THEIR EXCELLENCIES AMONG THE CHILDREN

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3308, 31 March 1926, Page 10

THEIR EXCELLENCIES AMONG THE CHILDREN

Scholars Welcome Governor-General Soldiers Gather to Greet Jorps CommaH • Their Excellencies, Sir Charles and Lady Alice Fcrgusson, were fully occupied yesterday in a round of visits ,to the primary and secondary schools of Palmerston. Sir Charles was the guest of the Lunch Club and the R.S.A., and in the evening attended a dinner given in his honour by the Officers’ Club Their Excellencies will visit Flock House to-day. %

At 1 o’clock his Excellency was the truest of the Palmerston North Luncheon Club, where there was a gathering of over 100 members. Mr. C. T. Salmon, president of the Club, was in the chair, and in thanking his Excellency for the honour done to members by his presence, stated that New Zealand was proud of having a Governor bearing such an honoured name as did his Excellency—• a name which was associated, through Sir Charles’ father, with the early history of the Dominion (Applause). Further, they wore proud of having at the head of the administration, a man with such a splendid record of service to the Empire, ’’Just as you, sir,” he said, "have contributed to the welfare of the Empire, so we in New Zealand have done our little part for the welfare of the great family of nations of which we are so proud—the rations whose burdens we bear, in whose interests we fought, and whose brothers we are (Applause). It is by your continued and friendly interest in the people of New Zealand, by your interest in our problems, and not least, by your Interest in our sports, that you have earned, as did your illustrious predecessor. Lord Jellicde, the wjiole-hearted esteem of the people of this Dominion. We can only hope that your stay in New Zealand will be as pleasant to you, sir, as profitable to us. On behalf, therefore, o£ this Club of Palmerston North business and professional men, I offer you a hearty and sincere welcome to the town" (Applause). His Excellency Replies.

the Empire was a trust that had been handed down through the centuries to the people of to-day, or, put in a more materialistic way, it was a business which had come down from father to son. The problem to-day was now to make the best of this business, and that was the problem which every person throughout the Empire had to take up as a personal burden. Never in its history was the loyal determination of the individual and of the Dominions more necessary than it was to-day to make the Empire a success. They were, as he had told the children at the schools that day, like bees, each on of which had to bring his portion to the hive. If one failed, then something was missing. “Of course, I know,” said his Excellency. “that to a section of the community the Empire stands for something aggressive, for militarism, but for most of us. It stands for race and for something to love.” (Applause) . The Industrial Problem. At no time was it more necessary to work for the Empire than now, the Governor proceeded. The Empire was threatened, not with war as in the past, but with an industrial competition which was almost as dangerous, and it was only by building up in the minds of the young people of to-day a spirit of loyalty to the Empire that this competition could be met. It was only by facing the wol'ld together as a united people that the menace could be overcome, and this brought him to the question.—Are we worthy of the great trust that has been handed down,?”

“Mr. President and Gentlemen,” laid his Excellency, “I want to thank ?ou most sincerely for the invitation to be here to-day, and for the hospitality which you have shown me. And I want to thank you. Mr. President, most sincerely for your very kind • words. You know, gentlemen, that a chairman always I'eels it is his duty to expand on these occasions and say more than he really should (laughter). It is very kind and flattering to have all these things said of mie, but I cannot accept all of it, at its face value. I can, however, ac- • cept one thing he says, and that is that my life in New Zealand is full of interest People sometimes ask if we do not get tired of towns. I can say plainly that were it not for the interest that we feel in the Dominion, we would be reduced to the screaming point by them, but as it is, they have the greatest fascination, for both her Excellency and myself.” (Applause). \Mpre the people in New Zealand different, continued his Excellency, this would not perhaps be so, but when everywhere they went they met people with whom they were pleased to associate, and who did all in their power to make their tours pleasant, it was a different thing. The fact that both Lady Fergusson’s father and his own, had been in New Zealand no doubt helped in this.

