ST. MARY'S GUILD.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2130, 23 April 1914, Page 2

ST. MARY'S GUILD.

THE .ANNUAL ■MEICTIN(:|IIJi;LT). , < : ' Tho annual -'meeting 'of-Sti'--Mary's Guild was held yesterday afternoon in tho Diocesan Oflicess, SI ulgravo. Street, the: .Bishop of .Wellington, Dr.. Sprott, presiding. .• . .' ■■.■:■■. ■-'■■■ The :t)Uin:il ■ repwt t ' which ;-was -read by the president, Oliss- t'ontes, .'stated thiit the mntii- home lmil boonmorn than full during tlio rear. Tho girls'' Itcaiih h:«l been good. , nml their conduct very satisfactory on tlio whole. The latimlry jjiul gardening work iurf licoii well Aw?, "Sic girU taking much interest in both. Dtiriiig the year ,15 girls v> ore whiuttwl ami "iL , discharged; i'ii )!)];!, 0 were admitted, and 8 discharged.'. It was (jrfltifyiiig io know that a. number of tins gifts who bail p-ss.scd out of tJw, homo Wf.Ti; doing well, either in strcico or with their own peoplo,' The accomiiKnlai ton of the CotJngo Homn bad been fully taxed. The children enjoyed gooil health, tlio only .sickness bring three mild onsen of measles. Tfeo I'ahaiita.mii b'uudny School kindly g<) r* a Christmas tree for the children! Tho children also had three weeks at the seaskfo which they greatly enjoyed. The funds for this were raised by steall sales of work by Miss Marjorto Hayes and her friends atKarori, and hy tho Misses Haniertou nt- Kelbttnio. Another valuable contribution for this purpose came from a concert got up by two parishioners of St. Thomas's Cinireh. The annual grant from tho Government of £200 and the generous gift of tho Sfacarthy Trust of £100, which enabled the conimitteo to redwoo-'the debt on the liorao» by £60, was acknowledged; also'the land gift of debentures ift the ]>iocesa.n Ngatawa School from Jfosys. G. W. Shlrtcliifo and J. H. B. Ooates. Donations were received from tlio Diocesan Social Service Fuikl, Her Excellency Lady Liverpool recEMtlj- paid a visit to the homes ami exjTresMw.l herselt much pleased with iuterosted in tho work. The guild greatly regret-ted tlio renroviij of tlio R«v. A. L. Hansel! from Ivarori, and tcek tho opportimitj* of thanking him for his mi" failing sympathy and help. They also regretted tte loss of Mrs. Henry Richmowl as a member, owing to her i'o* moyal to AtinklaniJ. Special thanks vcrri (liio to Dr. Agnes Bennett for her constant and arduous work iiii attoiuling to the girl's hwltli, and to Ifr. H'lirstJiouso for so kindly couliuninsi to look after the girls' teeth at the. Siein Home. The guild expressed its -BTirmest thanks to the matrons for their devoted work during the year. Tlwy had not spared themselves in tho perfonnanes of- their rery tespoiisiblo duties, and thf> results proved inat their care raid kindiwss for th« girls had not been in vain. Gifts front many kind friends wore elsa acknowledged. TUs- Ba!afiG?-Sh«et. The balance-slieet shows roseipts totalling £1116 2s. Id., this sum including a, balance of £251 12-s._ 7d. froin tlift yrc- i vious year. The wiiveipal Eonror-s of rovontio wore as folloiv:—Latiwlij earnings, £2-11 12s. Id.; payment for inmates, £ICO 155.; diocesan social service fund, £60: members' taibscriptions, .t'flr 6s. j associates' subscriptions, .£2l ■Is. 6d,; doiiatiqas (incluctuig £100 from Macartny Trust, £(30 from Mr. John Dunean,' and £20 from Sliss Bakers School), £201 3s. fill.; and offertoriea £-30 3s. Btl, The .eeptridituro totnllod j £984 Ss. 7<3., loavina a balance in hand of £131 13s. fid. The principal Horns on. the expenditure side were: Maintaiajice, £436 15s. Id.; salaries, £M 5; part rejiaynieut of ban, £C 0; paiating Main Home and Cottage Hoino, _ £63. Tho statcniEiats of assets and liabilities shows assets amounting to £27(5-1 12s. (id-, with a mortgage "if £200 as the fliily. liability. Origin snd Growth, ArcMeacoH Fautonrt, in moring tlvo adoption of tho report; congratulate! the. guild upOii tho satisfactory slate of its iiuatioes, and said that St, Mary's Homo was ail iastitutioii in \vhieh' t'jey all felt deeply interested—not only thoso v/)io v.'ore actively carrying on tho work. l>ufc those who were outside its immediate operations. Mrs. WaUis iiad startiid the UuiM of St, Mary's unci St. Mary's Homes in a small way, and tho venture developed into its -present state- of usefulness. It was a cause for thankfulness that thorn was « home in which such good work for the Church and tlio country was carried on. By tlHiir earnings in laundry work the. girls in the home had helped to provide for their own maintenance, for Iralf the JHOiicv required for the vmr--pose had been gained by their wflrk. Mrs, Issard also congratutattn) tho guild'upon the oxcsllont work that was ilono at. St. 3lavy's Homes, both .in laundry and basket work, as well as eowing, How Pilot Work rs Hone, Dr. Agiies Bewtott wnrinly praised the methods upon which the- u'ork lvna conducted. The girls wore inado to teel tkat they had a real iionujj and red tapeisia did not exist. 'The guild had looked at things in tho Kirgo, and had realised what to do for the girls. Their work was pilot's work. In a- recent j English Review there had appeared an article written by an American, Brand Wbitloel;,' wlio had pointed out very clearly how to deal with girls who had the misfortune to be borfi into a'ft xm~ promising enrironnivnt. . Among tho points especially stressed was the fa-el that it liad first of all to bo realised that these girls were- human, with tho fitiliio feelings that all 11 \* other girls in th<3 world have, the samo possibilities, with youth aa-d alt its vaguo and beautiful icngiußS. Another pointbrought out in tho article was iho erection of a- single stanrtard of Bierals, and that could not bo done by ntercjy )tn-«ssi3g savi. It meant thinking, and education, and evolution, and all tho other slow and toilsouto processes _ of which off-band reformers wwe so impatient. Tbero nnmt Ik? achieved for women an. cconortiip independence, and this iiVioy wero trying to got for the "iris at* St. Mary's .".Hemes. TUeso tlirco points, which had liecri bfonglit out in tlio article nioutioniM], wcro tlioso npon. wbieli they towfeecl iit 'their' m(?tliorjs of floating with tile pirls, and, by abolishing red tape, the personality o'f their charges was preserved.

