MORE SELF-RELIANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20426, 30 November 1929, Page 14

MORE SELF-RELIANCE.

NEW GENERATION'S NEED.

CONTROL OF INDEPENDENCE.

"SERVICE COMES BEFORE SELF."

A plea for the inculcation, in the younger generation of a greater, spirit of self-relianco was made by tho GovernorGeneral,, Sir Charles Fergusson, in the course of his address to the . Auckland Rotary Club yesterday. "Tliero are all sorts of things which rnako one a little anxious and disquieted about the future generation," Sir Charles said. "You know how a new spirit of independence and liberty has sprung up. There is a great danger of that degenerating into licence. They want a steady-' ing hand. The spirit of independence is splendid if it leads to self-reliance, which in the community is a thing that is tending to disappear." All people wero too much prone to oxpect that Ihings should bo done for thorn; tho spirit of the old pioneers was tending to dio out by l-eason of this pronencss to lean upon other people for support. That was a tendency in the young men which should be checked or dis cournged. The idea of duty was becoming a little blurred. Some peoplo were prono to try to find excuses for evading what was their plain duty; to leave to others the doing of what the country needed, and to follow their own inclinations in doing what thoy thought best for themselves. He did not think that he was altogether wrong in that view; anyhow,, there was a danger in that way.

Young people should be ftiught that it was their duty in life not to think so much of their own advancement except insofar as it was going to bo for .the benefit of the community. There were certain duties of citizenship, and young men should be brought up to recognise that service came before self. fliey should realise that life was given as a splendid anci glorious opportunity of rendering service to their fellow-creatures.