Our Intense Loyalty. “It is difficult,” said his Excellency, ; "to always get time to put one’s i thought in shape and to find something new to talk about, but one can always come back to one fact which strikes one so pleasurably in travelling through New Zealand, and that is the intense loyalty which one everywhere sees manifested. To New Zealanders, this fact may' not be so evident as to an outsider like myself, but coming from Home, 1 do not mean to say that at Home there Is not the same loyalty, but that it is not there the fashion to speak of such things—coming from Home it is a pleasure to see in all grades of society the same loyalty to King and Empire, [t is a very fine thing .to see such a iplrit existing. After all, the Empire s a very fine thing. Imperfect as it s—as all human things must be imperfect—it is the finest force for the preservation of civilisation which exists in the world to-day (Applause). One can easily realise what it would mean for the world if it should fall. Personally, I cannot understand what is meant by saying that the Dominions have Interests apart from the Mother Country. If, for instance, the Dominions at Geneva took a certain stand and England took a different line, such action could only bring about chaos in the Empire. Imagine what would happen if England went to war and the Dominions failed to respond to her call —although I cannot imagine such a circumstance —but imagine what would happen if England were knocked out in such a war. What would be the position of the Dominions then?” A Trust Handed Down. After all, proceeded his Excellency,

“I think,” said Sir Charles, “that we can honestly say that we are. We have only to look round at the Dominions and see the splendid countries being built up by the work and the energy of the people, to feel that the Empire is not decadent. We can see that, but we have this question to put to ourselves. Are we becoming soft? Are we bringing up the young people in the traditions of their forefathers? Are we doing our best to instil in them the spirit which animated the pioneers?” The Spirit of the Pioneers. There were, he proceeded, three or four of these principles. In the first place, courage, grit, and determination, and a refusal to be awed by difficulties; secondly, a love of education: thirdly, the intense religious feeling of the early pioneers. They had been brought up in the belief that "righteousness was the beginning of wisdom.” Were we teaching this to our children? The fourth point was the intense loyalty of the pioneers. They came out under the Union Jack, and they never for one moment questioned their duty to maintain their loyalty to the flag and the Empire. On going round the schools, he could speak definitely of the .splendid work that was being done to keep up the feeling of loyalty amongst the younger generation. But it was necessary to watch this continuously. "As your beautiful town grows up,” said Sir Charles, “and industrialism increases, you must look to it that the old tradtions are not lost.” “It is not a question,” continued his Excelleny, “of singing ‘God Save the King.’ The loyalty that is necessary is that the citizens of the country should be filled with the spirit of service, that they should be animated by a sense of personal duty, and do their little bit towards the buildingup of the nation. That was the spirit of the forefathers of the people of this country. That* is why I appeal to you here, that you should give up a little of your time to every movement that has for its object the building-up of the character of the young people of New Zealand: in help to any organisation that helps to build up the youth of the country and make them the splendid men that their forefathers were before them. “You share the glories of the Empire, gentlemen, and you also share its responsibilities. The , greatest thing that we can do, is to hand direct to our children this glorii ous heritage, as unsullied as we received it from those who went before us. (Continued applause). Reminiscences. Mr. Jas. H. Stevens, in 8 speech . characterised by humour as much as , eloquence, recalled an occasion when in 1874 he had met his Excellency’s father at Scott’s ferry. “It was at the home of a worthy Scotch couple,” said Mr. Stevens, “that my brother, ’ and I, who were driving cattle, entered the kitchen, and there were introduced to his Excellency’s father, and Sir Harry, then Major Atkinson. The introduction was something in this , fashion; ‘Gentlemen,’ said the old

Scotsman, ‘this is Major Atkinson, the great Financial Minister, and this is Sir Jas. Fergusson, a fine hearty fellow.” (Laughter and applause). i Mr. Stevens spoke at length of the interest always taken by Sir Charles' father in the Maori people, and presented his Excellency with a copy of Haki Hongi’s '‘Vatic Mecam,” an exhaustive work on Maori customs. j His Excellency suitably replied, the function concluding with the singing of the National Anthem. Welcome at College Street. Upon arrival at College Street! i heir Excellencies wore greeted by Air E. V. West, chairman of the committee, and the headmaster (Mr W. A. Swinbournc), called upon Ron. Martin to tender the children’s greetings to their guest. Her Ladyship was presented with a bouquet by Betty Brownjohn. After Sir Charles and Lady Alice had shaken hands with the two juvenile representatives, the headmaster briefly welcomed the distinguished visitors on behalf of the children, teaching staff and committeemen, and stated that tiie visit was an appropriate one, for owing to the Dominion being so far from the Motherland, the children did not have the oportunily of seeing the King, and so it was a splendid thing for them to bo able to see, if not the King himself, then his representative.

