TASK FOR ALL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 August 1941, Page 6

TASK FOR ALL

BUILDING OF CHARACTER 1 ESSENTIAL < TO MEET DANGERS OF NEW FREEDOM. i I ARCHDEACON RICH ADDRESS i GUIDE LEADERS. An address touching upon the trends , of the present day in relation to youth < and lhe primary importance of build- : ing character was given at the annual meeting yesterday of the Masterton Girl Guides’ Association by the Ven. Archdeacon E. J. Rich. Stating that it was wise from time to time to take stock and to get fresh vision of the purpose I’or which they existed, Archdeacon Rich said they should examine the progress made and see if it were on the right lines. Their work was to make some impact on human character, on the girls who would soon be leaders and who would face a burden and a responsibility as great as had ever been faced by any young people. He said he knew that Guides were concerned with physical and mental training also but if that were all he doubted very much whether they would be there today. Althougn admitting that physical training was important, Archdeacon Rich emphasised the necessity for the development and enrichment of character on the very broadest lines, yet firmly rooted on the only foundation of a perfect life, namely, on the fulfilment of the primary duty to God. They must all be gravely concerned at certain trends that were apparent in the world today, said the Archdeacon, who referred to recent expressions of opinion about an increase in juvenile crime. Surely that was a matter which demanded thought. They must ask themselves, how was the Guide Association functioning? The plain fact was that there had been a revolution in human thought in the last 25 years. Old restrictions had been swept away and too often nothing had come in to take their place. What was wanted was that there should be a fearless facing up to the position as it was today. Freedom made heavy demands upon those who enjoyed and practised it. This new freedom made life more difficult but they could give to the child and to the adolescent such a character as would enable them to build a life strong enough to face and overcome the added temptations ana dangers which the youth of today and tomorrow must face. That surely should be the main basis and aim of any education worthy of the name to prepare the child for life. All the mental gymnastics in the world, said Archdeacon Rich, would be of no. avail if the essential character was so weak as to be incapable of surmounting temptations. Unfortunately/ in spite of what was the will of the overwhelming majority of people in this country they had an educational system which denied their children the ' spiritual and moral teaching which alone could build the character strong enough to face and overcome the ' storms of life. Since Guiding was ’ above all a character-building orgams- ; ation, it must take notice of the stream ' along which character flowed, its aim ' must be to keep the life straight, run- ' iiing its allotted way according to the ; plan revealed low every life. The task of reconstruction after the war was going to demand qualities of high courage, vision and endurance qualities which were surely the very heart of the Guide Movement. If big demands • were made on modern youth, they would rise to them. Out of the suffering of this war, he said, something > must emerge. There would be a need [ for every Guide in the days ahead and ’ the movement was worth helping.