GIRL GUIDES

Taranaki Daily News, 13 October 1934, Page 17 (Supplement)

GIRL GUIDES

LETTER FOR BROWNIES

HOW GRETCHEN JOINED UP. THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK.

(By

“Tenderfoot”)

The world is so full every' day of the year, There’s the beauty of flowers, the joy of them near, There are children and friends; there are trees, there are birds, And mountains and starlight and beautiful words. There’s a song and a poem, a picture or book, A laugh and a smile and a friend’s inglenook; There are wide open spaces and glorious heights, And puppies and kittens and tiny delights; There are travels afar, and comforts at home, And peace when you rest and joy when you roam. Dear Brownies,—lt is your turn this week, so I thought you would like the story of how Gretchen joined the Brownies. It was tretchen's birthday, but somehow she had looked forward so much to the day that when it had actually arrived it really wasn’t very different from any other day. Her family had given her presents and all were things she had wanted. Later some of her friends would come to tea, but now as she sat under the trees on the lawn in the warm sunshine she felt things were not just as she would have liked them. Suddenly she sat upright and gazed open-mouthed at the funniest wee brown person she had ever seen. “Don’t be afraid Gretchen; I am a Brownie, and because you are eight years old I have been told to come and ask if you would care to see my home,” said the wee brown figure. Gretchen, was too amazed to answer and the Brownie had to repeat her remark.

“Of course I’d like to come; please do take me. I’ve been wondering what I could do until tea time,” answered Gretchen when she found her tongue. Brownie took Gretchen’s hand and before they seemed to have been walking for a minute they were in front of a very wonderful castle, which sparkled and shone in the sunlight. There was a wide flight of ten steps up to the door, where stood two grown-ups, who didn’t look quite like the grown-ups that Gretchen knew.

“You see Gretchen there is writing on all these steps. I’ll tell you about that presently,” said Brownie, “but first come and be introduced to Brown Owl and Tawhy Owl.” Shyly Gretchen walked up the steps and was so surprised when Brown Owl and Tawny Owl shook hands with their left hands and gave her a wonderful smile. Brown Owl had a beautiful voice and she explained to Gretchen that the ten steps each represented one definite thing that little girls from eight years old had to do before they belong, to this castle. “Oh please can 'I do' the things, ’ and may I come and be here with you too?”; asked Gretchen. . - . .

“Of course, you ; may; we would love. to have you,” -answered Brown .Owl. “Now • let me show you some of our rooms,” Then Brown Owl and Brownie, whom Gretchen learned was really Sixer Anne of the Pixie Six, showed htr the Hall of Second Class Intelligence, of handcraft, of health, of service. Thenhow later 'one climbed -stairs 'into the First Class Hall,, there were' more rooms for the same things, only these were more beautiful. They ..let her peep into’ ever so many rooms, where Brownies were learning all sorts of interesting things. . ; ■;.■ ■ “Well,” said Brown Owl, “would you really like to join .us here? We all love it so, you know, and you may stay here until-you are eleven.” . Gretchen said she would go back and ask mother if she might, because it was all so glorious. And before she had time to say thank you to Anne there she was back again in her own garden under the trees and Anne ’ was riot ■ there.

Gretchen jumped up and rushed into the house, even forgetting to greet her aunt, who was talking to her mother. “Oh, mother, I’ve been to Brownieland and they want me to be a brownie, too. Could I please?” Mother and the aunt both smiled and mother said, “Do you. know we have just been talking about that. Aunt Elizabeth is interested in brownies and she thought you might like to join the brownie pack. The following Saturday afternoon saw a very bright smiling Gretchen hurry off to the meeting-place, where she was made very welcome by Sixer Anne and the rest of the brownies. INSPECTIONS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS. Brown Owls often feel that inspection each week in the Fairy Ring becomes very tedious, but they find that without any kind of inspection it is so difficult to maintain even a reasonable standard of neatness. Variety can be introduced by inspection in corners, inspection by sixers (more searching than any Brown Owl would dare to be) or inspection introduced as part of a game. For instance, Brown Owl promises to take the pack on a trip to Australia. Naturally passage money (subscriptions) is required before they can embark; then, if they want to go to a country where the sun and stars shine so brightly they must be shining too (clean badges and stars), and also they must be prepared to greet Australia’s peculiar little animal, the kangaroo, in the proper way. When a kangaroo says “How do you do?” he takes two little hops forward with his paws up to his chest, fingers pointing downwards, and the. polite thing 'to do is to copy him eactly,' and, of course, one would not like to do that unless one’s finger nails were perfectly clean. Finally, everyone gets out her (clean) handkerchief to wave to the watchers on the quay. The brownies who are able to fulfil all these requirements go in first-class cabins with Brown Owl (they join on behind her and run once round the room); the next time they pick up the end class people who failed in one thing, and so on till everyone is on board. The last brownies are sometimes taken steerage and sometimes they get left behind altogether. This game can be varied by. making railway stations round the room, with Brown Owl, Tawny Owl and Pack Leader as stationmasters as “Tidyville (Well-Tied-Tie) Town,” “Shing BadgePlace,” etc. Of course they never issue tickets at their station to anyone who might go away and not uphold the tradition of their home town. DISMISSAL RHYME. (Tune “Mulberry Bush.”) Brownies have their hats, coats, etc., in front of them in the Fairy Ring; We have tidied our brownie room, our brownie room, our brownie rom, We have tidied our brownie room, For we are the brownies. Now we say good-bye to Brown Owl, good-bye to Brown Owl, good-bye to Brown Owl, Now we say good-bye to Brown Owl, Anv. then get ready for home.