ADVICE TO THE YOUNG.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 18 March 1927, Page 10

ADVICE TO THE YOUNG.

A PRACTICAL BISHOP. TALES TO BOYS AND GIRLS. HUMOUR AND GOOD COUNSEL. By his talks to the boys of King’s College and the girls of the Diocesan High School at Auckland, the Bishop of London showed his power to captivate young hearers no less than grown-up folk. Both addresses were full of simple wisdom, expressed in the language of every-day life. That at King’s College was delivered in the chapel and fitted its surroundings, but the other was a happy mixture of counsel and real humour. The bishop was greatly impressed with the beauty of the King’s College chapel, which indeed made a striking sight with its rows of young faces in the long stalls, everyone intent upon the spare man in his purple cassock who spoke in such an intimate and friendly way. “I have been in many school chapels in the course of this tour,” said Dr Ingram, “but I have seen none more beautiful than this. You ought to he proud of it, and proud of the devotion of the old boys who made it possible.” Future of King’s College. He had a vision of the school’s future, said the bishop. He had visited every great public school m England once or twice, and lie knew how great men in all walks of life looked hack to their public school days as the most wonderful lime of their lives. “If you will pull together,” lie said, “you can he one of the greatest public uehofilS ill the world. It may he a great force in the British Empire and in the new nation that is coming to birth here. Perhaps sitting in this chapel there may be future Prime Ministers, members of parliament, leaders in local government, and men who, although they take no part m public life, will do fine work on farms and stations.”

Telling the hoys that the country was looking to them, the bishop gave them five secrets of personal influence in the world; to be absolutely trustworthy, to have a genuine purpose in life beyond the earning of one’s daily bread, to have no personal conceit, vanity or “side;” to have a real and genuine religion, and, lastly, to have a sense of humour. A Sense of Humour. No man whose aim was selfinterest was ever really trusted. If it Itlitn hud some aim ill life beyond liis own everyday nialmnl iw c(ls ' Ilf filwl fi chance of lllfl world better than he had found it. Vanity robbed a man of his influence for good. After all, a man was only one out of 1500 million human beings, so what cause had he . for pride? Christ had emptied Himself of His glory and had taken upon Him the form of a servant. No one who said openly, “I ain an atheist ” was trusted, for man was a religious animal. He was also a social animal and therefore he was born for the Church. The boys, by mustering every day in chapel, were only fulfilling their human nature. As for the sense of humour, he had known perfectly honest, humble, religious people who had no influence because they lacked this quality. People without humour made mountains out of molehills, and “got the hump” about little fancied slights. Everyone should try to pass off little things, and not take himself too seriously.

“I hope that this school and chapel will turn out some of the finest parish priests in New Zealand,” said Dr Ingram. “They are wanted. They will not make so much money as if they were wealthy farmers, but they will have a very happy life.” Girls and Cocktails. At the Diocesan High School the bishoD devoted most of his address to telling the girls how they miaht keep themselves young all their life through. “First, be careful what you eat and drink,” he said, “and whether you smoke or not. Take regular exorcist every day as long as" you live. I say this because the body is very important. Ido not know whether any of you read the Daily Mail but it printed something I said to girls at Acton, under the heading ‘Bishop and Cocktails.’ What I said was ‘lf a young man invites you out and offers you a cocktail before dinner, never go out with him again.’ “There is nothing worse _ than cocktails before meals. It ruins a girl’s constitution. I could not play the Prince of Wales or the Duke of York at squash racquets on level terms if I were a drinker. I hate to see a girl with cigarette in her mouth —but, then, I’m pre-Victor-ian.”

Girls should keep their minds active. A woman ought to he a companion for her husband in thought. I-lis own mother, who had died two years before, aged 90, had been as keen and active in mind as a girl to the very end. They should keep their hearts younc and their sympathies quick and living all through life. Learning was useless without human sympnthv, and people who lost track with life grew old at 40. So did people who stayed satisfied with themselves, and forgot that they had poorer brothers and sisters. that they were a minority holding many' things in trust for others.

“Lastly,” said Dr Ingram, “keep your young souls in touch with the living God. Be regular in your prayers, for God is always young. He can pour life into you. You know the old saying ‘Whom the gods love die young.’ That does not mean they die early; it means that when they die, at whatever age, they are young.”