CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12569, 2 August 1901, Page 7

CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Canterbury LC&Mreiis Aid Society was held in the. Cfty Council Chambers, last evening. Mr A, Rhodes (Mayor) presided,, and an attendance of about forty perrons, the- majority being ladies. The Chairman said that the Society had bscn doing good work during the year. It had suffered a loss in the death of its president, the? late- Mr W. Chrystall, and it was a loss which would be felt by kindred societies, in Christchurch, with which Mr ChrystaU had been connected. A letter- was read from Sister Frances tx-pressirig satisfaction with the work of the Society. She prayed that in the coming year ther* .-would, be a further increase m membership. '.;',' . , Bishop Julius, in an addres?, said teat most of the, children -qrith. whom tee bo-cie-ty had to dealwere'the children of perrons who were criminal, or -were unable to look after them, or were The children were liable to innerit their parents' characteristics. People, however, were 'too- ape to- take- it- for granted that. characteristics: were inherited. It was. a shame- to sav that children of criminals must also- be criminals. lb was a cruei thing that children should come into life with? the- handicap of'their .parents, faults. There- were children who toad- no choice. but to- grow up criminals. It was the business of a Christian, community to see that children were not handicapped in that manner. The present generation, as a ■whole, inherited social advantages, and those should be communicated to all members of society. They should endeavour j to bring children within proper environments: by education and similar means..! The Society was working-on thoroughly,) good and wholesome lines, ( and. was doing steady, honest work, whiph. deserved _ all praise. It was educating public opinion, and was raising up the children into good men and women. (Applause.) ;-. . Mr T. I). Ta-vlor moved that the annual report, which ks been published, should be adopted. It afforded excellent reading, he said, as every branch* of work taken, in hand was practical. Bs particularly referred to the housing oi the poor m the city. There was a field there for much " good work. A dismal, insanitary home must have its effect on the characters of *ihe inmates. It was true- that houses.mow foaing built in Christchurch were well provided in regard to baths-and so forth, 'but there were large number* of houses, particularly in the elder portions of Sydenham! and St Albans, which were defective. Only one authority could solve the ' problem properly. It was either the State or the municipality. Hei suggested that the Society should ap~ -. point -a. committee to ascertain ho:w,.many .j hoTJses' i'a' : Christchurch and the suburbs were really up to the proper standard in regard to sanitation.,. They would probacy find that the proportion was not mors ] than one-fifth. A number of .people were living in houses which were not, fit for human"habitation. If the Society went to Council with its evidence m that respect, the Council, no doubt, would erect some houses with proper conveniences. A 3 to/the cost, it was.mere hypocrisy to:say . that, the people could not afford to adopt some such scheme, considering the sums of money spent in gambling and drink. In conclusion, he said that every child should have a ■chance' to develop a full and. good manhood or /womanhood. The Society, m its; efforts, ' was bringing an excellent, wholesome influence to bear on .the whole j of "the community.' 5 . 1 .Canon Kudwles seconded the motron. He ! said- that the-report was of .an intensely j practical character, representing the intensely practical nature of the ' Society. .'■The motion was carried: .;.'; ', ' . Tie- following committee,was elected:.Sister .'Marion, Mwdames Wells, ■ Black, Bendeley, Henderson, Lees, Blake and Oatway, Misses Henderson, ■ Ross .and Gor-don>-Messrs H. G. Ell, M.H.R.,' J. A. Blamk> O'Bryen Hosre; the:/ Revs A. V G, Hciggins-anS I.' SargihsonS ' - ■ The Rev A. C. Hoggins gave an address <m the education of children, dealing with the present system of public instruction, and suggested amendments. Some of the reforms- asked for. he said, were embodied in two Bills which were before Parliament now. s Ths Rev W. Baumbsr said. that if a strong and righteous people was to be brought up, very careful attention would have to bs given to the training of the children. • Many children grew up with no idea of the"responsibility of life, and became a menace* to themselves wthesrs. There was nothing in the'colony'. •worth so much as the children. He hadfull sympathy with the Society, and heppd that it would continue to be successful. Mr O'Bryen Hoare addressed meeting in regard to the Industrial Schools Act. He said that the law'■should be amended so as to enable members of the Society to enter homes, which they, knew were undesirable. There were "many such homes, but they were not able, to enter them and touch the occupants in time, and they should .have more facilities in that direction. When a child became a.vagrant, and was naif-starved, and had been in .an undesirable home for some, months, it was almost too late to deal with it. If membars of the Society, when they -nere Mire that a homo was undesirable, could deliver the child at once, a great deal,of good would be done. ■> *.so l - A vote cf thanks was passed' -w the ■waters on the motion of "Mr R. M. Tt&ivg, and a similar compliment was paid ta the chairman.