CHRISTIAN BASIS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26852, 17 August 1948, Page 4

CHRISTIAN BASIS.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF IDEAL HOME LIFE CONVINCING EXHIBITION Family life has long been recognised as being of paramount importance in the consolidation of the wider national life, and many, diverse facets of the home and family are vividly demonstrated in the Home and Family Week exhibition.

A clear conception of the place of the home in the community was given by the restrained and attractive stall of the Y.W.C.A., which likened the heme to the bottom rung of a ladder which led through the community life of the home, to the local and national groupings, and so to world brotherhood as the ideal. Because of the nature of its work in 65 countries the Y.W.C.A. has been able to carry the ideal of the Christian home to most parts of the world, and the exhibition as a whole stressed the importance of the churches and Christianity in maintaining a vigorous and happy family relationship. Physical welfare was illustrated in the Health Department’s display, which contrasted the ideal diet for an adult with the daily ration of that mythical person the ideal New Zealander. Too much meat dnd not enough milk, fruit and vegetables were the main points emphasised, but the apparent neglect of the value of unrefined flour was also shown. Child welfare was capably demonstrated in several stalls, among them being those of the Plunket Society, the free kindergartens with their constructive blocks and miniature bath, and the youth organisations, including the Boys’ Brigade, the Girls’ Life Brigade, and the youth work of Rotary. Severe simplicity marked the living room of an early pioneer, which was contrasted with a modern room furnished with a dining suite and armchairs, as well as an old family Bible. To complete the exhibition were two stalls, one of books dealing with problems of the home and family and the other showing the elements of Christian worship. The exhibition will be open until Friday, and special talks will be given each evening.