FATHERS AND SONS.

Shannon News, 21 September 1926, Page 3

FATHERS AND SONS.

THEIR DUTY TOWARDS EACH OTHER. TH E GOVERNOR-GENERAL.’S AJDVIGE. At the “Father and Son” Banquet promoted by the Levin Y.M.C'.A. last week, at which the guests of honour were Their Excellencies, Sir Charles and Lady Alice Ferguson, tlie chairman (Mr F. H. Hudson) offered to their Excellencies and other visitors a warm and cordial welcome on behalf of the Y.M.C.A. Five years ago they inaugurated these Father and Son Banquets with much trepidation as to' their success. They had as their guest a disinguished New Zealand General and were so successful that they “hitched their waggon to a star,” so to speak, and decided that some day they were going to have the Governor-General of the Dominion, whoever he might be then, as their guest. To-day they had reached their star. (Applause). The gathering was not an indication of the membership of the Y.M.G.A. here, but he could -say that all present recognised the work and worth of that institution. Tlieir real purpose was to give an opportunity for tlie expression of those- ideals of family relationship that he ventured to say, should and did influence the civic and social life of the country. He paid a tribute to the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Y.M.C.A., <w!liose wonderful work had made the banquet possible and who had borne tbe lion's share of the preparations. He also thanked those gentlemen who had stood hy the Y.M.C.A., year by year. Tlieir steadfastness was very sincerely appreciated. As a Y.M.G.A. they admired the very fine service the Governor-General had rendered the Dominion and Empire, which made them proud to be associated With him that day. They were pleased to welcome tlieir guests, not merely as their Excellencies, but as -real genuine father and mother. They appreciated vary deeply the keen interest they took ,in the youth of the Dominion, and believed that ■their, advice and inspiration would help this country to progress. (Applause). ' “AS THE HEAVY FATHER.” “I don’t know,” said His Excellency, in replying, “why 1 should be put in this very prominent position at the top of - the programme today. It is quite true that I am a father, and it may ’be because 1 am a grandfather. (Applause and laughter). To you young people we grandfathers should ,be a sort of super father— something, bigger than all the other fathers, land should be treated with corresponding' respect, if you please. (La'ughter). There is also another reason," went on His Excellency, amidst amusement. I am to understand that I am a star of some magnitude—it is the first time I have appeared in that capacity.” Declaring that he was going to act the part of “the heavy father ” His . Excellency said he would try briefly to give his idea of how fathers could help tlieir sons and sons help their fathers. He regretted that his own three sons were not present, but perhaps it was fortunate for him for they might say some of his points were very weak and ask him why he did not live up. to them. (Laughter).

THE FATHER AS HERO, Addressing himself to the fathers present, His Excellency reminded them that their sons went through two phases in their lives as regarded their estimate of their fathers—possibly three, but certainly two. have to remember that ou.r sons when voong look upon us—their father's—as ‘the wisest and best (people in the world. Every father ‘is a hero to his son up to a certain age. The son looks up to him and is perfectly satisfied that all his father does is right, and that no father is more worthy than Ins -own. It a or G at (Pity .to-day from a fatnei s point of view that that attitude ward him cannot continue Aj l( mg h the whole of the boys lib.. Inevitably . there conies a time, at eignt, tm nr twelve years, when the son finds out that the father is only human and has his faults. From that time he comes to look on ms father in an entirely different ligln. Now I draw two . lessons for toe father from that. The ftnst is that we should realise- tlio, tramendoiufc for good or evil w G are in a boy*j W in his early years, when he looks upon us as supermen, as When we fail them we slmUei the belief in that which hev bojfi mtist in honour and respech “ meridous importance th.eref.oie w fathers is it that we should tiy an l live up to what they belmve us to be and wjiat we certainly ought to ( be. 1 need for comradeship. “The second stage is wh?n a boy realises that his father is, after all, human. This is the danger ous tunc, if lathers are not careful just then when the boys are tegmmi S to daft away ” His Excellency spoke of me sadness of feeling the g *P * ] between father and son ami the o n happy relationship gradual :v away. That was the time .when fathers should be more careful live up to what the son-' thoiiobt they ought to be-to try to Keep then respect and reverence and to help them in every possible we h ond to cause them to look upon thmr fat"® l Stir on in lire as tlieir ™n - rade as one to whom t.uy could turn’ in any difficulty and any adversity “If in this early hage, \u have lost our boys’ confidence, you will find that though they may look up to you with respect and think you quite a big man, at the same time, there will be a wart of synpathy between you and ' , e t J p J nn will not be the one to win ’ n the son will turn when he is in difficult}. To sum it up, remember that what ovu boys think of us when the} ar . e small, , they should he abb- 10 when they arc growing !li acl ? X . cence. We should realise that it is

