WHAT THE MISSION DOES.

Shannon News, 8 January 1924, Page 3

WHAT THE MISSION DOES.

HELPING TILE BOTTOM DOG.

S't. Peter’s Mission boys, from Wellington, have, been in camp at 'Levin Racecourse since Boxing Day. They gave a public concert last week and during th)e interval), the Mis,sioner, (the Rev. Fielden Taylor, addressed the audience. He Taylor addressed the audience. He expressed his gratitude to the numerous sympathisers who had assisted the camp in different ways during)The last four weeks. People in Levin had been sending money down to. them in Wellington as soon as they heard , the camp was to be held liere. He found it impossible to express his appreciation of the reception they had been given in Levin. He was exceedingly sorry if some people’s orchards had been raided, because it might make them think that'their kindness had not been appreciated. Rut it was difficult' to convince boys that apples did not belong to everyone and the worst of it was that they were so hard and green at this time of the year that they did not get the full benefit of stealing them. (Laughter). “My mission in life,” Mr 'Faylor continued,, “is Boy.. You know, when I returned from the war five years ago 1 was still fairly physically capable and I asked myself ‘What shall I do , with my life.’ The war had made ' a prettp rough sort of chap of me end 1 am not much good at. mothersmeetings or Girls’ Friendly Societies. I felt that parish life was too awfully respectable for me so I got down into this work in Wellington. The lesson I learned in the trenches was, Put title other. fellow first and yourself ast. That’s that! To return to the camp, I want you to remember that none of the boys here are exactly aaigels. The angels, what you would call the better type of boy—are in tbe Bible Class camp at Masterton. My boys here are not what you would call the better type of boy. It was because I wanted to. be with the scally-wags that I came here. I want to try to help the bottom dog. We are chasing the boy with bad surroundings. Most of these boys live in courts, narrow streets, and little back yards. The streets are their playground. Many of them don’t see any beauty in. the country. They miss the streets,, the. trams, the pictures, theatres and the lights, and don’t want to stay in camp.” The mission was trying to do something for them with a hostel, and to teach them to save. One, hoy after eighteen months in the hostel had left with £SO in his savi ings bank account. (Applause). Another way was the sea scoujts. The British Navy was -doing its best to i man H.M.S. Chatham with New Zeal landers, and the Commander had recently told him that he wanted a crew of New Zealanders. Through the sea scouts movement they were trying to- draw the boys’ attention to the sea as a profession. He hoped most of this sea scouts would eventually join the Navy.

“Another thing we do in Wellington is run a big club, to which most of the boys here belong. We do.all kind* of things at the Club, we? box, we ping pong, we play the gramaphone, we stand on our heads, and so ■on. Twice a week we have a dance. I knqw a lot of people who don’t believe in dancing, but I teach my boys to dance. The club Igirls dance with the club boys, we have some .supper, and Billy sees Biddy home and then tucks himself in. If a boy over 16 can’t see a girl home, he is not much good. That’-s .that! Another thing we do is go to the Police Court when a hoy’s in trouble and try to get them to- hand him over to us. We do what we can for him. (Applause). Now there’s just another thing I want to say to you before I finish, if you want to be happy think of the other fellow first and yourself last —that is religion, that is Christianity. If someone is going' idown, you go down with them and when a chance comes to pick them up again you’ll be there. If someone is sick go. tand play poker with itfhem—-play poker I said—and they will look forward to your coming again. Don’t read the Bible to them tall the time, you know; they get so tired of the Bible. It was during the war that I saw true self denial first. You know, after going over the top, chaps used to go out with water bottles to give, the wounded a drink. There weren’t any stretcher- bearers there sQ we couldn’t bring) them in. One day we went out and found a chap with his legs blown, off. When someone went to give him a drink he said, ‘Don’t waste your water on me, I’m Weeding to death and can’t last long. There’s a chap along there with a broken arin, give it (to him.’ That is religion—that is Christianity. What we ought ito do is ,to bring that into civil life.”

The close of Mr Taylor’s address was marked by long and 'sustained .applause.