DEVELOPING CITIZENS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17100, 4 March 1919, Page 8

DEVELOPING CITIZENS.

LESSONS OF THE WAR,

SPEECH BY SIR J. ALLEN.

WOMEN'S WORK PRAISED. Speaking at the reception given by the Women's National Reserve to the mothers of soldiers and sailors in Wellington last week, the Acting-Prime Minister, Sir James Allen, said he hoped'that the Leaguo of Nations would be) such a leaguo as would make the horror of the i past four and a-half years impossible of ■ repetition. Ho did not think that the nations would agree to disarm, and folt that if our. own country should ever be called upon to defend itself it should be in a position to do it. He realised that wo would never be found lacking in courage, but wo might bo found unprepared. Sir James Allen referred to the large ; number of men found to be physically J unfit, and urged the necessity for remedying such a state of affairs. Everything 1 possible should be done to make men physically fit, not that thoy might take | up arms, but that they might be efficient lin civilian life. He felt that during I the war this country showed something } more than loyalty. When, called to make enormous sacrifices the spirit shown by the people bad been one of faifch in their country., in themselves, and in the race. When it was deemed necessary to "bring forward a scheme for compulsory military service, no country accepted the ' Act more readily than New Zealand, which ' showed not only confidence in Ihe Act, but also in the machinery used to carry it lout. He believed that the military serI vice boards had tho confidence of the public 1 generally. He would quote what fcwo of ■ tho oha'irmen of these boards had said . when asked whs,t lesson they carried with them from their work. One said that the I bravest souls who faced the board had 'been women. , They had surrendered brothers, husbands, and sons because they felt that nothing must interfere with their duty to their country. The other said thai the members of the board would never forget thfl glorious spirit of women who had bravely withdrawn their applications rather than jeopardise their country in her hour of peril. Sir James added that while this spirit lasted we .peed have no fear for the we 1 fare of our country. Tho speaker touched shortly upon afterwar problems of reconstruction, and upon the levelling effect of the war in so far as that men who had fought and suffered .together had a spirit of comradeship, brotherhood, self-sacrifice, and friendship that nothing could kill. General Russell .had said: "We must keep alive the spirit of each for all." In this he Telt that no ' influence was so potent as women's influence, and he would ask them to use that influence towards making what we all .desired, a healthier, brighter, ard more intelligent people The Defence Department thoroughly appreciated all that the j women had done to help the soldiers. He , felt that they had worked very hard and i was sure that in hard work had been tho ' anodyne for their suffering. He felt that the women had done much to place the. Empire where it was to-day. The Hon. G. W. Russell said that he not orjy wanted to see stalwart and fit young men, but young women also. In order to have a healthy race of men' and (women we must, he said, start with the cradle and ley a sound foundation. Dur- , ing the period remaining to him as Minister for Public Health he was going to do all he could to make such a principle : sound and'sure. He pointed out that much was done by supporting the Plunkct i Society, and also by St. Helens Hospitals. j But more must be done by education, and I the country must make up its mind to ' spend' the money necessary. Ho wag- of opinion that the Agricultural Department received much more money than that of Public Health—indeed, the country only "spent; on public health, one-tenth part of what it spent on cattle." He was very proud of the part played by the women of this country during the war. He instanced a girl who had come to him regarding a passage to England to marry her sweetheart, who had lost both legs. He was glad to be able to tell her that the Government would help her out of patriotic funds raised by the people of this country. Ho thought such devotion very fine.