YOUNG NEW ZEALAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13859, 23 March 1907, Page 5

YOUNG NEW ZEALAND

BY Harsy Humus

From time to time there have appeared in. some of the papers and magazines of Australasia sarcastic articles about the young moil o£ the colonies. Some of these articles are highly amusing. It we believe all wo read about iiim, the colonial youth ia far from being a model. But do ire believe it all? I should hope not. It is generally inero hearsay, mere idlo gossip. The harm done by _tbe idle babbling of gossips is well known to everyone, and the readiness with which people believe these talcs, no matter how unlikely they may seem, is incredible. We havo all seen scores of examples of this. Probably the intenions of the wrjters referred to are good, but in their attempts to become bcntfactom of the young they fail dismally. In different parts of New Zealand I have seen a good deal of the young men. and I think I am perfect?/ safe in saying that they are not. nearly so black as they are painted. They liave won for themselves a position of honour among the young men of the world'. Think of the yeoman -service rendered by the New Zealand contingents in the late South African war, where our troops proved themselves as b'rave and hardy as any others in the field. But for proof of the bravery of our young fellows we need not go so far afield. Look at the case of the brave young fellow who lost his life trying to rescue'a boy from Lake Waihola. Can you imagine anything braver than that? The plucky determination of the young here will long be remembered nmf landed by all. So much for the bravery of the] New Zealand youth. Then jook at nur universities. Th'cy are filled with as promising a lot of students as are those of any other young country. Look; too, at our athletic achievements. The memory of the glorious victories of t-iio famous "All Blacks," who carried everything before them on .the football fields of the Old Country, will never die. Cricket, too, has of late years been advancing by leaps and bounds, although it will be a long time ere we will be able to meet an Australian Eleven on anything like terms of equality. Then, again, who has not noticed and admired the good-heartedness of plenty of young fellows who, as tliev pass "a wheezing graphophotie- playing' at some street- corner, drop a coin into the box. It is hard to understand some people. How any person can find pleasure in the continual condemnation of our young men, I don't know. I sec nothing to be alarmed a-l in their behaviour, for is it not natural for young people to enjoy themselves. " Boys will be, linysis an old adage, and a true one. It is impossible to put an old head on young shoulders. Alt young fellows like to try things for themselves, and what can' be said against their so doing? Tis all very well to tell them not to do this, that', and tlio other filing, but in most eases the only result of the warning is to arouse their curiositv, and on the first opportunity the forbidden thing is done. Then it remains for their own common sense to discern between' the right and the wrong, which, believe me, they are perfectly capable of doing.