ADVICE TO GIRLS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 137, 6 December 1929, Page 12

ADVICE TO GIRLS

THE RULES OF LIFE

GOVERNOR'S SPEECH

FAREWELL TO COLLEGE

"I want to say something which will be helpful to you after your school days are over," said His Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson, in the course of an inspiring address to the pupils of Wellington Girls' College this morning. "The object of a. school is to turn out old girls.and old boys. It is not so much what you actually are while you are hero in school as what you are going to bo afterwards when you leave the school. The whole object of a school is to train men and women who are going to be useful in the world and make something out of their lives " Our lives were not given us ,to waste, to dritt along and do nothing with but to make something of. He re' called the words of Bishop Neligau one time Bishop of Auckland, when he opened the Diocesan School for Girls in that city: "What we want to-day is wholesome, whole-hearted workers with the love of God in their hearts and common-sense in their heads, who do understand and believe that serviec comes before self."

"Common-sense sounds a simple thing," continued Sir Charles, "but it is common-sense which really makes a healthy tone in the school. A school where boys or girls are 'silly' would be an impossible school; it could not be a great school."

THE KING'S RULES,

His Excellency then took several rules which he had heard said were very popular with His Majesty the King, and amplified them. The first was Teach me to bo obedient to the rules of the game." That meant be straight; a person whom everybody could trust. The second was "Teach me not to cry for the moon, nor over spilt milk." That could bo explained by the words, "Look forward; don't look back. Look up, don't look: down .Be optimistic, hopeful, cheery; don't grumble. Don't be depressed because things have gone wrong. Don't worry." "That's common-sense, isn't it?" asked Sir Charles.

l^ext came the rule, "Teach me neither to proffer nor to receive cheap praise." "We all know the horrible kind of person who is always tryin" to ingratiate himself with others " said His Excellency. "In my youth we would have called it 'suckin^ up ' (Laughter.) The sort of person who likes to be flattered, and then purs to himself or herself. Horrible people (Laughter.) "Teach mo to distinguish between sentiment and sentimentality admiring the one and despising the other." "Without high ideals and some sentiment, I don't think you can got on, but 'sentimentality' means affectation, and that sort of thing which is only humbug—what my sisters in the old days would have called 'sloppiness.' That in a girl is a disgusting trait," said the speaker. "I hope you haven't got it." "If I am called upon to suffer," ran the next rule, "let me be like the wellbred beast, who does so in .silence." That meant don't make a song about troubles; try and bear them ourselves. Don't make other people unhappy. Lastly came the rule, "Teach me to win, but if I may not win, then teach me to be a good loser." The person who got beaten and got sulky was never happy himself; he made others unhappy and took all the fun out of life. All these, Sir Charles said, were good rules of common-sense as mentioned by Bishop Neligan, but the Bishop had also said, "With the love of God in their hearts."

VALUE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH.

"I don't think it is my place to speak to you very much about that," said Sir Charles, "but I am getting old now, and I look back on the old days, and I recognise that all the help and encouragement that I have had in life, and all the things that have helped me as far as I could to keep straight and to have ideals, were taught me by my father and mother. Then home influence consisted very largely in teaching children in matters of religious faith. . . . They recognised that they must have a sure foundation, and the only sure foundation is religious faith. If you don't have that, then when you go out into the world you will have nothing to fall back upon. If you have it it will always be a comfort to you and a tremendous inspiration in your work. If you look on your work as work given you by God as part of His work and His scheme, then you can go about your work with a very different feeling. It is common-sense if it is nothing else." As regards the "workers" mentioned by the Bishop, His Excellency urged the girls to live unselfishly, doing something for others, aiming when they went out into the world at trying to serve their King and God and doing everything to the best of their ability. That was good citizenship and the only way of showing true loyalty. It was in that way that they could have a good influence on others. They must remember that there was influence for ill as well as good ; and therefore he laid stress upon this ideal of service. What they were mattered more than what they were doing. '

Her Excellency also spoke a few words to the girls, thanking them for their welcome ana wishing them very good luck in their after life. Mr. W. H. P. Barber, chairman of the college Board of Governors, presided, and in a brief speech thanked Their Excellencies for finding time to pay a farewell visit to the school. With everyone else they much regretted their imminent departure, but gave them best wishes for a safe journey and a bright and happy future. The principal, Miss V. M. Greig, welcomed Sir Charles and Lady Alice oil behalf of the school, not as strangers but as friends whom they had learned very greatly to love. At the close of her address, Sir Charlea asked if he might add it to the book of farewell addresses he was keeping, " so hat when we feel stale we can open the book and read what wonderful people we are," he explained amid laughter. _ Sir Charles also thanked Miss Greig for tho bound copy of the school: magazine which she had presented to him. *

The girls lined the drive when Their Excellencies arrived, and . a beautiful sheaf of flowers was presented to Lady A ice by the smallest pupil of the school. "The Best School of All" was sung by the girls, who loudly cheered their distinguished guests on their way out of the hall. J

A holiday for the restof the day wis Rranted the children at the request of His Excellency, who said that ho would ell the King about the school and its loyalty to the Throne and Empire It was at His Majesty's express wish that they had paid such attention to the schools of the Dominion, although they were, of course, very interested in them themsclvoy

Samuel Smith, a labourer iJvhm- at the Public Works Department Camp at Jxhandallah, was struck in tie face with cement while cleaning a pipe ii De this morning. Hi s eye 3 were iniured and he also suffered lacerated wounds on his face and arms. Ho was taken to the Hospital by the City Ambulance.