The Governor-General thanked the children for the welcome and stated that, both he and her Excellency had been in the Dominion when they .wore about ten or twelve years old. At that time Palmerston North hardly existed and ' the children present were indeed lucky to find themselves in such a beautiful town and country and he hoped that they would appreciate the hard work of their parents and grand-parents in helping to build such a fine part of that greatest nation, the British Empire. He asked them to try to do something for their country as their forefathers had done of old, for loyalty meant more that singing the National Anthem, it meant doing some service to the country. “Every day we meet people who remember my father visiting their school and perhaps in fifty or sixty years, you will be able to say to the Governor-General then, that you remember my visit to your school,” concluded his Excellency. Before the headmaster called upon the children to give three cheers, they sang the “Blue Bells of Scotland,” and "Killarney.” “The House of Golden Windows.” The Hokowhitu children were assembled in front of the school and their Excellencies were welcomed by Mr W. S. Woodroofe, chairman of the committee. The headmaster (Mr G. K. Hamilton), called upon Ralph Holmes to welcome the visitors on behalf of the children and to present to the Governor-General a booklet written about Hokowhitu by a pupil of the school. Lady Fergusson was presented with a bouquet by Raymona Marnendez. Sir Charles told the children of a little story entitled ‘'.The House of the Golden Windows.” picturing two little children who lived in a beautiful valley. On the opposite side of the vale they could see a house that looked as though it had golden windows. One day the children decided to go and see the house, for they wanted very much to live there. After they had gone a long way and were very tired they at' last reached the house, only to find that it did not have any golden windows. Being so disappointed they sat down and cried. Then the lady of the house asked them what was the matter, when they told her, she made them turn round and there .they saw their own home with golden windows. The moral was that the children should not envy other places, for they, were very fortunate to be living in such a fine country as they had now. “Just try to be happy and contented, where you are and above all, be loyal ,to your King and country, and you will be in ‘The House with the Golden Windows,’ ” counselled his Excellency. The ceremony concluded by lan Hamilton calling for three cheers. The Parable of the Acorn.

At Terrace End, the party was received by Mr G. H. Stiles, chairman of the school committee, who introduced the headmaster (Mr F. Fairbrother). Wallace Robertson welcomed the visitors on behalf of the children, and Mabel Albrecht presented Lady Alice with a bouquet. "It is quite true that one of the things we like best is seeing the children as we go through New Zealand,” stated Sir Charles, in his address. He drew attention to the oak tree under which the children were standing, and pointed out that from a small beginning like an acorn, the mightiest tree of the Motherland was grown. The oiak was used for. the building of ships in the olden times for it was the hardest and most enduring of woods. “Big, strong oaks grow from the acorn. You are all acorns and I want you to be great big useful trees; that is, good citizens.” To be good citizens meant that they must be loyal to the King and to the country, they must be useful to, the country in which they lived, must bo determined to do something great for the British Empire, but above all, they must be fearless in what was right and wrong. The Boy Scouts and Girl Guides promised to do some good turn every day and whether the children were Scouts or Guides or not, they should make a point of doing something useful when they were young, so that when they grow older, they would he better fitted to try something great. Following the singing of the chorus of “The Land of Hope and Glory,” the ceremony closed by the headmaster calling for cheers. “Mosaic Emblem.” The assembly hall at Central was crowded and cheers greeted thenExcellencies as they appeared with the headmaster, Mr L. F. do Berry, who in the course of his introductory address, said that the school was not unmindful of the illustrious work done by His Excellency and'felt that he was eminently fitted as the representative of our gracious King. He then called upon lan Young to pro-

sent an address to His Excellency, and Phyllis Nicholls to present to Lady Fergusson, a bouquet. 1 The Governor-General expressed (ho hope that (lie chidren realised how lucky they were to Do in such a beautiful country, which had been built up by the hard work of their forefathers. He trusted that they

Lady Fergusson was then presented with a bouquet by Miss Murray, and tiie party left amid cheers called by the head prefect, Graham Crosslcy. Convent School Reception.

