GIRL GUIDE NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22628, 21 April 1937, Page 19

GIRL GUIDE NOTES

[By Guider.] CORONATION MESSAGE. The message now draws very near to Otago. Everything seems to be in order to receive it. The mayors of the cities and boroughs have shown themselves very willing to co-operate, ana official seals will' be affixed * wherever possible. In Dunedin the seal Will be affixed in the Cbuncil Cliambei- on Inday, at B,p.m. There will'be a suitable ceremony, at which Guides and senior 'Brownies will be present. The'message ■will be opened, and read, and, it is expected that there 1 will, be a large num-ber-present to'see'it. Guides'Will be ready • assembled in - the Chamber at ! 7.45. Members 'bf Guide local associations will; be welcomed' at this 1 ceremony. ANZAC DAY. Owing to the fact that Anzac Day falls on a Sunday this year, the usual “Guides’ Own” will,not be held. An invitation has been’received from the B,S.A. for 60 to attend; the 1 civic service in Ihe Town Hall in the afternoon. Those wishing to attend (Guiders or Rangers) will meet in Harrop street 'at 2.30. ' ' :i ‘ ' "■ ” I •' NASEBY GUIDES. Sunday was an important day in the history of the Naseby Company, as it was the occasion of the dedication of their Colours. The service - was conducted by Archdeacon Button, assisted by the Rev. Mr Ferry and the Rev. Mr Chisholm, and was held in the Domain in the presence of a large number of people. The local band led the singing. Besides members of the company,' there Were- present the Provincial .Commissioner (Miss’ V. M. Barron, the District Commissioner for Maiiiototo (Mfs R. Young),' Miss Hart (District Commissioner for Dunedin North), and Miss K. M'Leod (district'Captain, Dunedin North). The weather was brilliant, and the service most impressive. The Colours were presented in memory of the late Charles Henry, and Josephine Bingham, of Yorkshire, England. Naseby will send a representative to Palmerston this week to take part in the carrying of the Coronation message. Altogether, this is an eventful week for this company. MUSSELBURGH GUIDES. Now that the winter is drawing near, the evenings are too dark to enjoy outdoor sport during company meetings. However, we have pleasant memories of warmer evenings, when our programmes included folk dadcing on our patch of grass, tracking, and treasure hunts. One evening we remember as being a enjoyable one. A senior Guide, receiving directions from captain, set out with two patrols of Guides to lay a trail. The remaining two patrols played “ mock basketball ’ (an invention of our own) for 10 minutes, and then with captain left our headquarters in Queen’s Drive to follow up the trail. Signs made of stones and chalk and' hidden notes led us in a round-about route to Hancock Park. From here we followed the trail of knotted grass and arrows of sticks and twigs in tho direction of Lawyers Head, then turned towards the sandhills, from the top of which we sighted the other Guides at the water’s edge. After some warming-up games we climbed to the top of the sandhills for camp fire. While captain read a short story, we had a lovely _ view of the sea and the city, with twinkling lights as the evening darkened. We sang a few favourite camp-fire songs, and then walked hack along the beach, to be dismissed after a very jolly evening. PATRIOTISM. Patriotism means “ love of country,” and “ country ” means different things to different people. When we think of our country, we think of New Zealand —the beauty of its native bush, its mountains and lakes, tho song of its birds. It is our country, our home, and we know and understand it because for generations our ancestors have known, cultivated, enriched, and beautified it. Beyond New Zealand there are the many beautiful countries that belong to the British Empire of which we are so proud. We may love some of these other places, but they are less intimately ours, although for them we have a much stronger feeling than we have for foreign countries, however fond we may be of them. What can we as guides do to fulfil the promise we have made of duty to our country? To serve our country properly we must know her, understand her, love her, by learning her history and traditions and by studying her at all seasons in all her aspects. What each country needs is men and women, whole and fit, physically, mentally, and morally. Baden-Powell never ceases to repeat this. In analysing the evils of our time he finds the origin of all social and political problems in the shortcomings of individuals. And the conclusion which we can draw from all this is; the first, the greatest service which we can render our country is to make ourselves into women, healthy and strong,- well prepared for our professional life or for our life as wives and mothers, conscious of our responsibilities and ready to meet them, forgetful of ourselves and our own interests, determined to live according to our Law and our Promise. The task is great, but it is a task which has been entrusted 1 to us, a task which we have accepted of our own free will. We are sustained' by the feeling of solidarity which unites all the Guides of our countrv, all tho Guides and Girl Scouts of the world, and by the fact that our work is really needed. Has not Baden-Powell himself said that of the two movements, Scouting and Guiding, the second seems to him the more important, because the Guides of to-day are tbp mothers of the men and women of the future. All the efforts which we make to develop ourselves, to educate ourselves, to improve our characters and to live up to our ideals—all these are so many services which we are rendering to our country. In preparing to serve her we are serving already. But besides this great and never-ending task, • which must he tho work of a whole life. 1 there arc many other ways of serving our country. In school we learn the history, the geography, the political economy of our country; if we put our whole hearts into this, we are beginning to serve her. In our Guide uni--1 form we meet girls from other classes, 1 from other places; if we try to under--1 stand their lives and make them share ■ om -s—if we try to understand their [ difficulties and learn to love them, we are serving our country. _ When, I as Guiders, we teach our Gujdes to 1 know their land, its beauties, its tra- ; ditions, its flag—when we awaken in 1 their hearts the love of these—we are > serving our country. When, as • Guiders. wo give up onr leisure to help I our Guides to become good women, wo > are giving that time to our country. When, as girls and women, we draw ■ near to trouble, and help to ease it ’with our understanding and our love;

when we bring a little joy into dark places, when we try to sow_ love and peace in soil where hate is apt to thrive, when wo create mutual understanding, when we break down barriers, when we establish contacts, wo are working for our country. When, in foreign lands, we behave so as to win affection and appreciation, we are serving our country. When, in our workshops, offices, and employment generally we do our work honestly, when we keep up the good reputation of our country’s products, when we carry on her traditions of conscientious workmanship, we are serving her still. Some of us may perhaps have the opportunity of serving our country in a more direct, a more tangible, a more outstanding way. But with most of us our patriotism should be a quiet, reticent virtue, not manifesting itself in collective demonstrations or in heroic deeds, but pervading our everyday life, and giving to_ the humblest tasks a sense of dedication.