8 C A L G A R Y ALBE
A Page About All
Relief Is Large Demand
On Women's Institutes
T% ELIEF for distressed families in their communities has been a
" major demand on the local branches of the Women's Institute of
Alberta. • Reports of all constituencies read at the convention of District
Four which met in Paget Hall Wednesday showed strenuous effort
to raise money and help with food and clothing the unfortunate in the
districts.
But in this activity the other objects of the Institute have not
been neglected. Reports told of the establishment of libraries, of
household economics courses arranged in the districts, of medical clinics
arranged by the Institute, of school fairs and many other projects
successfully undertaken.
Mrs. M. L. Thompson of Coaldale,
district director, presided and a special
guest was Mrs. J. P. Ferguson of
Trochu, president of the Alberta
Women's Institute.
Following the sessions of the day,
the delegates were guests of the Calgary
branch at a banquet in the
Elizabethan room of the Hudson's
Bay . Companys' store, when Mrs. C.
H. Stout presided, and afterwards at
the performance of the British Gull<*
Flayers.
Recreation
' Wise use of leisure time is one of
the challenges of the new age which
has been ushered in by labor- saving
devices and machinery," said Mrs. J.
P. Ferguson of Trochu, president of
the Alberta Women's Institutes, In
her address Wednesday afternoon.
Need for recreation in its widest sense
to meet the increase in leisure time,
and to fill the gaps— physical, mental
and moral— which the changes have
brought, is pressing, and in this field
the Women's Institutes have a splendid
opportunity for leadership, Mrs.
Ferguson believed. Lack of sufficient
recreation has been responsible to a
large extent for the drift to urban
centres, and now to hold the rural
population, and encourage others to
return, farm life must be made more
attractive;
Drawing, as it does, its membership
from all classes and creeds, the Institute
is the logical leader in organized
recreation for the rural district,
Mrs. Ferguson said. She suggested
golf, hiking, tennis, badminton,
dancing, particularly folk- dancing, as
suitable activities to be inaugurated,
and for those less interested in sports,
libraries, sewing groups where skilled
teachers might instruct in embroidery
and, of great importance, the
revival of handicrafts. Tastes, skills
and habits formed in adolescence
exert their influence strongly throughout
life, the speaker continued, and
care should be taken to see that there
were worthwhile things at hand for
young people in the country to employ
their free time.
Congratulates Members
Mrs. * Ferguson congratulated the
members on the wide scope of their
activities, which embraced relief
work, public health clinics and
studies, peace work, child welfare,
supplying garden seeds to dried- out
areas, assisting with libraries, and
recreational projects. In speaking of
the scheme wherein the Provincial
Women's Institute was co- operating
with the I. O. D. E. and U. F. W. A. to
provide assistance for needy mothers,
under the direction of Miss Kate
Brighty, Mrs. Ferguson told the members
the council had hesitated to ask
for donations to the central fund for
this purpose, since so many branches
were already doing work of this sort,
" out that the W. I. had offered to prepare
necessary bundles containing
layettes and medical supplies, to the
number of 50 during the year. Names
of the needy mothers would be forwarded
by Mrs. Ferguson to various
W. I. branches for help in this connection.
,
Spiritual Disarmament
In all the millions of people in
the world going quietly about their
own business there are none who desire
war, said Dr. George Kerby,
speaking at the afternoon session on
" A Call to Peace.". The task of capitalizing
the universal sentiment
against war is difficult but is the
first step in progress toward peace.
The minds of the nations must be
prepared for peace. For war is born
of faults of the spirit;— of the greed
and jealousy of nations all striving
for commercial supremacy, erecting
artificial barriers, creating artificial
antipathies and hatreds.
Patriotism is a passion and must
be controlled and restrained as other
passions. " Not that I love my country
less, but that I love humanity more"
must be the policy of statesmen.
Dr. Kerby told of the ever- increasing
armament race, leading inevitably
toward war. He quoted Lord
Grey, who had declared that there is
no security in competing armaments.
The soldiers of the last war were convinced
that they died for peace, but
the generation that has followed them
is betraying them.
Nursing Schools
The need of a reorganization of the
nursing schools was discussed by Miss
Eleanor McPhedran of the Alberta
Joint Study Committee on Nursing
Education. Other professions are
1 taught in schools supported by the
state— teaching, law, medicine, but
nurses are expected to pay for their
I training in physical labor, she said.
J The disadvantages of nursing schools
operated by hospitals were clearly
outlined. The d* ty of the hospital is
to its patients and in maintaining the
hospital on a paying basis. Too often
the education of the nurses is sacrificed
to these other considerations.
The students are exploited for cheap
nursing and maid service.
Each hospital is a law unto itself
and no standard of knowledge and
experience is demanded. As a result
many half- trained nurses are graduated
from the poorer training schools.
The training of nurses has not kept
pace with the advance in scientific
treatment of disease, Miss McPhedran
said. What is needed is more study
in the classroom and less duty on the
wards.
