GIRL GUIDE NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22457, 30 September 1936, Page 7

GIRL GUIDE NOTES

[By Guider.] FIRST CLASS HIKES. First class hikes will be held on October 31 at Fraser’s Gully. Guides are to leave the Rattray street terminus, Kaikorai Valley, between 11.45 a.m. and 12 a.m. HANDCRAFT CUP. The closing date for the entries for the above cup has been extended to October 31, in the hope that more companies will enter for it. The entries are to be sent in-to St. Margaret’s College. PHYLLIS CHEESEMAN CUP. This cup will not be competed for this year. WAYS WITH LEAVES. Now that spring is here it is the best time of the year to do things with leaves, for they are young and fresh. When working with leaves, always choose ones with well-defined veins and edges. Leaf Prints.—(a) Smear some greaseproof paper very lightly with lard, move the greasy surface very rapidly backwards and forwards over a candle flame, until it becomes smoky. Lay the under-surface of the leaf on the smoked paper; cover with another piece of paper; hold steady with the left hand, and rub carefully with the right. When the under-surface is smoky put it on a piece of clean, white paper, cover with the other piece of paper, and rub carefully again. On removal of the paper and leaf a clear print will be found, (b) These prints can also be done with boot polish. With a small paint brush apply the polish lightly and evenly to the under-surface of the leaf. Put the leaf on a piece of _ clean paper; and cover with another piece as before. Rub carefully while holding carefully. Leaf Plaques.—Mix some plaster of Paris in an old mug to a fairly stiff consistency. Grease an old enamel plate; lay the leaf face downwards on plate. Cover with the plaster of Paris mixture, and fix a loop of string at one end. When the plaster is hard, take it off the plate, and it will be found that the string is fixed firmly enough to hang up the plaque. Colour the leaf impression with water colours, and it will then be a useful ornament to your patrol corner. . Leaf Photos.—These are done in exactly the same way as making prints from ordinary photo negatives,' the leaf in this case being the negative. Put the veined side of the leaf to the sensitive side of the printing paper; fix in the printing frame, and expose to the sunshine (or artificial light according to the kind of paper) for the required time. Take out, and fix in the hypo solution. (Quantities are always given in the packet.)- Rinse in clear water, and put to dry. Leaf prints or photos make an ornamental addition to the patrol log-book, or a separate book can be kept and used for instruction purposes. Leaves can also be pressed, mounted, and varnished for the patrol record book. VIENNESE GUIDES. For many years it has been very difficult for the Viennese Girl Guides. They were cramped and oppressed, but they always managed to lift up their heads again and get going once more. At last it seems that things are looking better, and the reason is that a Princess, who was an active Guide in her own country, has gone to live in Vienna. This is Princess Ileana from. Rumania, now Archduchess Anton of Hapsburg. It is with her as with many another Girl Guide; if one is a Guide deep down in one’s soul one gets busy wherever one may be in the world. I had better translate from a Vienna daily paper:— . “ The Austrian Girl Guides may well be proud. Their president is none other than a Princess, Archduchess Ileana. And she takes her presidentship very seriously. _ It is _ riot a duty pertaining to her high social position; no, it is a matter of the heart, and she has tried in every way to advance the cause. » The paper goes on_ to say that it is owing to her initiative that the Girl Guides have got their own headquarters, which I was lucky enough to see, under escort of the chief, Miss M. A. Hoffmann, when I was in Vienna last September. , . The house, which is their own, is an old castle. Streets and rows of houses have sprung up around it, but the castle stands in all its romantic beauty in a little old park with beautiful columns and vases. It is one of Maria Theresa’s hunting lodges. _ ■ In December it was inaugurated. Archduchess Ileana made a speech, and there was an exhibition of Guide handicrafts and amusements. In her speech, Archduchess Ileana spoke of the special duty of awakening young souls to fight for the highest 'ideal, for peace. Firstly, the Girl Guides ought to work for their Fatherland, and then for the great common Fatherland which is the world. All Girl Guides are sisters. Love and understanding can help to build bridges from one to the other, and by this means the way is opened for greater comradeship still. Guides in the world who feel this sisterhood can do their best to fight hate, and thus promote the ideal of the future, a peaceful world. Naturally, this task is a huge one, and the power of young girls small, but there is a use for even the weakest power. . , . It is interesting to see that in Vienna they work for the same ideals as we and others do, and this makes us feel that we all belong together, all we Guides in the world, for we want the same things. In the exhibition there were very nice well-made toys, which were destined for Christmas presents for poor children. They had also learnt cooking, and this is used in winter once a week tq feed poor children in the Guides’ own home. The newspaper concludes: “Itis a good and lovely youth which has such aims; the Princess who wears the Guide hat can be pleased with her small sisters.’ I wish the Girl Guides of Vienna luck and happiness. I have seen their struggles to win through in the hard years since 1920, and now comes their reward. —“ Fromse ”in ‘ Pigespejderne (the Danish Girl Guide paper).