OUR MANHOOD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 281, 19 April 1913, Page 5

OUR MANHOOD

AX IMPRESSIVE SERMON. BISHOP JULIUS SPEAKS OUT. By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Xiglit. J At an impressive service at the Cathedral this afternoon the colors of the old Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry were J banded over by Colonel the Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes to the custody of the Ca- ' thedral. Bishop Julius, in accepting custody of [ the colors, delivered a sermon, in the course of which he said: ''We have 1 adopted a system of military training in this country, and I think it will be of infinite advantage to every one of us. The first purpose of this system is ob-iVi-ous enough.- The men of Xew Zealand are to be trained for the defence of ■ their country. Wars are always deplorable, costly, and generally futile, and 1 we may well pray that Hod will give, us

peace and save the nations from destructive warfare. The apparent causes of war have often been trivial enough. In former days (hey were dynastic, in later days commercial, and of the two , these are, perhaps, the more sordid. But the real causes of war lie deeper, They are buried in the character of a race, and are perhaps inevitable. We mav pray for peace and restrain our warlike ardor, but we can scarcely hope to avert war. It is necessary, therefore, to be prepared; and that is the first ground for military training. But there is another which, although secondary, is, perhaps, of primary advantage to the country. I mean discipline and the training of our manhood. I believe that for certain purposes there is no greater and no better school in the world in the life of a young country like this. There is an absolute necessity for such training. First of all we dwell in. cities. Large numbers of young men are engaged in sedentary occupations, and lose no little of their physical manhood. The growing physical weakness of our race in the Old Country appears to be due to this and other causes, such as poverty. In the next place it is a soft age. Men do not cultivate hardness. They prefer seats with cushions, and to ride rather than to walk. Thirdly, it is an undisciplined age. There is no discipline in the home, | very little out of it, and self-discipline I is not reckoned as a necessary element ito the development of a man. Lastly, l and you will not mind my saying it, Ave | want training in manners. There are many of the manhood of Xew Zealand who think it is a right thing to push their own way, no matter who is pushed into the gutter, and assert theij independence by discourtesy and rudeness. They do not realise that a man shows his own self-respect most certainly when, lie learns to respect other men, and gives to them that courtesy and civility which he rightly believes are due to himself. Xow, I believe that good 'military training is qualified to meet just such needs as these. The system is not a class movement. The whole country | is brought under it, and that is as it • ought to be. Every man has to serve , his time. It also provides a school for , the training of body and mind. The ■ time will cbme. and it will not be long J in coming, when men will cease to com- , plain about the quality of their food or ' about anything else. They will under- ] stand that it is possible for a man to , lie on a plank and sleep on it. and to • sleep in wet clothes and enjoy them. It takes a man a while to discover that he , is a riiuch greater man than lie thinks ; himself, and that lie is much stronger < because he can taste a little hardship j without whining about it. The system < will teach men obedience. It is a good , thing for any man to obey and to enjoy 1 the luxury of doing what he is told ill- . stead of what he likes. Lastly, it \ teaches men comradeship. They come f out of an isolated life into the compan- j ionship of men of all classes and all , kinds, actively employed, and that, too, is good for manhood. lam looking forward to the time when military training ' in this country, so far from stirring ns \ to strife and war, will make our men resolute, strong and hard, and will raise up a manhood amongst us that will be | greater than the manhood of the past, t and Tam sure, if by such means we can ( train our men, they will be better men ' in every respect, and better men in the | service of their Cod, their King and £ their country." j