ADVICE TO THE YOUNG.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17748, 10 March 1927, Page 3

ADVICE TO THE YOUNG.

A PRACTICAL BISHOP. TALKS TO BOYS AND GIRLS. UUMOUR AND GOOD COUNSEL. By his taiks to the boys of King's ollege and the girls of the Dioce;;..n High School at Auckland, the Bishop of London showed his power lo captivatc young hearers no less than grown-up folk. Both addresses wero fuil of simple wisdom, expresscd in thc language of every-day life. That at King's College was delivered in the chapel and fitted its surroundings, but the other was a happy mixturc j of counsel and real humour. i The bishop was greatly impressed with the heauty of the King's Col- ; lege chapel, which indeed rnade a | striking sight with its rows of 1 young faces in thc long stalls, everyone intent upon the spare man in his purple cassock who spoke in such an intimate and fricndly way "I have been in many school chapels in the course of this tour," said Dr Ingram, "but I have seen none more heautiful than this. You ought to be proud of it, and proud of the devotion of the old boys who made it possible." Future of King*s College. | Ple had ka vision of the school's ! future, said the bishop. He had visited every great public school in Engiand once or, twice, and he knew how great men in all walks of life looked back to their public school days as the most wonderful time of their lives. "If you will pull together," hc said, "you can be one of the grcatest public schools in the world. It may be a great force . in the British Empire and in the j new nation that is coming to birth ! here. Perhaps sitting in this chapel ! there may be future Prime MinisI ters, members of parliament, leadi ers in local government, and men : who, altho'ugh they take no part in public life, will do fine work on : farms and stations." | Telling the boys that the country j was looking to them, the bishop ! gave them five secrets of personal ' influence in the world; to be absoi lutely trustworthv, to have a gen- ; uine purpose in life beyond the ; earning of one's daily bread, io have I no personal conceit, vanity or ■ "side;" to have a real and genuine religion, and, lastlyFto have a sense : of humoUr. A Sense of Humour, No man whose airn was selfinterest was ever really trusted. If a man had sorne aini in life beyond his own everyday material needs. he stood a chance of leaving the world better than he had found it. Vanity robbed a man of his influence for good. After all. a man wa", only one out of 1500 million human beings, so what cause had he for pride? Christ had emptied Himself , of His glory and had taken upon ! Hina the fonaa of a servant. No one : who said openly, "I am an atheisL" was trusted, for man was a reli- ; gious animal. He was also a social | npimal and therefore he was born for the Church. The boys, by mustering every day in chapel, were only fulfilling their human nature. As for the sense of humour, he . had known perfectly , honest. I huiaable, religious people who had I no influence because they lacked j this quality. People without hu'nai our rnade mountains out of mole- ; hills, and "got the hump" about ! little- fancied slights. Everyone ; should try to pass qff little things, : and not take himself too serioaisly. j "I hope tlaat this school and chapel will turn out some of the j finest parish priests in New Zea- | land," said Dr Ingram. "They are | wanled. They will not malce so | much money , as if they were ;• wealthy fairaers. but they will have ' a very happy life." Girls and Cocktails. At the Diocpsan High School the ! bishop devoted most of his address ! to telling the girls how they might ; keep themsel-ves young all tlaeir life through. "First, be careful what : you eat and drink,' " he said, "and 1 whether you smoke or not. Take ! regular exercise every day as long . as you live. I say this because the body is very importa'nt. I do not know whether any of you read the j Daily Mail but it printecl something j I said to girls at Acton, under the ' heading 'Bishop and Cocktails.' I Whai I said was 'If a yoaang laaan invites yoai out and offers you a ' cocktail before dinner, never go out j with hina again.' ; "There is notlaing worse than j cocktails before meals. It ruins a . girl's constitution. I could not play ■ the Prince of Wales or the Duke | of York at squash racquets o'n level terms if I were a drinlcer. I hate to | see a girl with cigarette in her moutla — hut, then, I'm pre-Victor-ian." Girls should keep their nainds ac- | tive. A Avoman ought to be a comj panion for her htisband in thought. | His own m other, who had died two years before. aged 90, laad been as ' keen and active in mind as a girl to . the_ vei-y end. They should keep . their hearts young and their symnathies quick and living all through ' life. Learning was useless without human sympathy, and people who lost track with life grew old at 40. , So did people who stayed satisfied with themselves, and forgpt that they had poorer brothers and sisters. that they were a minority hokling many things in trust for others. "Lastly," said Dr Ingram, "keep your young souls in touch with the living God. Be regular in your prayers, for God is always yoiang. He can pour life into you. You know the old saying AVhom the gods love die young.' That does not anean they die early; it means that when they die, at whatever age, they are young."