GIVING LEAD TO YOUTH

Taranaki Daily News, 10 September 1940, Page 6

GIVING LEAD TO YOUTH

PLACE IN WORLD AFFAIRS

ROTARY CLUB LECTURE "The world to-day is marvelling at the character of the people of Britain. They possess a moral fibre that though* without allies en&bles them to still present a formidable front to.the enemy," Mr. J. I. H. Cooksey, New Zealand Commis- 1 sioner of Boy Scouts, told New Plymouth Rotarians yesterday. It was this lack of character that enabled treachery to make such inroads on the armed strength of some of Britain's allies. He stressed the great necessity for the building up of a sound foundation among the youth of New Zealand and the world in general. A sound basis, he suggested, for the work could be created by the two first laws of the Scout movement— a Scout's word "can be trusted and every Scout is loyal to his God and his King. Mr. Cooksey pointed out that when Herr Hitler launched the movement that brought him to power he sought the aid not of the old men but of the young. i Unfortunately Herr * Hitler had led the German youth into wrong channels. Many Problems to fce Solved. "When the present conflict is over the world will have many big problems to solve and it is the young men who will have to solve them," stated the speaker. "We must prepare youth to solve these problems. The result of a war is often a revulsion to discipline and a conseq ient restless youth that can often be led by false doctrines. "We must give youth a real sense of e fundamentals and allow them to make a world that will suit them, even if, perhaps, it does not suit us." Mr. Cooksey cor.cluded with an appeal for more leaders for the Scout movement. He explained that the movement was in three divisions, Cubs from the ages of eight to 12, Scouts from 12 to 18 and Rovers from 18 to 30. The Rovers' group was the weakest of these but he felt that if men of vision woul^ come for ward to lead the Rover troops they could be made a powerful force. On the motion of Dr. C. A. Taylor, l,"r. Cooksey was accorded a vote of thanks.