1928 - Annual Convention

              F O U R T E E N T H A N N U A L C O N V E N T I ON 47
Bazaars and Sales— Above a l l , mention the amount raised and how it is
to be expended.
Anniversaries— Programmes and the number of the anniversary.
Swimming Pools and Rinks— Cost, how money was raised, how they are
enjoyed, and pictures.
G i r l s ' Club Camps— Description of camps, preparations, location, division
of work and pictures.
Baby Clinics— Number of babies examined, names of doctors and nurses,
general description, any concrete cases of benefit. Pictures of any special
prize- winning babies or clinic in operation.
Resolutions— Report discussion concerning these.
School Fairs— Where held, cost, special prizes, general description,
pictures.
Playground Equipment— Descriptions of it, cost, and pictures of children
enjoying same.
R e l i e f Work— Story and picture of any child helped, cost of same, how
money was raised.
Local H i s t o r y — L o c a l history papers are always welcome and would be
t h r i c e welcome if pictures accompanied these. Most pioneers do not care to
part w i t h original pictures, but these can be copied for a dollar. I would
gladly get that done for any branch wishing it. The southern part of the
province has done nohly in this work, but the north and central has not
much to its credit. It is never too late to start. Again I make an appeal
f o r pictures of our various doings.
Special stories that came to me during the year have been: The Swimming
Pool at Pincher Creek; The Hospital at Waterhole, and The Famous Cana­dian
Women Contest at Hand Hills Constituency Conference. I am sure
that there are many others which I have never received, and in closing please
remember I am always on the hunt for special Women's Institute feature
stories.
AN EDITORIAL WRITTEN BY MR. JOHN WODELL OF T HE
A L B E R T A FARMER
One of the most potent influences for betterment among Canadian com­munities,
both urban and rural, is the Women's Institute organization. If
any belligerent masculine of the species wishes to dispute this statement I am
prepared to do battle for the women at any time. The woman who con­ceived
the idea of a Woman's Institute was a good friend of mine. Before
she succeeded in impressing her ideas upon the government of Ontario, we
had many long talks and conferences. In these I came to know what was
i n the back of Mrs. Hoodless' brain, as it were, and as a result I was an
enthusiastic advocate of her cause. Mrs. Hoodless has gone to her reward,
d y i n g in harness just as she would have wished to do. Her work goes on,
as it should, being a work that stands for community betterment and that
is continually progressive in its every detail. This busy Hamilton, Ontario,
housewife, with a husband and family to look after, might easily have con­vinced
herself that i n l o o k i n g after her own f a m i l y she was doing all that
was required of her as a citizen. Other housewives thus convinced them­selves,
but Mrs. Hoodless was not built in that sort of a mould, strongly
insistent in her mind was the conviction that beyond her own immediate
f a m i l y obligations she had others which she owed to her community. It
was not enough that the Hoodless family should be well looked after so long
as there were other families that were suffering through carelessness or
ignorance. Feeling that she had a message of helpfulness for her less for­tunate
sisters, she made it her business to deliver that message.
I could tell you much of the trials this devoted woman went through
before she succeeded in getting recognition from the authorities for her
cause. It all happened in those days before women had the vote and before
they were regarded, as the Supreme Court of Canada still refuses to regard
t h em under the B r i t i s h North America Act, as " persons." Mrs. Hoodless
interviewed officials of c i t y councils, school boards and the Ontario govern­ment.
In most cases they were a hostile lot of males, resenting generally