SOUND ADVICE.

Waipawa Mail, Volume LI, Issue 37, 11 December 1929, Page 3

SOUND ADVICE.

GOVERNOR TALKS TO GIRLS WHOLESOM E, WIK )LE-HEARTED WORKERS. “I want to *ay something which will he helpful to you after your school days are over,” said His Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson, in the course of an inspiring address to the pupils of Wellington Girls’ College. “The object of a school is to turn out old girls and old boys. It is not so much what you actually are while you arc here in school as what you are going to be aftterwards when you leave the school. The whole object, of a school is to train men and women who are going to be useful in the world and make something out of their lives.” Our live* were not given us to waste, to drift along and do nothing with, but to make something of. He recalled the words of Bishop Neligan. one time Bishop of Auckland, when he opened the Diocesan School for Girls : n that city. “What we want to-day is wholesome, whole-hearted workers with the love of God in their hearts and common-sense in their heads, who do understand and believe that service comes before self.” “Common-sense sounds a simple thing,” continued Sir Charles, “but it is common-sense which really makes a healthy tone in the school. A school where hoys or girls are ‘silly’ would be an impossible school; it could not be a great school.” THE KING’S RULES.

His Excellency then took several rules which he bad heard said were very popular with llis Majesty the King, and amplified them. The first was “Teach me to he obedient to the rules of the game.” That meant be straight; a person whom everybody could trust. The second was “Teach me not to cry for I lie moon, nor over spilt milk.” That could he explained by the words, “Look forward; don't look back. Look up, don’t look down. Be optimistic, hopeful, cheery; don’t grumble. Don’t he depressed because things have gone wrong. Don’t worry.” “That’s common-sense, isn’t it?” asked Sir Charles. Next came the rule, “Teach me neither to proffer nor to receive cheap praise.” “We all know the horrible kind of person who is always trying to ingratiate himself with

others,” said His Excellency. “In my youth we would have called il •sucking' up.’ (Laughter). The sort of person who likes to be flattered, and then purs to himself or herself. Horrible people. (Laughter). “Teach me to distinguish between sentiment and sentimentality, admiring the one and despising the other.” “Without high ideals and some sentiment I don’t think you can get on, hut ‘sentimentality’ means affectation, and that sort of thing which is only humbug—what my sisters in the old days would have called ‘ sloppiness.' That in a girl is a disgusting trait,” said the speaker. “I hope you haven’t got

“If I am called upon to sutler,” ran the next rule, “let me be like the well-bred beast, who does so in silence.” That meant don’t make a song about troubles; try and bear them ourselves. Don’t make other people unhappy. Lastly came the rule, “Teach me to win, but if I may not win, then teach me lo be a good loser.” The person who got beaten and got sulky was never happy himself: he made others unhappy and tool; all the fun out of life. All these, Sir Charles said, were good rules of common-sense as mentioned by Bishop Neligan, but the Bishop had also said, “With the love of God in their hearts.”

VALUE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH. “I don’t think it is my place to speak to you very much about that,” said Sir Charles, “but I am getting old now, and I look back on the old days, and I recognise that all the help and encouragement that I have had in life, and all the things that have helped me as far as I could to keep straight and to have ideals, were taught me by my father and mother. Then home influence consisted very largely in teaching children in matters of religious faith... .They recognised that they must have a sure foundation, and the only sure foundation is religions faith. If you don’t have that, then when you go out into 1 the world you will have nothing to fall hack upon. If you have il it will always he a comfort to you and a tremendous inspiration in your work. If you look on your work ns work given you by God as part of Ills work and His scheme, then you can go about your work with a very different feeling. It is common-sense if il is nothing else.” As regards the “ workers” mentioned by the Bishop, His Excellency urged the girls lo live unselfishly, doing something lor others, aiming when they went out into the world at trying to serve their King and God and doing everything to the-best of their ability. That was good citizenship and the only way of showing true loyalty. It was in that way that they could lmve a good influence on others. They must remember that there was influence for ill as well as good, and therefore he laid stress upon this ideal of service. What they were mattered more than what they were doing.