GIRL GUIDES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 12 November 1927, Page 18

GIRL GUIDES

NOTES BY “GIIIDER.”

The Ist Takapuna Company is one of the oldest established Guide Companies in New Zealand. On November 29 they celebrated their sixth birthday. With Guides, Brownies, Committee and friends, about a hundred were present at the function. The Dominion Commissioner, Mrs W. R. Wilson, was present, and spoke on several incidents of her recent trip to America. Lady Rhodes has accepted appointment of Canterbury Provincial president. Mrs Joseph Studholme is to become Provincial Commissioner for Canterbury on her return from England at the end of the year, in the place of the Hon. Mrs. Tahu Rhodes. The French Guides "are called “Eclaireuses” (which really means “light bringers, ’ ’ though it is also the feminine of “E'claireurs,” Scouts). All the older ones have not so far thought out a name for themselves, but are called Eelaiveuses Ainess, or Senior Guides.

Rangers are a fairly new development in French Guiding, and there is only one company at present in Paris, - it consists of about twenty girls and contains girls in every walk in life, and one married, woman. They do not have patrols, but the company is divided into two “equipes, ’’ or teams, which work alternately with the Captain and with the Lieutenant.

I started with the Lieutenant’s party who were going through the laws', each Ranger having been given a law and told to prepare a yarn for it. This evening the talk was on the third article of the French Guide law, which is slightly different from ours, “Une Eclaireuse este calme.” This, of course, means calm, but the word lias rather a broader meaning than it has with us, and implies serenity, steadfastness and courage. The people who compiled the French Guide laws think this law very necessary for French Guides, who being livlier and quickerwitted than their British sisters, are apt to get over-excited and to have violent ups and downs of mood. The Ranger gave a very good talk on this law, and it led to an interestdiscussion,. Is “calm” always a good thing. May it not be rather a difficult quality degenerating into callousness? VVe came to the conclusion that there are two kinds of calm —one which comes from indifference, and a shallow and superficial view of life—the other which comes from having fought and conquered, from having acquired selfmastery, and which means depth of soul and strength to help other people. We then rejoined the others, who had been doing practical work, learning to make a neat roll of-their blankets, and pack up their camp kit in a portable form. ('Bo it noted that all French Guides carry their kit on their backs, and despise trek carts or lorries.) 1 Conclusion of Mrs Mark Kerr’s interesting visit to the Paris Eclaireuses Ainees next week. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 1 In what year did the Girl Guide movement receive its Royal Charter from, H.M. the King? 2. What is a Royal Charter?

3. What tree is called “New Zealand honeysuckle,” although it does not reallv belong to the Honcvsuckle family??

4. What tree produces the hardest of our native woods?

5. What is the highest possible award for gallantry in the Guide Movement.

6. What is the address of the Girl Guide Headquarters in New Zealand? The answers to last week’s questions are as follows: — 1. The Court of Honour is a valuableaid to developing character. Through this court the captain delegates to the leaders real power and a free hand to carry out the training of the patrol. It considers rewards, programmes of work, hikes, camps and also at this court the leaders voice the opinions of the patrols. The members of the Court of Honour are pledged to secrecy; only those decisions which affect the whole company being made public. The Court of Honour also decided punishments but in a good company it is very rare that it would have to meet in a judicial capacity such as that. 2. The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (otherwise known as the Knights of Rhodes and as the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta), were one of the old military-religious orders of Knights, and were founded in Jerusalem during the First Crusade some eight hundred years ago. They were at the outset mainly a nursing brotherhood, and although their military importance increased this element never disappeared. They were largely occupied with the building, furnishing and improving of hospitals, and at one time were, called “Knights Hospitallers.” For some two centuries their headquarters was in the Island of Rhodes, until they -were expelled in 1522. Subsequently they went to Malta, where they withstood a very famous siege in 1505 The St. John Ambulance Corps is an organisation which to-day takes its iamt* from the Knights of St. John.

3. There arc* many useful nieasurenoiits to aid you iu judging heights iiid distance. Yon should first of all know exactly what is the span of your hand, the breadth of your thumb and die length from your elbow to your wrist, and the length from one hand to flic other with your arms stretched out m either side; also the length of your feet. You should also know the distance you cover in vour pace, both slow walking and fast walking, and by this means you can calculate how many [taees go to so many yards. Judging the distance of a journey is generally estimated bv seeing how long you have been travelling, and at what rate; that is to say supposing you walk at the rate if four miles an hour, if you have been walking for an hour and a half you know that you have done about six miles.

.Sound traveils at the rate *of 3(55 vards in a second; that is as many cards as there are days in the year.

There are many other helpful measurements which you will learn when vou go to camp. You will also have practice in boxing the compass, measuring the height of trees and the distances •icross country. 4. Here are some of the weather signs which are looked for by Scouts and Guides: — Yellow sunset means wind, Bale yellow sunset means rain, I Clear distant view means rain coming I or just past, ! lied dawn means line weather, Hard edged clouds mean wind, Rolled or jagged clouds, strong wind; And of course you know the old rhyme— Red sky at night is shepherd’s delight ; Red sky in the morning is shepherd’s warning. And the sailor’s rhvnie— When the wind’s before the rain, So on you may make sail again; When the rain’s before the wind, Then your sheets and halyards mind. 5. The motto of tin* Scouts and Guides is “Be Prepared,’’ which means that jwe must be prepared to help our country, our fawn and our fellow citizens. I(Ve must in short make ourselves efifi-

e icy it' ami so be able to face all enier gem-ies.

(1. A hay-box is a useful article for both home and camp, and food cooked in this ingenious contrivance is nourishing and good. This is how you make the box, which you must first of all remember has to be absolutely airtight. Procure the size of wooden box you require, such as a sugar or soap box. Line it with several thicknesses of newspaper, both sides and bottom, then fill it with hay; pack this in tight and make a nest for your cooking pot. You will require plenty of hay below as well as round your pot. Now make a tight* !y, packed cushion of hay to fit snugly across the top, or have a thick pad of folded newspapers. When the food is in the cooking pot it lias been partly cooked and th e object of the hav-box is to finish the cooking while you go off and play or while you are asleep at night. Of course you must jam down vnur lid witli a weight on top to keep the food at the temperature it avas when you took it from the campfire. Oatmeal porridge should be filled five minutes before being placed in the havbox and should be left there all night. Meat should be left in the hay-box al least hours. Custards are dilicious cooked this way and stew a la hay-box is prime.