ST. MARY'S GUILD

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2448, 29 April 1915, Page 3

ST. MARY'S GUILD

THE MENACE OF THE FUTURE. The annual meeting' of St. Mary's Guild was held in the Diocesan Office, Mulgrave Streot, yesterday afternoon, and .was presided over by the Bishop of Wellington, Dr. Sprott. The annual report and balance-sheet, which was published in yesterday's Dominion, was read by tho president, Miss Coatcn.

Some Speeches. In moving its adoption, the Rev. Mr. Woodward, chaplain to the homes, said that it would be very stimulating if more of the City clergy would visit tho Home on Tuesdays End give addresses to the girls, who displayed fervour and intelligence in their religious exercises. He also paid a very hearty tribute to the work of the matron, Miss Parlane, for whom the girls, past and present, showed the greatest affection. The Rev. A. M. Johnson, in seconding the resolution, said it appeared the time had come when the question would have to be faced whether the homo should be made bigger or whether another should be inaugurated in a different part of the diocese and run on lines similar to the one at Karori. They did not want a girl to become the product of an institution; but always to feel that she bad a real home and that her fellow inmates stood to her in th'e relation of sisters. He congratulated tlie guild upon the satisfactory credit upon retaining at the home the services of the matron, Miss Parlane. '"

Miss Parlane, who was urged to speak,_ said that the question of accommodation at the homes had become serious. Besides Mr. Johnson's application for the admittance of two girls which she had had to refuse, she had also received an application for tie admittance of four ohildren to the Cottage Home and two to the Main Home, and only for one was there room. If there were to be extensions she would advooate making them on the cottage homo system in another part of the diocese. She thought that perhaps they could utilise the cottage home for simpleminded girls and build in another part of the diocese a home for children on a larger scale. Dr. Sprott also added his congratulations upon tho successful working of the guild during the past year, and said that important though tho work had been in the past the time was coming when the value of the individual would be greater and mora fully recognised than in the past. We were reaching a crisis when the future would depend more visibly upon the young children of the, present generation, upon their, being brought up physically and morally more healthy than in the past, because the leading nations of the world were killing off their most vigorous life. Beyond the possibility of defeat or of victory for any nation lay the prospect of the exhaustion of all the setting in of the decline of our civilisation and its passing away from the European nations to those of the extreme East. In an article which had appeared in the "Westminster- Gazette it was pointed out that the past decline of France had dated from the _ enormous slaughter of the best _ life in France through the Napoleonic wars.. Since then the 6tature of the average Franchman had decreased five inches, for the tallest had been used up by Napoleon. We might be faced with these results in- the future, therefore tho importance and value of the single life of the single . boy or girl became of much .greater weight and value than had been realised hitherto. Such work as was done by St. Mary's Guild was therefore most valuable and of great importance, even if only a few of the ohildren were saved for the future. The report and balanoe-sheet were adopted.