GUIDE NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 23782, 1 April 1939, Page 3

GUIDE NOTES

By BIG GUIDE Think fairly, build bravely, love widely, witness humbly—Toe H Creed. Every Guide must have been thrilled to read of the emergency - Scout rally last week. The Scouts certainly proved that they are capable of living up to their motto, “Be Prepared.” It was pleasing to see such an excellent attendance for the Guide swimming sports and all certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves. That events were run off with such precision showed that a great deal of thought and time had been given to the organizing of the evening and Guides offer Miss Bell their hearty congratulations and sincere thanks. Extracts c” Miss Kennedy’s talk at an annual meeting at Otimai will be of general interest: “We, as parents, Guiders and teach-

ers, are concerned about the sorry state of mankind —in spite of our boasted systems of ‘education as a preparation for life.’ Is there not, very obviously, a lack of balance in this civilization of ours? Is it perhaps that man’s educated intellect has outstripped his educated emotions? That he is almost clever enough to master his material environment and stupid enough to be mastered by his own fears and passions? Let me

again quote Professor Jacks on Scouting and Guiding: ‘What impresses me is the sanity of the whole thing.’ “The creators and leaders of the Scout and Guide movement are certainly among the pioneers of the new education in that they provide natural, wholesome activities for the satisfaction of youth’s instinctive desires and energies, for the emotional satisfaction which alone bring happiness.” A passage in “Challenge of Leisure’ seems to sum up the ideals of the new education: “To live creatively, to live adventurously, to live deeply and abundantly—that is what we are required to make possible for those we teach. And the first step is to live thus ourselves.” The creative life, not the imitative; the adventurous life rather than the merely safe life; the deeper life, not the superficial and trivial; the abundant life, so abundant that it gives of its riches in service to others. May I refer again to Lady Galway’s plea for Guiders, more girls to take up this work of service to the community, girls who are willing to put something into life as well as taking out. Why in New Zea-

land should our lack of leaders be greater in proportion than in England? Are we teachers and parents failing to inspire the girls with a sense of responsibility, a desire to give as freely as they have received? In Guiding one can live creatively, adventurously, deeply and abundantly. Guiding is a way of education and a way of life.