1928 - Annual Convention

              34 A L B E R T A W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T ES
more of this work to do. At Edmonton and Calgary, where women's hostels
are maintained, they are visited by members of the Women's Institute, who
help to look after the women and girls u n t i l they reach their destination.
On behalf of the P r o v i n c i a l Advisory Committee on Women's Immigra­t
i o n , I would draw your attention to the importance of f i l l i n g in the
questionnaire sent to all Institutes a short time ago and returning it to Miss
Macmillan's office as requested.
In concluding, I may again remind you that perhaps nowhere in the
whole of Canada does the subject of land settlement occupy so important a
place as in our own province of Alberta, nor are there i n any others more
glorious promises of prosperity and success. Still our newcomers may suffer
many a heartache and lonely hour and discouragement which w i l l the sooner
be overcome by the warmth of our welcome and the friendliness we women of
A l b e r t a may b r i n g to them.
REPORT ON CANADIANIZATION AND NATIONAL EVENTS
( Mrs. Wm. Stewart, Peace River, Convener)
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the work of this committee
has been more widely distributed among the Institutes of A l b e r t a this year
than that of any of the other standing committees. The year 1927 being
the sixtieth anniversary of Confederation, the interest of all classes and
communities was focussed on the suitable celebration of Confederation Day,
and almost every Institute in the province took some part in the activities
of the day. Patriotic pageants, picnics, processions, speeches, etc., combined
to make this a memorable occasion for young and old, and p a r t i c u l a r l y for
the young, since the school children were always active participants in the
celebrations.
But the interest in Canadianization and National Events fortunately did
not stop there. Many Institutes had papers and lectures on " Confederation,"
" C a n a d i a n i z a t i o n , " " Citizenship," " E a r l y Canadian History," " Canadian
V i s i o n , " etc., either by their own members or by prominent outside speakers.
P a t r i o t i c programmes and plays were carried over to other occasions, flags
were presented to schools i n many cases, a bronze plaque i n one instance, and
practical things like sand boxes and swings in another, to commemorate the
Diamond Jubilee.
Many Institutes presented prizes for patriotic essays and recitations, and
i n one instance for the highest average marks on Canadian history. The
essay subjects were interesting and diverse—" Canada, the Land of Promise,"
" Our National Holidays and Why We Celebrate Them," " W h y I am Glad to
be a Canadian," " The Benefits of Confederation," etc.
It is noticeable from the reports that i n the celebration of the national
holidays, Empire Day seems to be the favorite ( except last year when Do­minion
Day was an exceptional occasion). This is probably due to the
season of the year and the fact that the schools are not yet closed for
vacation.
One Institute supports the Boy Scout movement, another gave a donation
to the Calgary cenotaph, while still another unveiled an honor roll in its
local church.
Many of the Institutes have had a Canadianization day on their pro­gramme,
and it has been suggested that the May or June meeting should
be set aside for this meeting. Some of the meetings have been all- Canadian
( as one report says, " from roll- call to luncheon"). Others have had various
individual items— roll- calls ( Canadian current events, Canadian explorers,
authors, heroes, Canadian verse), papers on Canadian literature, French-
Canadian literature, Canadian art, music, statesmen, " Old Home" descrip­tions,
etc.
Two matters I should like to emphasize ( and on these I have the hearty
concurrence of many of the local chairmen) are the need of reading more
Canadian periodicals, and the duty of welcoming new settlers to our meet­ings.
Many Institutes have been busy with this latter problem, and their
experience varies very much. Some have no d i f f i c u l t y at all i n persuading
these newcomers to j o i n the Institute. In one case a number of new B r i t i sh
settlers joined w i t h i n a few hours of their arrival. Their ready adaptability