1931 - Annual Convention

              62 A L B E R T A W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T ES
We must recognize that the mere creation of the League of Nations, w i th
all its wonderful machinery, did not rid the world of all the difficulties of
international co- operation.
P o s s i b l y one of the keenest disappointments of the Assembly was the
slow progress made in formulating a programme of general reduction and
l i m i t a t i o n of land armaments; however, one important move forward encour­ages
our expectations; arrangements were made for a special Disarmament
Conference, the date of which has been fixed for February, 1932. F r o m this
gathering of wise men of h i g h purpose a n d firm heart, devoted to the abolition
of war, we may reasonably and confidently expect a formidable programme of
disarmament. The naval treaty is a great and essential p r e l i m i n a r y to the
w o r k of permanent peace, but until a l i m i t has been placed on the land and
air forces of the world, we can not hope to put an end to the r e c u r r i n g threat
of war. This w i l l be no easy task; in fact it may require a period of years
before the necessary re- adjustments can be made, but eventually it w i l l come.
Our f a i t h is great i n the final v i c t o r y of justice.
The head of our Canadian delegation, the Rt. Hon. Robert L. Borden,
made a great impression when he spoke before the assembly. In spite of the
supposition that the majority of you have read his speech in full I venture to
quote a paragraph:
" Today, in the clean and wholesome atmosphere of good- will, under­standing
and co- operation, I am inspired to see this Assembly of the nations
i n full and intimate conference, consecrated to the cause of peaceful arbitra-tment
a n d the enthronement of public r i g h t ' between the nations. I should be
the last to minimize the wonderful concrete results that have been accom­plished
during the first ten years of the League. To abate the threat of war
on more than one occasion, to induce whole- hearted co- operation, to create
great organizations for curing the ills of mankind, to a i d the helpless, to
strengthen the weak, to raise the fallen; all these and many other achieve­ments
are indeed memorable and the world owes its beatitude. But in my
conception the highest service of the League to humanity lies in the constant
association and co- operation, in the resultant education and t r a i n i n g of the
nations. They are here in the kindergarten of peace and already they have
learned many a useful lesson.
" Yet, while there has been this splendid moral renunciation, armaments
continue to oppress the nations. It would be monstrous to believe that they
are a preparation for war that has been renounced. I realize the difficulties
and complexities of the problem of practical disarmament and the earnestness
of the effort for its solution. Let us not forget that vast armaments are not
o n l y oppressive, but dangerous. Today the w o r l d is expectant. War has been
renounced. Why has there not been a like renunciation of armaments? This
is the hardest lesson of a l l.
" Let our f a i t h have vision to l o o k beyond, to behold the day when war
shall be outside the pale of thought or imagination, when it shall be cast forth
forever into the outer darkness of things accursed, its prow seared with the
b r a n d of eternal infamy."
Now, what of the practical side, the part which requires, even demands,
the support and the assistance of every woman in this organization, i n Canada,
in the world. Years ago Carrie Chapman Catt declared: " If women a l l over
the world would stand shoulder to shoulder, no power on earth could make
war possible." Naturally, we can not all be great leaders, as C a r r i e Chapman
Catt or Jane Addams of H u l l House fame, but we can be spreaders of the
gospel of world peace in our own little circle, " y o u in your small corner and
I in mine."