N.Z. CLUB LUNCHEON

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 227, 19 June 1920, Page 3

N.Z. CLUB LUNCHEON

GENERAL BOOTH ENTERTAINED

VIEWS ON EDUCATION AND HOME-LIFE

In an address well calculated "to charm, to strengthen, and to teach," General Braniwell Booth, head of the Salvation Army, yesterday held tho attention of members of tho Now Zealand Club at a luncheon tendered "to him by that body in the Y.M.C.A. Kooms. The president (Mr. W. Page) iv.as in the chair, and there was a .largo attendance. In welcoming General Booth' and his staff on behalf of the club, the president said that in doing honour to tho leader llicy'desired .also, to do honour to the forces 1 under his command. Tho Army did not confine its operations to the British' Empire.' Every outpost was occupied, irrespective of race, colour, or creed. It was a striking monument to.its founder, and a great object-lesson to the -whole world.

, An Optimistic Critic. , Rising to respond, .General Booth was greeted, with applause, loudi and sustained He said he liked New Zealand. Heliked the .people-their frankness, and openness, and the denni.teness with which many-of them were facing the problems' of. life.. Short. of some, national calamity, tho country ought to havo a very prosperous future. Now Zealand and Australia seemed hardly to realise what part they had played in the recent war. Moving about' Australasia he had been impressed -with tho great sense of loyalty to the British Empire expressed oii all sides. Having helped tho Empire in the war,-there was, however, a groat opportunity for. New Zealand to he p in another way. Our statesmen would be well advised (to consider whether they might not assist the Empire in peace by extending a helping and welcoming hand to people desirous of emigrating from tho Old Country. In this way the bonds of rthe Empire would be strengthened. He could see no reason for which comfortable homes should not be found in New Zealand for tens of thousands of people from the Motherland. In the three years before the war he had sent to Canada 140,000 immigrants and he found that they were nearly all successful.' Of the women, only one-half per cent, were failures, and the great majority made happy marriages. He would like to see some kindred movement in New Zealand, especially a movement for the benefit of the hometes children in England. .' ' A Word of Warning. The General stressed the importance of caring for the home-life and child-life in Our own community. He had observed here a tendency to regard rather lightly the home influence. More encouragement s'hould be given the people to pay attention to home-life. We should give especially, he urged, every attention and consideration to'our-womanhood-all wo could do for.woraan was a.good investment for our land and the people tf»arein The paramount importance of rightly appreciating children was also touched upon by the General. New Zealand weroan danger of making the education- of our children a one-sided _arfair. While he agreed that the physical and intellectual.sides of our childrens nature should be catered for, he felt that-the most important'duty of all was the'training .of the soul, the building-up of .character. If we neglected that duty, we should find ourselves developing tho same materialistic tendency with regard to the education of onr chidren, as obtained on the Continent. Ho had been very greatly impressed during tho last ten' or "twelve years with tho conditions growing up in Germany, where P"m", t( | the war the material side was culitivated in children to the neglect of the spiritual: It followhed that many of th ; ? horrors which Germany had been guilty of during the war could be to a large extent attributed to the-Germans extraordinary idea that education. _of the children was not relative to their moral 'and religious life. Children could w>t bo turned out into the world with the trim alMbutes of manhood and womanhood •if the cultivation of their spirituaLbemg. wiis;neglected: • '"..".. Judging the Empire. The General' referred to the' progress bing maintained by the Salvation Army, in all' departments throughout the ,'world'...He/dealt with missionaryvpropaganda in heathen lands. The Empire. ■h« said,' would, be judged before tho ''bar"of history not by the-extent of its success with its "most brilliant people,, but by the way in. which it served and 'uplifted'' tho "depressed communities, which were to bo found within Its own confines. The Salvation' Army was' training vast'numbers of young people, whose one'Vobject in' life was to see tow best thev might servo the people of tho world. The General, in concluding, congratulated "Hie Dominion on the hearty support it had-accorded tho Salvation Ar.iny war work.. ■ . ••■ Three hearty cheers were, given for General Booth before the gathering dispersed. • ' - ; " •