. Montgomery, A. J. Mcßldowney, H, S, J, Goodman, J. S, Middleton, G. W. Bishop, and Majpr 3?urby. ■ The Chief Seout presented to Major Furby the Wood Badge, showing that he had qualified in a special course of train* ing started by the Chief Scout at Gilwell Park, England, and automatically giving the wearer membership of Lord Baden-Powell's own troop, the Gilwell Tropp. The passing of the training course also gives Major Furby the right to wear a grey neckerchief when in uniform. / . . J , !- The following commissioners were presented to the Chief Seout:~-Me9srs J. W. Crampton, W, Tidswell, W. B. Desmond, and J. Bich. < The following Provincial Commissioners of Girl Guides were presented to Lady Badon-Powell: Mrs B. B. Irwia, Miss D. Anderson, and Miss Olive MeXlraith. Miss Cicely O'Rorke, provincial camp adviser, was also presented. At noon the visitors were welcomed tp the City by the Mayor * (Mr J. K. Archer) at a civic reception in the City Council Chambers. The Mayor'# Weloomp. *- . "The names of our distinguished visitors are quite familiar to tu, "-said the Mayor in his address of welcome, "and we are delighted to see them at last face to face. We we glad to see his Lordship and her Ladyship for their own Bakes and for their work's sake; and I think .that both of them will be among the first to agree with mi that; the second reason 1b the more important. You all-know that his Lordshiphfts lived a very full and rich and varied life. Our distinguished visitor has played the part of soldier, traveller, author, pportsman, and, above all, of Chiex Scout, -and his experiences have .given' him a place of honour in the world, find in the British Empire. ■ > "The Scout movement has irtthepaat been regarded with suspicion," continued the Mayor, " primarily because its leader has been a soldier, and people regard anything led by a soldier as some form of soldiery. X myself am somewhat in fear of anyone in uniform, Kpcanse at a boy ,! uiaed to rot Jqto trouble witji the police for fighting with -Othe*; : b6y?. - many other peopK 4m a little inclined td jook won jany' one in uniform as hoto» sort of, > policeman, but we know now- that .the BepUt movement stands not butfor citizenship and. service,.. •! , , r, "After reading arllfe of hia Lordsfeip,, I can see very wellwhy hj« : i» •with boys, He i* *'X , u a boy *y«elf,-.Baden-Powell remarked. ' "His Lordijhip bafl had tures that are attractive to Mayor continued, Van# he a&wJited » huge fund of information useful jand attractive, to thevyoung. y^®L A Cl^, r Jtln coming to Christehujchjf' "3<lr; Archer went on,'turning' to the Ohtel' Scout,Myou coma to to be, the most "> Zea--laud, nnd you, «a-nr Baglfctliinftpf appreoiate ,that. However, we welcome you, Jaot bo xnuih aa-an Englishman; «• a member tfce«riti«b not only $• a member of ■ Empire but as a great because believe tfcat 'the movement, you lead will weld together the natioaa' of the world in one body. am Very pleased' t» that we have with us, to-day/* con-, eluded, "Mia* 'Co*groye, : daughter lot Colonel Gosgrove, who did; so foster the Scout movement In K<jw Zealand. Also we have Colonel whom all In , Christchurch honour, not only for his work for the Scout? but for his work as * phyeW^n,, Now, lybur Lordship, on benSr v City. I offer yon a very warm welcome tot' Ckriitchurch." ' < ' The Scouts' Oreetiagi /Welcoming Lord BadenJlWeU on be-, half of the Boy Scouts, MrW. Hi Mont-" gomery (Metropolitan Commissioner lot Canterbury) said that the first and chief idei of the Scout movement was to bring peace and good citizenship not only;,to the country to which its tne&bers belonged, but also to every country of 'the world. "The Scout movement," hV said, "is not only a national movement,' not only a British movement, it w an international movement that i»»pread- , ing throughout, all the world and. is 1 helping to Jjring nearer a period of -ftniversal peace. . ~■ "When you were in Auckland, he continued, "I have no they told you that' New Zealand was the, most loyal.Pominion in, the Empire, but prob' ably they did not tell you ,£hat the first 1 Boy Scout troop'wad founded in Christchurch —at Kaiapoi in that it was only after that that it spread to such outlaying, places as Auckland' and the north. I welcome you here.on behalf of the of North Canterbury, Canterbury, Timaru, and " the ' W!est Ooast ? and we are ail very proud indeed 1 1 that you, the founder of- this , great' movement, have come so far to see j | Miss Bromley Cocks (Provincial Com- ■ misaioner for Girl GnjCdes) welcomed, Lady on behalf of the ■ Guides of Canterbury* "You* do, not | come amongst us as straAgers/'.ahe said, "because although few of us haive met you personally hundreds, of' troop? throughout the country hare. for years had your photographtf at their headquarters, and have preserved every detail they could And of yottr doings.!*, . - The Ohiaf fifiout's- Reply. "Thia_ Chrlstchurch, welcome," said, the Chief Scout, "carries me back twenty years to the .time when ,X .made my first visit hew That day, twenty fears ago, was a very happy one, and have never forgotten it. s ."Now, the Mayor has spoken.td;you of his fear of uniforms, but'ji'in not" sure that a soldier doesn'ft.snake t«r citizen for ; having wen warfare^

particularly in peace time. He's seem the brutality' of licensed wuider, and knows ita horrors,; snd Iw isn't- gping to let it' happen again if he'' can telp it. We have put.our toys into uniform chiefly so that the children of all families/can be exactly on the \same • terms with each other, and bo that all class distinctions may be abolished in the ranks of the movement. Anyhow, I hope you II forgive us our bare knees, Mr Mayor —after all, it's a healthy uniform, "When I was last in,this dejighttul spot it was just an 'English market town —now it has grown into an English city, and I hope that the' time will soon come when there will be a Lord Mayor sitting in this chair here instead of a Mayor. But yon here are all going through.'dark times, for two reasons. Like everyone else in the world, you are suffering; from the curse of unemployment—a curse that seems to particularly serious because of its effecta upon the lives of the young. The other reason is that terrible disaster in the North Island— l -that appalling and sudden disaster that took so many young lives. I know that wo from overseas felt that tragedy as bitterly as you,

