LESSONS OF THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19501, 3 December 1926, Page 15

LESSONS OF THE WAR.

SCHOOL CHILDREN'S ESSAYS. THE ANZAC BANNER CONTEST. SUCCESS OF BELMONT PUPILS. Hundreds of North Shore children greeted Their Excellencies the GovernorGeneral and Lady Alice Fergassoii yesterday, when the Anzac Banner for essays upon the late war was formally handed over to the Belmont School, which has won this year's competition for the trophy. Devonport, through which the ViceRegal party passed, took the opportunity of offering a civic welcome, in which the children of the Devonport and Stanley Bay Schools took part. His Excellency added to his popularity by securing for the children, liko those of Belmont,,, a holiday for the rest of the day. The Anzac Banner was presented to the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association five years ago by the Auckland Women's Patriotic Association as a trophy for an annual essay competition, the subject to be chosen jby the U.S.A.. This year the essays were upon tho deeds of the Now Zealand Division in tho final year of the war. Six suburban and three country schools sent in entries, and the competition was won by Belmont, which had held tho banner once before. Cornwall Park, last year's winner, was second.

Tho marks awarded by tho judges, Messrs. F, A. Clarke and James Norrie, were as follow:—Belmont, 508; Cornwall Park, 494; P.ipatoetoe, 477; Takapuna, 470: Richmond West, 427; Grins, 334; YVaitekauri (two essays only), 152; Kohimarama {two), 132; Glorit (ono), 65.

Twenty-five prizes, consisting ot volumes of tho New Zealand official war history, were presented yesterday by His Excellency to children vrlio had gained 75 per cent, of marks and over. On bphalf of tho U.S.A., His Excellency also presented each of the five leading schools with a complete set of the volumes for its library. Ceremony at tho School,

The Vice-Regal party was met at the school gate by tho committee, the older children forming a guard of honour. The school, building was then inspected, and the children in each classroom welcomed the Governor-General with a polite chorus of "Good morning. Your Excellency. ''

After a short interval tho whole school inarched to an open space near the flagstaff. Tho children's smartness on parade and tho excellent time they kept would have dono credit to a volunteer corps. The boys in white shirts and shorts,, tho girls in gymnasium suits, looked spick and span. After a verse of the National Anthem tho children sat down to hear tho speeches.

Tho chairman of the School Committee, M.r. E. Lilly, thanked His Excellency for coming to perform the ceremony, as ho had done at tho Cornwall Park School a year ago. Mr. Lilly 'recalled that on that occasion His Excellency had asked that the prize .essays, might be sent to him in order that ho might road them. Belmont was fortunate in having a headmaster, Mr. R. Harrison, and 'staff wlio lived for the school. Tho first assistant, Mr. T. N. Hewlett, had served in France vn 1918, the year about which tho children had written their essays, arid he bad gained the D.C.M. Mr. Lilly said h® was grateful to the Cornwall Park School for 'handing over the banner with very good grace and for congratulating Belmont upon winning it. Mr. S'. Austin Can-. president ot tho Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association, briefly related tho history of tho competition, tho results oil which, ho said, had been remarkable and n credit to the schools and to primary education in New Zealand. The R.S A., in establishing it, had considered that to impress on the rising generation the work accomplished by the Now Zealand troops in the late war would bo of real benefit. Tho association only rofjrotted that half tho schools in the country had not entered. He thanked tint Gov* ernof-General for his practical interest in the competition in two successive ycats. JPraise by Judges,

The judges' report, rend by Mr. Morris, stated:—" Most of the essayists haw displayed a very clear understanding of the nature of tho tasks imposed upon the New Zealand Division in tho period under review, and they have stated th® facts in their true perspective and in a manner which indicated that they have some appreciation of the general course of the. final campaign, 'as well ais of the Now Zealand Division's engagements,; Wo congratulate the essayists upon the high quality of their achievement, the* excellent mariner in which they marshalled their fact!! and the clear and concise way in which they reviewed the operations." His Excellency congratulated the Returned Soldiers' Association, as he had a year earlier, upon the splendid idea of establishing the competition. "We older people, who look back to this terrible war and to what our soldiers did," lie continued, " are grateful to the Returned Soldiers' Association for doing something to build up m these boys and girls an appreciation of what their fathers did, and of their courage, determination and every other good quality." He was pleased! at tho way in which tho scheme had been taken op, and wished that all schools would join in it, because it was foir the good of the Empire at large. Liberty and Justice,

: Addressing the children, Sir Charles told them to think of the soldiers about whom they read, and not to regard the ! war' as just a piece of history. -H'ffl urged them to emulate in everyday life as tliey grew up the bravery, determination, > loyalty, cheerfulness and self-sacrifice of the men and women who served in the war.. , " The Union Jack is the flag of y°' :r country," he concluded. "It represents all that is noblest and best on the earth. It ha si always meant .liberty end justice to those who live under it. What makes a country great is not its P®P U '^ 10 "' . wealth, or what it produces, but thei greatness of its people as shown vai *h - - a/rtvr Keep its honour; that « t.ne lesson of the banner that your school lias " h£ Excellency thee pnwnted the prta to the children who had « different schools to receive them. It was Sii'M w* ESrt SMv" -JS ,r p-irh of which o»d won a prize, "fh. following, is a tot of "5: CMkbnm,"VS,Jss A.r, MacS'MmoTw ; P S«nk '<3«.^ta«g ; 8; Molley Jackson, Takapnna, 87, <J. A. brifhton, Papatoetoe, Bo; Molly Hamhll, r- *' Park 83- Bottv Smith, Belmont, 80; M. Kendall, Wpatwtoe, 80 ; Ella McCallam, Papatoetoe, 80; Trimble, Papatoetoe,,Bo; Takapuna, 80; Jane Road, T«»dj>u. a, 80, Bestie Lyoes, Takapuna, 78; O. Papatoetoe, 77; Audrey Parker Wiutakaun. 77; H Foreman, BelmooL 7S;j J. Bart rum, Belmont, 75; Truda Richards, Papatoetoe, 75; Arthur- Hyson, Takapuna, 75; Mavis Sodga, Wane.»auri, .5; B. Duriford, Richmond West, 75; it. Plow, man, Richmond West, 73.