1924 - Annual Convention Report

              T E N T H A N N U A L C O N V E N T I ON
G r e e t i n g s were also g i v e n b y M r s . W . A . Geddes, President, of t h e L o c a l C o u n c il
of W o m e n , a n d b y M r s . G e o r g e G a r r a d , President, o f t h e C a l g a r v B r a n c h o f A l b e r ta
W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u t e s.
I n her soft s o u t h e r n voice a n d her gracious manner M r s . M . M a c A r t h u r of
H a r m a t t a n r e p l i e d t o the greetings. Her address was c h a r m i n g l y h u m o r o u s and
t h o r o u g h l y h u m a n . She t o l d of c o m i n g t o t h i s P r o v i n c e eleven years ago a n d h ow
t h e W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u t e satisfied her heart hunger for club life a n d f e l l o w s h i p w i th
her neighbors. She urged the members to be on the alert t o e x t e n d the p r i v i l e g es
o l the W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u t e to the new comers. She c a l l e d u p o n t h em to guard
against the i n s i d i o u s danger of indifference. She s a i d t h a t two words i n the E n g l i sh
language t h a t are an a b o m i n a t i o n are " i n d i f f e r e n c e " and " n e u t r a l i t y " and if she
ever wrote a diet i o n a r y she w o u l d not p u t t h em i n .
O n behalf of the W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u t e G i r l s ' C l u b , M i s s N o b l e presented M r s.
B e a u b i e r w i t h a handsome basket of p i n k snapdragons. Miss N o b l e spoke, in
p a r t as f o l l o w s : " W h e n I was home last winter 1 d i s c o v e r e d t h a t m y mother is
' I r i s h y ' — n o t I r i s h b u t ' I r i s h y . ' She is v e r y p o p u l a r a m o n g her friends a n d many
of t h em give her t h e i r photographs, consequently she has a great c o l l e c t i o n a n d a ll
c a n not be put on d i s p l a y at one time, so when a f r i e n d comes to v i s i t , mother puts
t i n p i c t u r e of t h i s f r i e n d i n some conspicuous p l a c e a n d t h e f r i e n d i s v a s t l y pleased
to be ' o u t ' on p a r a d e . When she l e a v e s , t h e p i c t u r e is c a r e f u l l y f o l d e d a w a y a n d the
conspicuous place awaits the next comer. I was pleased to be ' o u t ' this w i n t er
a n d n ow 1 k n o w t h a t I h a v e been l a i d a w a y a n d some one else has the place of h o n o r.
" I have i n m y m i n d ' s eye, a l w a y s , — a n d i t is never l a i d away— a p i c t u r e of
these W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u t e C o n v e n t i o n s . I a m v e r y f o n d of t h i s p i c t u r e for at these
C o n v e n t i o n s I h a v e spent some of the happiest days of m y A l b e r t a life.
" Y o u a l l k n o w 1 l i k e y o u a n d I believe y o u l i k e me so y o u won't m i n d i f I t e ll
y o u something I heard recently. A p r o m i n e n t man i n t h i s P r o v i n c e said, ' T he
G i r l s ' C l u b s i n t h i s P r o v i n c e are e n t i r e l y dead a n d the I n s t i t u t e s n e a r l y so.' As
f a r as t h e G i r l s ' C l u b s a r e concerned, I assure y o u t h e y a r e n o t d e a d . They m a y not
be as m u c h a l i v e as we w o u l d l i k e but t h e y have a v e r y l i v e g e rm a n d I believe
t h e y w i l l g r ow so t h a t one of t h e s e days, v e r y soon, y o u w i l l be v e r y p r o u d of y o ur
G i r l s ' C l u b work.
" A s f o r y o u r I n s t i t u t e s , I k n o w t h a t if I were t o ask y o u r P r e s i d e n t , y o u r Secre­t
a r y , y o u r D i r e c t o r s , y o u r C o n s t i t u e n c y Conveners, your P r e s i d e n t s of B r a n ch
I n s t i t u t e s , y o u w o u l d a l l w i t h one v o i c e e x c l a i m , ' W e are not dead.' I a m the
P r e s i d e n t o f o u r D a y s l a n d I n s t i t u t e a n d I c a n t r u l y s a y that we are n o t dead, we
h a v e n ' t even got the sleeping sickness. True we have lost some members but
t h a t is because t h e y have m o v e d a w a y . . a great m a n y have gone to C a l i f o r n i a,
M a d a m P r e s i d e n t . . . b u t we h e a r that, as s o o n as t h e y c a n get enough money
t o g e t h e r t h e y are c o m i n g back.
" W e are n o t d o i n g as m u c h as we once d i d t o raise a great amount of money
b u t we are p a y i n g o u r expenses a n d do a good d e a l of c o m m u n i t y w o r k where i t is
n e e d e d . That is enough i n t i m e s l i k e these. It were better to have 100 alive
I n s t i t u t e s , f u l l of t h e j o y of life, t h a n 200 or 300 h a l f - d e a d ones for t h e half- dead
ones g i v e t h e l i v e ones a bad r e p u t a t i o n , w h i l e 100 s t r o n g I n s t i t u t e s c o u l d do such
a w o r k t h a t t h e i r n a m e a n d fame w o u l d be b r o a d c a s t e d a l l o v e r C a n a d a.
" T h e r e are two i m p o r t a n t pieces of w o r k that every I n s t i t u t e can t a k e up,
n o t h i n g new, b u t w o r k t h a t spells life o r d e a t h:
1. B e t t e r p l a n n e d p r o g r a m s and,
2. C o n s t r u c t i v e c o m m u n i t y work.
O u r Institutes are a l l o l d enough and experienced enough to p l a n and give good
e d u c a t i o n a l p r o g r a m s , t o a p p r e c i a t e t h e m a n d t o benefit b y t h e m . In y o u r c o m m u n ­i
t y work, d o n ' t w o r k j u s t to m a k e a name for yourself b u t be of r e a l v a l u e to y o ur
d i s t r i c t , a n d t h e n no one w i l l ever d o u b t y o u r b e i n g a l i v e.
" A b o v e e v e r y t h i n g , d o n o t q u a r r e l ; t h a t w i l l k i l l a n y w o r k a n d t h e c l u b members
who quarrel deserve to die. So m y message to y o u is, five i n peace; have good
p r o g r a m s a n d do some w o r t h w h i l e c o m m u n i t y w o r k , t h e n everyone w i l l k n o w a nd
be g l a d t h a t y o u are a l i v e ."
B e s i d e s b r i n g i n g greetings f r om M i s s M i n n i e Page, P r e s i d e n t of t h e W . I . G . C.
a n d M r s C l a r a Johnson, Secretary, M i s s N o b l e gave a message of l o v e a n d good­w
i l l f r om o u r o l d f r i e n d M r s . F l e m i n g w h o has been c a l l e d f r om her home i n D u n c a n ,
B . C . t o O n t a r i o b y t h e d e a t h of h e r mother.
M r . H o a d l e y , M r . C r a i g and M r . E e i d , a c t i n g M i n i s t e r of A g r i c u l t u r e , a nd
P r e m i e r H . G r e e n f i e l d , a l l b e i n g out of t h e P r o v i n c e , H o n . P e r r e n B a k e r , M i n i s t er
o f E d u c a t i o n v e r y k i n d l y consented to address the C o n v e n t i o n as a G o v e r n m e nt
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e . Stating t h a t he believed o r g a n i z a t i o n s l i k e the W o m e n ' s I n s t i t u te