“BEST GAMES IN THE WORLD”

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14639, 7 April 1948, Page 5

“BEST GAMES IN THE WORLD”

GUIDING AND SCOUTING Lady Baden-Powdl In Wellington / Movement Still Growing Everywhere Guiding and scouting are still the “best games in the world” to Lady Baden-Powell, World'Chief Guide, who is at present visiting New Zealand. When in Wellington, Lady Baden-Powell spoke witn undiminished enthusiasm of the progress of the great movements which, under the guidance and leadership of her late husband and herself, are now familiar and established in every corner of the world. “This is not a pleasure trip exactly,” she told newspapermen. “I haven’t come here just for fun. I hope most definitely for results, which I know will come in the movement with enhanced enthusiasm. I hope, too, that more active interest and sympathy might be aroused among the public, with a corresponding flow of greater support.” Lady Baden-Powell stressed the fact that she was not representing the Homeland, but came as Chief Guide to encourage guides in the promotion of the movement, which was now much bigger than people perhaps realised. Throughout the world there were some 3,000,000 members.

“But we are not out for ‘mass production,’ ” she said, with a smile. “It is the individual girl and boy—for I do like to bracket scouting and guiding—that matters to us.” Training Of Character The Guide and Scout movement had been started by Lord BadenPowell some 40 years ago rather as an experiment to see whether it would be of value in training of character. It had proved its worth, and was going like a bush fire into the lives of thousands of young people in each succeeding decade. Its wholesome, useful, interesting and wholly good influence had got into their lives to improve them. Founded on the fundamentally best principles of character, it had influenced those young people without their knowing it, not only in their formative vears, but also as they entered adult life. “It is a trite saying that the strength of the nation lies in the homes of its people, but it is true,” said Lady Baden-Powell. “With all the needless, disruptive, upsetting forces in the world today I believe that ' Scouting and Guiding are wanted more than’ ever before.” The uniting of the young people of the world through Scouting and Guiding was not just a fantastic dream; it was happening all the time through jamborees and other contacts, despite the handicaps imposed by shortage of transport and the lack of high-minded, selfsacrificing men and women to join in the great game. Service To Community Service to the community of great national value, perhaps greater than was realised, was given by the Guides and Scouts, said Lady Baden-Powell. She wished to pay a tribute, she said, to those men and women who had tfiven, and were giving, of their talents, their effort and even of their money to ■the service of youth, unseen, unsung and unrewarded. The movement was growing everywhere in spite of all obstacles, in spite of lethargy and opposition. Nations which had suffered during the war had recognised its value, and had encouraged it more and more. Before the war there were only 7000 Guides in Holland, but during and since the war years that total had grown to over 30,000. In Germany the movement was just beginning, and a few selected German men and women of high quality had gone to England to be trained in how to take advantage of the movement in the right way. Later in the year, said Lady BadenPowell, she would be attending, at Cooperstown, in New York State, the biennial world conference, which would ensure that the movement remained inter-racial, interdenominational and international. Lady Baden-Powell was last in New Zealand in 1935:" She was overjoyed, she said, to have contacted, on her present visit, many of the leaders of the movement whom she had previously met. She is exnected to visit Tauranga on May 5.