The bill passed at this session of
the legislature requiring students to
have junior matriculation standing
was commended as a step in the
right direction toward standardizing
the qualifications of the members of
the profession.
Girls' Clubs
Suggestions for the work of leaders
in the girls' clubs were given by Mrs.
R. E. Wood of Stony Plain, supervisor
of the girls' clubs. She recommended
division according to age in four
groups and told of the different needs
of each group. The little girls from
6 to 10 years of age are all enthusiasm
and eagerly absorb teaching. The
next age, to J 4 years, is an egotistical
time when they crave recognition of
their personalities. Nothing is too
strenuous for them to undertake. The
girl from 14 to 16 years of age needs
inspiration. She is a day- dreamer,
is hungry for books, but needs to be
guided in her reading as she is
strongly influenced by all she reads
but has not learned to discriminate.
The girl of 16 to 18 years is beginning
to use her reasoning powers,
takes life very seriously and questions
everything. It is a poetic age. It is
the best time to Interest her in social
problems.
Acting Mayor J. H. Ross brought
greetings to the delegates who were
welcomed by Mrs. C. H. Stout, president
of the Calgary branch. Mrs. A.
E. Clark of Oluny replied. Greetings
were read from the provincial officers.
Musical selections were heard during
the day, the program arranged
by Mrs. H. E. Kelley. Mrs. Harry
Hutchings sang at the morning session
and following the banquet; W.
Rothwell sang, accompanied by Mrs.
Rothwell; Max Bishop sang, accompanied
by Miss Dulcie Bishop; pupils
of Miss Marjorie Hall gave clever
dances and Mrs. J. Welsh gave read-lings.
Following the banquet Miss
Foster played \' iolin selections, Miss
Claire Powell gave pianologues, and
Mrs. Slater sang, Mrs. Kelley was
accompanist.
Mrs. Stout presided at the banquet
and spoke of the function of he Institutes
in fostering the well- being
of community life. Mrs. F. G. Grev-ett
proposed a toast to the guests anc
Mrs. Powell of Maple Leaf local responded.
A toast to the press was
proposed by Mrs. W. Rothwell anc
Miss M. McLean replied. Mrs. Ferguson,
Mrs. R. E. Wood and Mrs. W.
Harold Riley spoke briefly and Mrs.
Moreau MeCallum moved a vote of
thanks to the artists.
Mrs. Ferguson and Mrs. Wood were
speakers at the separate session of
the Girls' Club Wednesday morning
when Miss Esther Oliver, vice- president,
of Drumheller presided. Reports
from constituencies were read and
messages from Miss Lily Sahlen of
Cardston, provincial president, Miss
Vivian, Berg of Clareshotai, district
director, and Miss Jane Popham of
Barons, publicity convenor.
Co- operation With
League of Nations
Vital Need, Claimed
" Canada's prosperity and her destiny
lie in working in co- operation
with the League of Nations. Having
solved her own bi- lingual, bi- racial
and minority problems, she is in position
to give advice on these problems,
and her opportunities for service
and molding opinion in the League
are broad." This was the opinion
voiced by H. S. Patterson, K. C., in
addressing the fortnightly Calgary
women's peace, meeting held in the
Palliser hotel tea room Wednesday
afternoon. Mrs. D. A. McKerricher
presided. Introduced the speaker and
urged those present to broadcast the
announcements of these meetings to
all women's organizations.
" What Does Partnership in the Collective
System Involve for Canada?"
was the topic of Mr. Patterson's talk,
and, prefacing his subject, he traced
advancements made in the past century
in the field of science, which had
resulted in drawing into close contact
all the nations of the world. Friendly
rivalry of nations in art, music, literature
and kiftdred fields had given
spice and variety to the resultant
products, but, in the struggle to advance
materially, nations had come
into conflict. Quarrels between nations
were the same as struggles in
primitive society. In olden days war
could procure territory, material goods,
security and advancement. With the
drawing together of countries through
science, however, nations were now
like school children who had been
playing and quarreling among themselves
at recess, but who found that,
on going into . school they could not
continue so without detriment, to |
themselves.
Fear resulting from the past war j
had induced the nations to become
self- sufficient. Canada, in her need,;
. had turned to the commonwealth of
the British Empire in an attempt to
construct within its bounds a situation
of markets and supply which had existed
in the world before the war.
Canada produced more food than she
could consume, and markets were es- j
sential. Hence, her destiny lay In i
close co- operation with countries;
which could assure her those markets,
the speaker said.
Through participation in a collective
system of nations, Canada shared
the responsibility of contributing
" whole- hearted Co- operation, aid for
the helpless, strength for the weak,
and her share in the creation of organizations
for curing the ills of
mankind," the speaker quoted from
an address by Sir Robert Borden. Mr.
Patterson answered a number of
questions at the'end of his address,
and a general discussion period followed.
Alberta Women's Institutes - Collective Memory
