1931 - Annual Convention

              52 A L B E R T A W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T ES
I would be glad if our Institutes made greater use of the " Playlets and
Pageants," as 1 believe there are tremendous possibilities in this field for
reaching the parent through the child. More and more our people are realiz­i
n g the value of the folk dances, drama, music and literature as a means of
b r i n g i n g together the various racial groups in our communities, as evidenced
by the Handicraft Festivals staged last year by the C. P. R., and which have
proved invaluable in b r i n g i n g to the fore some of the r i c h f o l k - l o r e of the
countries from which these people came, as well as discovering much latent
talent among our new Canadians, thereby creating interest in r e v i v i n g many
old time customs, and helping to create a better understanding between old
and new Canadians alike.
The five year community progress contests, inaugurated by Dr. J. W .
B l a c k , and put into effect during the past year, are confined to the European
communities in the three P r a i r i e Provinces. Some forty communities were
i n the contests, thirteen of them being in A l b e r t a . Dr. W a l l a c e . President of
the University, Mrs. Gunn and Dr. F a i r f i e l d , toured the districts which they
selected from the thirteen to visit. This committee investigated every possible
feature of the community life, going into the farm homes, seeing the home
conditions, visited schools, etc. Gatherings were held for them in every com­munity,
where folk songs were given, displays put on and characteristic enter­tainments
provided, together with some remarkable displays of art and handi­craft.
In no single case did they find any school in which E n g l i s h was not
spoken excellently. Where C a n a d i a n i z i n g influences have been at work for
some time past, excellent results are b e i n g obtained.
Mr, H a r o l d R i l e y of C a l g a r y is m a k i n g a great c o n t r i b u t i o n to the preser­vation
of the early history of our province and pioneers, and his i l l u s t r a t ed
lecture is be. ng given to the school children of Calgary through the courtesy
of the Calgary H e r a l d and School Board. I wish this lecture could be given
in every school in our province, so that the names of these early pioneers
could be graven on the heart of every boy and girl in A l b e r t a , and their
memory kept green.
The U k r a i n i a n Canadian Club in Calgary is doing splendid work to
assist new Canadians in becoming part of the life of the Dominion and to
encourage them to become acquainted with Canadian institutions, and to
contribute to the country their particular racial culture. This Club is meeting
w i t h the men's and women's Canadian Clubs to hear a lecture on British
Columbia.
Many other organizations are doing splendid work among our new Can­adians,
especially the foreign- born; E n g l i s h speaking classes are conducted
by volunteer business and professional women to help teach girls and women
of all nationalities who find it difficuit to acquire a knowledge of the E n g l i sh
language. The P r o v i n c i a l W . C . T . U . has a full time paid native worker among
the peoples. The I. O. D. E. arc offering scholarships and yet I feel l i k e exclaim­i
n g with the late Cecil Rhodes, " So much to do, so little done." A book
recently published, entitled " U k r a i n i a n Canadians," by Young, reveals the
need for a change of attitude to these people, if we would assist them to a
better understanding of ourselves.
As a point of contact with the foreign- born, p a r t i c u l a r l y in a country
su h as ours, the work of the W. I. is invaluable. Children make one of the
( ivt common meeting grounds with these people, and if through the W . I.
activates they are made to feel one of us. and less lonely in their new land,
there is a big step forward taken in their Canadianization. Canadianism is
a new world and its deepest content is yet to be attained.