BOYS BRIGADE NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23100, 28 October 1938, Page 14

BOYS BRIGADE NOTES

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" The Object of the Brigade shall be the advancement of Christ’* Kingdom among Boy*, and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect, and all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness."

FOUNDER’S DAY. Founder’s day is fixed for the last Sunday in October. It is within the month of the founding of the brigade, and is also very near the birthday of Sir William Smith, the founder. Sir William has long ago passed forward to a greater service even than he rendered here, but in the 8.8. his soul goes marching on. To boys of the brigade and to younger officers Sir William is an almost legendary figure. Looking at his portrait, it speaks to us of his ideals of reverence, discipline, selfrespect. His kindly features call us to unselfish service for those who need our help. It was in 1883 that the great scheme was launched, and on October 4 some 30 boys gathered together and were called the Boys’ Brigade. In a few years, as a result of the care with which Sir 114111301 nursed the movement, with the object always before him, more companies were formed, and so we have gone on from strength to strength. When our great leader passed away on May 10, 1914, we sustained a great loss. His was a life lived for others—a life devoted to Christ’s service for that host of boys, old and young, to so many of whom the 8.8. has meant everything in the world. COMPANY INSPECTIONS. The time of company inspections is now almost upon us, and the inspection night is one of the events of the session in a 8.8. company. The annual display is the opportunity of showing the company work to the parents and friends' of the boys, and therefore no efforts should be spared to make this show as perfect in every way as possible, for the appearance of everyone in the company must be smart and trim. The ambition of the officers should be to let their friends leave feeling that they could have enjoyed more rather than that they should suffer a surfeit and be bored. THE OFFICER’S NOTEBOOK. If we regard the company as our hobby, if as captain <wo use lieutenants to fetch and carry, giving them as little of the encouragement and stimulation of increasing responsibility, if we give small heed to the battalion or the brigade as a whole and neglect the bonds of fellowship, if we pay slight attention to the church of which the company is a branch—then we cannot ask God s blessing. We are not working for Him but for ourselves. If we are slack, instead of thorough, content to have discipline “ just so-so,” and regard efficiency in minor details as hardly worth serious consideration, then the Bible class lacks thoughtful and prayerful preparation—and this does not refer merely to an address, which is not the all-importaht feature. If punctuality is disregarded, if uniforms are slovenly and the metal parts dirty inside as well as outside, then we are not working for God, for He requires our best. No second-hand muddling through is good enough. All ‘‘ petty details ” are part of our service. Thev are the methods of the Bovs' Brigade, used to secure the discipline, the self-respect, the esprit de corps that binds boys and officers into a fellowship for the attainment of its object. CAMPING DAYS.

“ All round the English coast, and all over the country from north to south the white canvas of 8.8. camps is now to be seen,” states a letter from London. lt Camp is the best kind of holiday for a boy, and 8.8. camps are the best of all camps. And so they ought to be, for it was in 1886 that the 8.8. led the way in camping holidays for boys. No one had ever thought of such a thing before; and so it is over 50 years now since camping for boys began.” Camp is the crown of the 8.8. session, and every brigade boy should have the opportunity of spending his holidays in the happy atmosphere of a 8.8. camp. There is nothing that makes for good comradeship between officers and boys like a well-run camp, and I hope that the coming summer will see a record number of boys enjoying this splendid type of holiday, which the 8.8. introduced so many years a<p. Boys should be saving up now in order to make sure that they are on parade when the great day comes and the company entrains for Waikouaiti for the happiest week of all the year. It will be hard to beat the Kaka Point camps, but if every one of the 300 boys on the Otago Battalion roll makes up his mind to go we should have a record camp. THE COLUMN. For the next fortnight please address all reports to E. C. Sherriff, 72 Hazel Avenue, Caversham, to reach there not later than Wednesday. The writer wants a report from every company anil team in Otago in this column before the end of the session. If you are holding an inspection let other officers and boys know about it through the column. 16th DUNEDIN. There was no company parade last Thursday, but the Life Boy team met at 6.15. The numbers are still rather low, but one recruit was welcomed. After the fall-in, devotions, and some games, the hoys started on handwork This consisted of the sorting and placing in albums of cigarette cards collected earlier in the year by boys of the company for distribution among th» hospitals. 7tli DUNEDIN. , The sixth annual inspection and display will he held in North-east Valley Town Hall on Saturday, at 7.45. Admission, 6d.