Y.W.C.A. OF NEW ZEALAND

Evening Star, Issue 20274, 7 September 1929, Page 26

Y.W.C.A. OF NEW ZEALAND

CONVENTION PROCEEDINGS The meetings of the Y.W.C.A. Convention at Wellington on Tuesday afternoon were opened by Mrs Bennett fin the chair) in troducing Miss L. Sewell, of the Student Christian Movement. Miss Sewell had the opportunity of visiting India as a delegates , rom this movement to the Mysore Conference, and took advantage of her cimo there to observe in part the work of the Y.W.C.A. in conjunction with he Student Christian Movement. Miss Sewell spoke of the different universities and colleges in India and their teaching. At the Government colleges students learned their tasks merely for examination, and that was rendered necessary because, without the knowledge thus obtained, they could not secure positions in the Government service; but it seemed to divorce them entirely from their early life and associations, she said. There wore a number of national colleges chiefly established during the period of non-co-opera-tion. One of these had been established by the poet Tagore, and he had the very best teachers, each devoting his time to his special subject exclusively. Their teaching was a turning back to Indian life and culture. They preached the spirit of the revival of India and of service to India. Then there were the missionary colleges, and these were the only ones that made any provision for women students. They had Christian teachers, but their pupils were of any raoe, caste, or creed, and were not compelled to study Christianity. The great conflict in India was the reconciling of the Western teaching with Indian life, and the Young Women’s Christian Association was doing a great deal in reconciling the ideals of the Christian world with those of Indian philosophy. They were training the voung women to help themselves, and ♦o social work for their own fellow women and children. It was a sort o, ’ndigenous Christian fellowship work ing out Christianity in an Indian way. The student conference in India bad been held to achieve a greater understanding between the Indian and Western people, the reconciling of the West to the Indian worship of Christ. Mrs Bennett thanked Miss Sewell warmly for her most interesting address, and the meeting concluded. The chairman of Flock House trustees (Mr E. Newman) attended the conference and spoke to the delegates on the work at Flock House. He and his fellow-trustees had been very diffident about extending the benefits of this scheme to girls until they approached the Y.W.C.A. and obtained its promise to undertake it. He could assure the association of the gratitude •md great satisfaction of the trustees in the work being done for the girls at Flock House. After Mr Newman’s being thanked on behalf of the convention the meeting was concluded. Miss Batt opened the evening session with a discussion on the budget. There was not much success to report m this direction, and it was suggested that club groups could make an average cost of living inquiry, also that secretaries should send in any information they could collect. The convention delegates were pledged to make industrial inquiry more effective. The evening vespers took the form of a special sendee for Miss Moncrieff who is shortly leaving for China as representative in that country for the association. On Wednesday morning prayers were conducted by Miss Moncrieff, following which the Rev. J. R. Blanchard concluded his series of talks on ‘Tides or the Spirit.’ The rest of the morning was devoted to business, when the budget for the coming two years was discussed fully, and suggestions were received from the various associations as to the best methods of raising the amount received. Nominations for the f'ollev.ng offices were received :—National president, Dr Sylvia Chapman; board members—Mrs H. D. Bennett, Mrs D. Smith, Mrs E. Dawson, Mrs R. Watson, Mrs J. Clark, Mrs Patterson. Miss E. Fair. Miss C. Holmes, Mr Scholefield, and Dr Houghton; World’s Committee members. Miss R. Fair and Mrs Sutherland Ross. A vote of thanks to Mrs David Smith, the retiring national presidentwas moved and carried with acclamation.