LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3111, 15 June 1917, Page 3

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

WORK OF THE PRESBYTERIAN ORPHANAGE ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting or the Wellington Presbyterian Orphanage and bocin o |- vice Association was held in hi. .'onus Schoolroom lust, evening. I'horn was a very good attendance ol members ot I n. Presbyterian community, and too J.ev. J». liibb presided. The annual general report, which had been circulated previously and was last evening laiicn as lean, stated thai, new buildings had enabled tho orpuanago to add considerably lo Hie number of inmates of Ihe homes, wliic.ii are now all but full. The work in tho Criminal Court has proved bencliciai lo many lads. Tho finances havo been buoyant, though lacking tho large donations nod bequests that fall to the nappy lot ol Bister orphanages north and south. Tho secretary referred to tho desirain - II y of a building in town where the work could bo centralised, and during tbo ensuing year the committee will consider this question. , , ~ "There is immediate need, however, the report adds, "of our embarking on another venture. A crccho is urgently required to assist especially, soldiers' wives who havo to supplement the pay of their husbands by their own labours. These women aro hard put to it to know how to dtsposo of their children during the dajf. liven before the war, a Presbyterian institution of this kind was much needed, lor at present there is only ono crccho in Wcllington-that, namely, of tho liomnn Catholic Church in their building in Bucklo Street. The committee have been making inquiries, (>but thus far without, seeing their way to definite nc-

tion. Building is enormously costly at present, and no suitnblo rented house seems available. But tho work is necessary, and wo have hitherto found that when eager to do our duty the way has opened. Wo hope that before another year ends wo shall have succeeded in Initiating this very desirable branch of service." The secretary's (Mr. T. Vf< Mills) report entered moro into detail with tho work that was being carried on in connection with tho orphanage. It stated:— "The. year closes with it total number of 59 children, 30 of whom aro boys and 29 girls. Sixty-three have been cared for during tho year, 16 were admitted and four left, 113 having passed through the institution since its inception, i'ifty-two children attend tho public school, a very large proportion gaining good attendance certificate;!. The new building has mado possible tho segregation of sixteen elder boys, and tho plan is working satisfactorily, but it would bo as well sometime in the near future to secure a building nearer tho city where the social work could bo better developed and organised. Tho Christian education of theso boys i», of course, of supreme importance. "With tho growing demands that the increasing numbers of tho orphanage require it has become necessary to discontinue tho usual visitations to the Hospital and the Home for Aged Needy. As far as possible regular weekly visits havo been made to tho Ohiro Home and tho gaol. The latter, with its threo separate buildings at The Terrace, Mount Cook, and I'oint Halswoll respectively, naturally absorbs some time. At Mount Cook monthly divine services arc conducted."

In moving tho adoption of the report and balance-sheet, the Hev. Dr. Gibb mentioned tho fact that tliu old and tho new orphanage buildings w :ro <mite lull. Quito recently two application.;-' for girls had been received, and wLilu .'liey could with difficulty find room for one it was impossible to find it for two. It was just the saino with tho boys' part of tho building. In work of this kind they must move forward," and tho pressure on their space Indicated how great was tho need for it. Keferring to tho invaluablo services of Mr. and Mrs. Mills (master and matron of tho orphanage). Dr. Gibb said they woro moro than indebted to them. They did not know what they could have douo without them, Tho work of Mr. and Mrs. Mills spoke for itself. The highest praise of Mrs. Mills was to bo found in tho enthusiasm and aflection which the children felt for her. Qn behalf of the Ohurch and of the committee ,he wished to thank them both for their work. Dr. Gibb referred to tho further probable extension of their field of labour in tho matter of establishing a creeho for the benefit of women who were foroed to earn money away from their homes and who found it difficult to know what to do with their families in tho meantime. "Especially was this the case with soldiers' wives, manv of whom, owing to insufficient monetary support, were forced to supplement their income by going out to work. They must have a place in which they could leave their ohildren and know that they Wero well looked after, and eo it was well to givo warning to peoplo that this was "in the air."

The Hon. J. G. W. Aitkcn, in seconding tho adoptiou of tho report and balancesheet, also spoko most culogiatically of tho work which was done at tho orphanage by Mr. and Mrs. Mills. A tremendous call was being made upon people by the war. It was taking away tho young manhood of the country, some of it never tp return, and ho would like to draw the attention of the children to tho following fact: These men were giving their lives bo that all in this land might live in freedom, and iu a few years they, the present children, would be taking their places. It would bo for them to see that the land for which these men fought and died war to bo a land worth living for and worth working for.

Mr. T. W. Mills touched upon various phases of lifo with which he had been brought into contact through his social service work. Ho felt that one of the duties of a church wns to speak out In connection with social evils. There was need of clean streets, clean houses, and clean people, and if social work was to bo carried out in its entirety the world must be turned upside down. There was a screw loose somewhere, and the war had not tightened it. He did not think that war would bring about social reforms. Ho looked to tho peaco that was to follow to do that. Part of his work took him to the gaols, and it seomed to him that tho problem that confronted him there were more insoluble than ever. Hard work and the Gospel helped with it, but it was his experience that many of tho prisoners took more .readily to hard work than to the latter. One of the objectives in gaol was hard work, and it answered fairly well. He also visited tho Ohtro Home, and also met with many sadnesses there.

Mr. Mills did not believe in the Slate undertaking every department of life. It was for tho Church to undertake the teaching of morals. The Education Department now, by pinning tho tag of the industrial homes on to the boys and girls who were taking their first steps astray, was stepping in to carry out the workthat his association had been engaged in for years. Let the Education Department educate, and not look after the boy or girl who was going downhill. If any must interfere, then let the Justice Department look after them. Tho Education Department wished to place these young offenders under the wing of the industrial schools. Tho Social Service Association could deal better with them and with higher motives. ■ A musical programme consisting nf songs by the orphanage children, and by adult performers (the latter part of the programmo having been arranged by Madame Moukman-Dempster) was much appreciated by the audience. Supper was handed round by a ladies' committee.