Educating th® Young, "We must got on with the Scout movement," Lord Baden-Powell con: tinued, "in order to fill the places of those who have gono before, and in order to play the game. And the movement will undoubtedly got. on,, because of the splendid-character that there is in the people, The education pf the boys and girls of this generation baa had to face great obstacles since the Great Warj where we lost so many fathers, elder brothers, and toachers, and its good progress is now being* attacked by the growth of the herd instinct , among the young, and the popularity of that damnable motto, "Safety, first," that is in danger of killing all initiative in the coming generation. We want to end these faults in the education of childhood) and to train the children to have initiative, and character. f'You may. say that it is rather foolish to try to do this by taking the children to camps and making them ,?un about in the open and teaching the® about baekwoodsmanship, but these are only the gilt, the trimmings, Though they are, indeed, useful in they are only a means to the end we aim at; /It is the next generation we've to look to. -We have to get our country and ow world'out of their difficulties, and to' do that the youth must be properly trained for the purpose,.

The ajovament in Vow Zealand- t "The hasenly lately got safely on to the' right l»n§0 ipvthif country, but it Is now going -ahead under Pr« I*enwick, and *he other Com*' misgionerg. wo w&nt SM>r? men, and we want more women. Th® 'children aw all, eager, ti come if, tut we haven't tie and guidon to train them, and,we vpant every additional helper we "can get, You won't get any persQnal.jroilt out 9! the wA but you'll get a feeling that you're helping a fine and worthy movement., and doing your felt for country and the world>''/ > , Lady Baden-P'owell repliedbriefl?.to Mis* Bromley oooks'B Welconja; She paid- a waip tribute to .the V®ißk who had helped the Guide movement "throfeghr out New Zealand, .and spoke highJy' .of /the success and efficiency their, efforts had prpdpeed, ,-" ■< -i■ '• ■ Cheers' were given tsr Lord ana Lady Baden-PoweU, and -they ;*etiw»ea to their hotel, passing through, a» they left the City 'Council - Chambers, - guard of .honour composed, ot gators. Yesterday 'afternoon the Ofcisf So.ofttj. accompanied by liieutcnant»Colonel lie Bretcfe, visited Hwtawrfnfr' whflre be met of tpflP<mtwlon Executive-' Xt*fr r;, where on Saturday ngwnan& Mllf afc'Kbe-Show PROGRESS- OP'lS^Ofap, ■; ; 'V •':I 1 , i

since:.' '*(enj? tlyfpju^^ 8to|gto«&. wMM&fr 1 ZttttovuT is J&tAntt* i - With "these 's^ed'^iW movement mutative' or *Tjr# Burning.'; ?W<t4m» our. great ana,"* <Krfrti?ro«dr, J-Jtoi®, health of Jbifld *iid' Bod?, of imind'atid We liavo 'IMV'mWW-M xqntiffißm? because jwvefftl. neotad with uj« inovemfiw, tbvrt; QPffc of: our chief purposes ifrto.ttalda'lpaaoe tso, the > lads. As the nWemiinfr ifc>oy "ia> being, in 4S-j|lfl«resfe : lias more than ';raea)fcrsQ it provifeea to £. able taflnene& !a thb three million aoH WBto^^TFff Although" the *j» ( k &&- ™?s* i£ S2S MSsi neeji gQijig OR; ipi very, lonfejbe iPn|ef exceedingly mtb what had been done. it -was becomes vum'Soil?M Ut wsv tM. cemd ft iqioan wwm% x^P^^jwffso, r the; Mipwtef, in 1 ■ m tib® . prwfH»' , ' ) :4»yi ? > t", Scouts ' would 'horeVto ' e«foogu£a ,-.;&&!}< do ; without. the , .grant*. hut w ;wooldi%Jbejva»'j)#c«i Jo* the ,i good *-, sot,' the ; movement. Vlt would *'put it footing, and WQtjld ill. rtcftwal simply by ite'Wn Lord Jadett-PoweTl physique he ■Tgean the Dominioji. ; J-fe.^hojiirat oovk and girls as a|^"|ji f ii|j^slSbrM v * , ? ) • 1 Tai'; hpppe, to. the ,? s|| "iwiwrtp Zealand j": hj&. have web^.wonderful J&rfcuht4^.aia<|. Sorts here -for' their: •fluyptaes;-.'; on't ,ask rfche Sfca'Booptg ;4ottis|ly.l£> to to «eo* _ oient -in; vgf' Scouts, is', another branch thakM&ouJd and • vplth . the* * dwappearsttw i «f' the 1 ' military. cadetg\they' gapuld the I yonr useful'to the. r S|fte r > I^ey-|ar» x A' "uniformed, - disqiplifcijdp lqt«-. whose jniotto.'ia "Service/ t^'X'&m'^/W*& I I've ever.eeejaa I saw in WelH»giil>ru, There mo tw>t many i?et, j hut pumhetfl will grow, Th?, Batpp isation gives a young active/ sporting job, and it ths 83me tiiae gtvfes hiin definitely' vtoeral l ■*9 do/* , / - y .S'-lfiSp

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