Meed for Accommodation. Miss Parjane,' mail-on of the homes, wns called' ujmii to speak next-. Sho raentimifid the freo hand which the guild iiacl allowed her, juu! how greatly it had ttssistfld lief, The acconintoda-t-ion at tin* liomos had boesi. ixxed of Jato, and sho thougjlit that it would be tvcll' if they rould ni:lflrfio it so that oho of tho fioltagps .con 1«1 im turnod into a homo for t'ocblc-uititdcd girls. As it was they had to turn away cases. Dr. Sprolt. iii tho jfuitd wpon Us R-ork (JuriiiK llit« [w.-.t j-f-ar. liopfd it ft'oiiid not iifow weary if the tlifllcnltips ami disappoiiiiimMits ivhk'li invariably awoßipanie*. such wovli. To ifo!}! fiveit ft sini.de pemni !« break away from wit surroiuidmnn, In (,pph higher k'vols, le piovide salV ftnsl wlwlfftOßie envii-oniiient.i for rhiltlron (viio, witUout- any fault of their invii, «•'•!■■■ born into jicrilnns eiirroimdinnfi, was oiKHish to iiinko i-heni fivl linppy in Midi' wot!;- 'I'lin (£llild"h:i<l r.'ureUcil ll»> loss by ill*! roinevat of .Mr. Ilanscll I'loni Kiir'ori, niul lie cnliflOfl iv. Mr. Uaiiscil had'OiiftlKies that s)M?cialt,v (ittl'd him for tho position of chaplain ;i;, tin-■•iomiw. and iiis intort\«t am) syni-|j:ifln--Hotild bo jjivstly miswl.