THE BOYS' BRIGADE. Interesting Story of a Bene ficial Movement.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 205, 28 May 1887, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE BOYS' BRIGADE. Interesting Story of a Bene ficial Movement.

Tups, movement, which has lately been in- ' troduced mto Auckland, is exciting some interest amongst those who have the welfare of our lads at heart, and it seems likely to become as useful and successful an organisation here as it i& at present in the Old Country. The following story of the origin and aim of the Brigade, by Mr William A. Smith, the founder of the movement, is well worth ' transcribing :—: — The scheme originated in October, 18S3, in the Woodside Mission Sunday-school, Glasgow, which forms pa.it of a very fully organised mission conducted by the Free College Church. On the roll are from 700 to 800 scholars, the number of boy& aud girls being nearly I equal. One branch of the mission work is an admirable yovmg men's club and in&ti- ; tute, with a fellowship meeting on Sunday, a debating society on, a week night, a capital library, and comfortable reading and recreation rooms open every night in the week. All these advantages are open to any young man on attaining the age of 17, and yet the fact remained that out of this great school of nearly 400 boys hardly any of them ever got the length of the senior organisation, which was almost entirely recruited fvom outside, and not from the school as it ought to have been. We could not help feeling that there was something wrong here. We were face to face with a twofold dilliculty. Nob only did we fail in the great majority of cases to keep the boys in the school until they reached the age of 17, but even those we did keep were not turning out the sort of young men that one would have desired to see-. And so the idea of the Boys' Brigade was conceived and wrought out with a view to overcome both these difficulties, and the* experience of Ihi'ee years has shown that,, wisely conducted, it is capable of fulfilling the most sanguine anticipations that had beon formed concerning it. It is noo only retaining the boys in the Sundayschool, but while doing so, it is being made the means, in God's hands, of moulding their lives and characters for Christ, and encouraging them in every way to take their stand on His side, as the best and noblest thing a boy can do. In proceeding to work out the idea of the Biigade avc came to the conclusion that nothing could be so attractive to a boy as some organisation of a military nature. Boys are inherently fond of soldiering and drill, and we decided to take hold of this fact, and use it for Christ. We often hear the complaint that so few boys are Christians. Is it not passible that, in Christian work among boys, we have gone too much on the lines of seeking to commend Christianity to them by showing the boy the same side of it as would commend it to the gentler nature of the girl ? Christ is the Christ for men and women, for boys and girls, but the aspect of Christ which naturally appeals to a boy's nature is that of His manliness : that of the stainless leader, " without fear and without reproach ;" the leader who commands his reverence and who- constrains him to aim at being woithy to follow in His train." We laid the foundation of the Brigade on this idea. We determined to try and win the boys for Christ by presenting to them that view of Christianity to which we knew their natures would most readily respond, being fully conscious how much more there was to show them after they had been won. And so was formed the original company. Our aim was to create in the company an esprit de corps or sentiment which would make the boys proud of their company, jealous of its honour, ashamed to do anything that would disgrace it,and prepared to make any sacrifice rather than be dismissed from it. How heartily the boys took up the work, and how earnestly they entered into, it, may best be shown by the fact that there are to-day boys in this company who have been members for three years, and during that timo havo never [ been one minute late tW drill, nor even onc# missed the company Bible-class on Sunday morning. > It musl not bo supposed that the Boys' Brigade is intended, in any sense, to take, the placo of tho- Sun-day-school. On the contrary, the Brigade should be looked upon as a valuable auxiliary to the ordinary machinery of a Sunday-school, and it has beon clearly shown that the, effect of overy well-con-ducted company is to immensely increase the discipline and efficiency of the boys' depa.vbm.ent of thesohool, while one of the

most pleasing features connected with the> work is the greatly increased attendance of ' boys in the schools where it has been intro, duced. The good effect tho-i-raining and teaching of the Brigade had onrMr Smith's boys was so obvious that several other companies of the same sort vr-ere soon instituted, and a Brigade Council 1 wa& formed. They adopted the present- constitution in September, 1885, the following being two of the articles : — 11. The object of -'the 'Brigade shall be the advancement of 'Christ's. Kingdom among boy 3, and the promotion of habits of reverence, discipline; self-respect, and all that tends towards true- Christian manliness. 111. Military •organisation and drill shall be used as a means of securing the interest of the Boys, banding them together in the work of the Brigade, and promoting among them such habits as the Brigade is designed to form. Stiict discipline and ebedience shall bo enforced by all officers. The progress ot the movement was remarkable, and it soon extended from its birthplace to the leading cities of Oreafc Britain. In October, 1885, there were onlyseven companies on the 1 roll, with a strength of 19 oflicers, and 241 non-commissioned officers and boys. In October, 1886, the companies had increased to<7l, with a strength I of 3,500 boys and over 200 officers, 90 per cent, of whom were serving or had served in | Her Majesty's force. Commenting on the ! growth of the Brigade, a leading Glasgowpaper says :— " It may perhaps be the destiny of this new institution to supply a claimant want of our age by helping to restore that habit of obedience on the part of the young which has in recent years been so sadly on the decline, to the deterioration in so many ways of domestic and social life, and which, unless it be checked, portends dire evil to the- State. No other i scheme described in our columns has brought us, so large a, number of eager inquiries from all parts of the JSmphe and our readers would notice that some of these have been already followed up by the institution of new companies of the Brigade in England as well as Scotland, and in con , ncction with various branches of the Chris' tian Church — Established, as well as Dissenting, Episcopal and Congregational as well iv-i Presbyterian. The union of fervour and business ability in the founder and other early friends of the movement must have struck all who are any way cognizant of their work. They arc probably much surprised at the rapidity of its progress, and the extent which it has already attained. The way in which the thing advances has been altogether unforced. It is a spontaneous and perfectly natural growth. We believe that ere long it will reach the dimensions of a national organisation, meeting one of the most widely felt want 3 of our time. " The testimony of Sunday -schooLsuperintendents, parents, the pulpit, and tlio pi ess all tend to show that this scheme is capable of yielding the moat beneficent results among boys. Not only does it seem admirably adapted to -upply in the best way, the physical exeiuise which a boy enjoys, and ninst have in some shape : but by promoti re, habits ot reverence, obedience, and self- respect it should do much towards making our boys useful, manly Christians and good citizens. In these clays, when the increase of larrikinisin is troubling the mind of the community, a movement of uiis sort, which appears calculated in a gieat measure to re\erb the danger, is of die deepest interest to the public, and mo-fc deserving of their consideration and .sapport. Surely there can be found among the members of our civilian army many who, while serving the best interests of theii? country under the banner of '* Defence, njfr Defiance," are also willing to work for higher interests, and take part in this great Movement for the welfare of boys.