"THE LEAST OF THESE."

Shannon News, 29 March 1927, Page 4

"THE LEAST OF THESE."

CHILDREN'S CAMP AT THE CENTRAL FARM, (From the Levin Chronicle). / Save the* small grain and the withered grain. Sweep, the threshing-floor dean, that nothing be lest, for the law of necessity is never at rest and for every particle the infinite life of nature has its use., In the field of humanity, always productive, row upon row Of new faces arise,, forming a harvest of endless variety, changing with circumstance, ruffled bv breezes, differing each in a vital degree, till the' whole through its magnitude loses its features and spreads out a uniform carpet of gold. And in the multiform harvest ther ? are some young heads that droop. The cultivation was not done with care—perhaps it was not done at .all; and iu a; few cases the selection was ill-advis-ed. In the world of flfesh and blood these are the heads that have in the pas.t been discarded; but-now they are failing to the gleaners, for there is need of them. The white wheat of thj world's granary is all too scarce, and the damaged grain must be saved along with the best. ' r ;.he analogy is patent. Those tf the country's children who have commenced life at a disadvantage are to be guarded for the sake of whatever good may be in. them. Certainly ..'*the race is to the svyift and the battle to'the strong/' but all Cannot be supermen or even gladiators. And so a movement is now well under Avay in the Dominion to give a chance to do something and be something to those of the younger generation who are labouring vinder disabilities for which they can in no sense be held responsible. At the end of 1924 a summer camp for children of this class was held fir the first time, the location being at Haywards, in the Hutt Valley. The Wellington education district may take the credit for having pioneered the idea, but certain organisations outside of the strictly scholastic realm gave. ma-, terial assistance, notably the Commercial Travellers' Club in Wellington and the Y.M.C.A. The former helped with finance, this was supplemented by a number of parents, and the Government completed the good work with a subsidy. Three schools have the scheme in operation now—Miramar South, Mt Cook, and Petone—and at the head of it is Dr. Ada Patterson, schools medical officer. The germ from which the idea sprang: was a suggestion by the Y.M.C.A., which offered to take into camp a number of boys from, the Mt. Cook school. The teachers met the heads of the institution, the Education Board helped, and the result was thecamp at Haywards, on the Y.M.C.A :j ground. The next camp was atLevin last year, and. now the girls and boys are visitors to the district again, having arrived by train on Friday, when they were kindly conveyed by several residents in their cars to the Central Development Farm. Here then was special accommodation for them, in a row of hutments which have wartime associations and are well suited to the purpose. At last year's camp there were 26 .children, but'it was subsequently decided to extend the benefits of the course to a greater mimber, so there, are now 4P children encamped, comprising 31 boys and 18 girls. At one end of the row of buildings the boys have their dormi-

tory, and at the other end.the girls sleep.in cubicles. In between are the Staff quarters,- the .kitchen,, and .the- iiningi tecreation room. "The. managed conjointly by the Education Department, renreseiited by Miss : M:cMurray,' and' the Health Department, whose''deputy is Dr. • Muriel Morgan. They are-assisted"by Miss Newman:and Miss teachers -of specia-l clauses, and, by Miss Bulkley as nurse. Seven students |r6-m the Teachers' '"raining College and a qualified cook complete the staff. The change tc country fare will doubtless nave- •■_ a marked effect on the children, who will experience no lack of milk and -vegetables. These are purchased from thy tivo Government farms, and a welcome addition is received in gifts' of vegetables from the pupils of the Levin District High School. - : ; • Lessons will not trouble the yters very much during their 18 days of rusticating, but they wii.l be educated in habits of health and will participate iu organised games and also be ia\en for walks in.tc-.th? suivounding country, when natural history will be studied. Daylight-saving is observed, and the children rise at 7 a.m." (camp time) and breakfast half an hour later. After that they make their beds andicarry out various small duties. Physical drill is practised every morning, and a certain amount of school wffrk •" is given. After lunch, which is at noof., the children rest in the open, on ground sheets, until 3 r>.m., after which jiamea or walks claim their' attention. s Tea is at 5 o'clock and bed at 7. .

The public are invited to visit tju camp on Wednesday afternoon, when they, will see, the liberal effort which is being made to introduce a variant into these children's lives, which/it'-ia hoped, will go far in aiding the.--.pro-eess of their mental and physical betterment.