our own fault if we lo&e the confidence of our sons.” THE QUALITY OF MANLINESS. Healing with the boy’s point of view, His Excellency said that above all fathers liked to see in their sons the quality of manliness —that when they became men they would have character—not in the sense that they should not get into trouble with the police—but character in the broadest sense, that they would have the instinct to do what was manly and what was recognised as being best in men, and that they would turn in disgust, naturally, from everything else. They must have great ideals. “Remember that you have come into the world with certain talents and you must make use of them and not let them stagnate. One of those ideals should be service for others. We did not come Into the world simply for our own material prosperity. We come into it to do social service for other people, for our country, for our Empire. No boy can call himself a man unless he has that ideal of service for others. . . Just think- every day before you go to sleep what you have done for somebody else on that particular day. Try it to-night. Turn it oven in your mind and see if you can say that you have done something for somebody.” (Loud applause). BOYS’ THANKS TO HIS EXCELLENCY. Ernest Vickers, on behalf of the boys present, said they had had some distinguished visitors at their banquets, but never before had they had the Governor-General. He was the 'representative of the Crown in this country and lie would find the boys of the Dominion loyal to the King and Empire. He had given them sound advice how to become citizens and the speaker felt sure the boys would take it to heart and benefit by it. He heartily thanked his Excellency for his visit and interest. (Applause). ~ “TAKE YOUR TROUBLES TO DAD. Clifford Wilkinson next proposed the toast of “Dad,” thanking the fathers for their attendance, and remarking that the Banquet put them on a level and made the boys realise more than ever that their fathers were the ones to take their troubles to. Who could understand better than Dad? He must know because lie hail been through it all as many orchards, broken us many windows with shanghais and raided the cake tin as often as the boys. (Laughter), i Any troubles, big 'or small, should be taken to Dad with-, out hesitation and he would see a way out and set them on the narrow trail again, safe and surefooted. (Applause). THE BOYS’ BRIGHT STAR. Jack Andrew gave the toast of “Mother,” the one who took the biggest plaice in a boy’s .life and helpeo him to go forward with the highest ideals. Referring to mother as “the bright star on the horizon of a boy’s life,” he coupled with the toast tile name of Her Excellency. “BAIRNS ARE BLESSINGS.” Lady Alice Fergusson, in reply, said she felt it a great honour to reply to this toast, and she was glad to hear what the proposer had to say about mother. She could respond from a mother’s point of view as she had three sons and one •daughter of her own. She recalled a story ol her youth in which an old farmer always maintained tb#.t ‘‘Bairns were burdens,”- but. the old grandmother always came in with the assertion that “Bairns were blessings. \ Most mothers would say, however, that they were both. There was a time when the hoys could not have lived a day without their mothers. 11 tliev were a burden, they were a very precious burden, and a time would come .when they could; become a great blessing to her. Without wishing to make a, “heavy mother speech, she would remind them that in New Zealand, men and women worked very hard, , the wolnen to. make happy homes for their boys. Sire asked the boys to make it as easv for their mother at borne as they could, and always love and respect her, and if they let her knov and show her that they dal so, they would make her very happy. A b°y * ambition was for his , town, or his country, and a t ambition was for her sons Uitore not so much that he will jute j material success of his lito, but that he will become a good citizen and a good man, and if the boys achieved that, they would give lasting jpleasure to their mothers. (Applause).