I would t ry to do some wonderful thing when they grow up, and endeavour to look at life as though a picture. .By this, ho meant that each one had a part to play in the making of the [British Empire. Each one had to bring a little stone to place in the picture to bo fitted in together to make one beautiful work. It did not matter hoy lowly the individual effort was: it all counted In the mosaic of Empire; "if you bring that stone you arc doing your duty, and if you don't then there will bo something missing from that picture of the British Empire,” concluded his Excellency. Following the singing of “The Empire Flag,’ ’and "Our Aim,” the visitors were conducted over the infant department, where examples of the children's work were displayed. The illuminated address, presented to his Excellency, was a beautiful piece of work by Mr H. F. Gabites, first assistant, and his son, and read as follows:—To General Sir Charles Fergusson, Bart, LL.D., G.C.M.G , K.C.8., D. 5.0., M.V.0., GovernorGeneral and Comrnander-in-Chief of the Dominion of New Zealand.—May it please your, Your Excellency; 3t is with the utmost pride that we, the pupils and the teachers of Central School, Palmerston North, to-day welcome Your Excellency and Lady Fergusson to our school. This is the first occasion upon which the representative of His Majesty the King has so honoured us; and this day will mark an epoch in the history of Central school. Proudly we declare our loyalty to our King and to those noble ideals upon which our Empire is founded; striving to emulate the fine example of devotion to duty and to Empire so worthily sot by Your Excellency. Wo trust that your stay in our country may be very happy and that Your Excellency and Lady Fergusson may long enjoy the love and cherish the memory of the school children of Now Zealand.” (Signed on behalf of the school.) lan Young, Phyllis Nicholls, Jean Rough, Phyllis McLean, prefects; L. F. de Berry, headmaster; H. J. Canton, chairman; Harold T. Peat, secretary. Schools’ Traditions. The first visit of the vice-Regal party in the afternoon was to the Palmerston North Girls’ High School. Here their Excellencies were received by Mr J. A. Nash, M.P., chairman of the Board, who introduced the lady principal, Miss C. B. Mills, In referring to the visitors Miss Mills stated that it was seldom the young people in New Zealand were privileged to see the representative of the King and this visit would be a very proud one for the school. She then called upon Hazel Rowlands to present Lady Fergusson with a bouquet.

Sir Charles, in addressing- the pupils, referred to his earlier visit to the Dominion, stating one thing he noticed was the effect echool tradition had on the lives of people. Some schools in the Motherland had been established for hundreds - of years and generation after generation had built up the tradition of,, its particular school. He realised that in New Zealand, schools were young, but they too, could have their traditions for by tradition he meant “tone,” and this could be given by the girls endeavouring to carry into the world some of the things they were taught and take a pride in doing something that would reflect credit on their old school. When they loft to go into the world, they carried the honour of the school on their shoulders, and they should look for something great, ai\d endeavour to play their part just as they had done in school, for no matter what task they set themselves, it they did it honestly, they would be helping not only the school, but the Empire. His Excellency narrated the story of the stonemason chipping the blocks of stone for the foundation of a catherdal and each one could not be done without, for it took everyone to keep the Empire in the lotition it now held. “If you do your work honestly and pioperly, you ore an Empire builder,” concluded the Governor-General. After the address, the pupils gave a display of gymnastics and physical drill. Honour of the School. Their Excellencies next visited the Boys’ High School, whore they were again received by Mr J. A. Nash, who introduced the rector, Mr J. Murray. The Rector referred to the honour that had accrued to the school by the cadets forming the Guard of Honour at the civic reception and the school had been further honoured by the visit of the distinguished guests who represented the King. The love of the Motherland was what the early settlers had brought with them to the Dominion in the early days and the boys of the present time were taught the same ideal. Mr Murray referred to the fact that the foundation of the school had been laid by an English gentleman, the late Mr John Edward Vernon, and he had set many very high ideals for the school and the boys did their utmost to follow his dictates. “We should have been very sorry to have departed from Palmerston North without seeing the high school which is so famous, and after inspecting the Guard of Honour yesterday, I am delighted to hear more about what has been done in its past,” stated His Excellency in reply. He pointed out that at Home there was what was called in the ranks "esprit do corps” which in scholastic language meant "The Honour of the School.” He drew attention to the fact that the boys were not present at school solely for the education of the mind, important as that might be, but mainly for the formation of character and* it was on this that the honour of tlie school depended. That bond of brotherhood, or sense of team work was what was wanted, and in after life it was not so much wha* to do for ourselves, but morn of what use we could bo to the future.

The visitors next called at the Convent School, where they wore greeted by the children singing "God [Save (ho King” followed by New Zealand’s National Anthem. The Gov-ernor-General and Lady Fergusson were welcomed by Father MacManus, [who expressed the parishioners' i gratitude for the honour placed on (the school. The children and pari cuts fully appreciated the interest | that their Excellencies had taken in [the children of New Zealand, and stated that the staff was giving the pupils the best education it could and trusted that the pupils would follow in the footstep# of their forefathers. He then called upon Cora Bartlclt to address their Excellencies, ana Marie Luoni to present Lady Alice with a bouquet. Sir Charles expressed his great ’pleasure at the magnificent buildings erected by the parish, and the ideal surroundings for the teaching of the young people. Ho asked the children to do their best in the work oi life, and if they did so honestly and cheerfully, they would find that their efforts, though they might seem small, would mean something to the Empire. The address presented was as follows: “May it please your Excellencies, wc, the pupils of the Convent Schools, desire to extend to you a most hearty welcome on the occasion of your first official visit. We have noted with pleasure the deep interest which your Excellency and Lady Fergusson have manifested in the schools and the children of this Dominion. We appreciate the kindly thought which prompted you to honour vis with this visit. We welcome you as (the representative in Now Zealand of His Majesty th e King, and as a most distinguished citizen of the Empire. Wc pray that God may bless your Excellency and Lady Fergusson wit* health and strength to fulfil your arduous duties aftd that, under your wise and prudent Governorship, New Zealand may grow in happiness, prosjierity and peace.” The vice-regal party departed amia cheers, called for by Father MacManus. The Zest of Happiness.

The last institution to be visited was the Technical school, when tnc pupils were assembled ouitside zo greet the party. The Governor-General and Lady Fergusson were Introduced by Mr. Nash, who s(tated that in the past few years the school had progressed to such an extent that tne Department proposed to make additions. They, as a school, appreciated wnat his Excellency had done for the Empire as a soldier in the Great War, when he led the men -n the arts 01 war. Now h e was a leader again, but this time in the arts of peace, stated ithe Director (Mr. G. G. Hancox), who also remarked that apparently the watchword of his Excellency was “service.” Her Excellency waa presented with a bouquet by Gwen Hancox.

In reply. Sir Charles stated tnat apparently th 0 children had already made u p their minds as to what mass of work they wished to take up in lire and specialised in subjects dealing with that profession. Things had become so advanced that there were far more itchnicalities than in olden days remarked his Excellency, for example the farmer, in the olden times, mereiy ploughed the ground, sowed the seco and reaped the harvest. Now he nao to be something of botanist, scientist, chemist, carpenter and engineer, if he was to make good. He advised the children to gain a general education. “Do not consider what you can do for yourself, but think of wnai you can do for others and you will find that thajt is the zest of happiness,” concluded Sir Charles. Cheers were called for by Mr. Nash, and lustily given. Entertained by the Soldiers. Their Excellencies terminated thenround of visits with afternoon .'tea at the Anzac Club as guests of the Keturned Soldiers’ Association. The President (Mr. B. J. Jacobs}, stated that when the previous Gov-ernor-General was welcomed, the "foot-sloggers” had to take second place to the Jack Tar, but on tnis occasion, it was pleasing to welcome one who was on the land, even ir a “mounted.” Mr. Jacobs briefly outlined the history of the Club’s building and expressed his, pleasure at Being able to welcome their Excellencies in “our own home.” He had been asked ,to request his Excellency to accept a small gift from Mr. J. H. Shelldrakc, whose father had been associated with his Excellency's parents in India, and while there, nad received great kindness. It was In appreciation of that kindness, if somewhat late, that th e donor wished to present a bronze medal struck in I*B4o to commemorate the peace treaty in India.

His Excellency, in accepting: tne gift, stated he was sure that the kindness done by his parents did not equal the value of the rare gift and he cordially thanked Mr. Shelldrake for the medal. He congratulated the Association on its fine building, saying that it was a magnificent testimony of th e public opinion for those who returned from the Great War. lie urged the Association and its members to make a special attempt to look after those who were unfortunate. Many had returned, from the war who were not receiving their proper pensions, not bccaus e the Government or Pensions Board would not give it to them, but because they cua not know how much they were entitled to or because the men did not know how to apply. The Association could do much to help those unfortunate ones and if it did that, it wouiu be doing something really wortt while. “It is a great thing to have a body of men to look after the intcrlesls of those unfortunates and suen a band is a credit and a help to any community,” concluded his Excellency. Three “Hearty Old New Zealand Cheers” were called by Mr. Jacons and responded to before the ceremony concluded.