1930 - Annual Convention Report

              S I X T E E N T H A N N U A L C O N V E N T I ON 63
then is the influence of the numberless contacts made by the women of our
Institutes, as they meet together from month to month, as they spread them­selves
through their Constituencies, as they gather in annual Convention.
Vaster yet is the force in the unseen contact of those 100,000 women, who
constitute our federal organization, our legions, who, though separated by
forest, field and flood, are always to be found on certain well- marked long
distance lines, on prescribed wave lengths, if you w i l l . These lines or wave­lengths
will all be tapped in your program here. They indicate your vitality.
They also speak for your tribute to the Federation. Women's Institutes live
i n a sort of circle. The local is the very god of the machine, the essential
element; the constituency, or district, or Provincial or Federated Institute,
has no meaning without the sum of all these units. And yet there is a de­pendence
on the highest " contracting party," the Federation, that quickens
life in the local. Disregard this and interest flags. It is like the case of the
chicken that gets the axe applied to its neck. Its head is off, but it does not
even know that it is dead. It is the unification of purpose and standardiza­tion
of broader lines of work that makes the individual effort so effective.
These wave- lengths then will bring you messages about the movement of
population to and from our Dominion, to and from our Province, of the occu­pations
of our people, and of the present sad reverse condition, the grievous
unemployment of so many. You w i l l get news about the laws that standardize
our conduct and protect our interests ; you w i l l get indisputable proof of the
rapid assimilation and Canadianization of the foreigner in our midst. From a
high authority in your own province, Mrs. W m . Stewart of Peace River, you
w i l l learn how best to proceed in acquiring information concerning the new­comers
to Canada, how to be so imbued with love for Canada that you will
eagerly help others to find a home away from home in your province, and
above all you will be told where to look for literature that can inspire you
w i t h the consciousness of the greatness of the land that is yours. The con­tacts
established along these wave lengths are countless. They arouse the
same emotions as those that have been described as " the human warmth in
crowds." Has all this a value? Will it make the next ten years better?
Need we ask?
There may be pain in our contacts. Take the knowledge of the present
unemployment, for instance. Puzzling thoughts must spring to the mind in
sight of the enforced idleness and consequent unmerited suffering of so many.
" I saw in vision
The work in the wheat,
A n d in the shops nothing
For people to eat;
N o t h i n g for sale in
Stupidity Street."— Ralph Hodgson.
Surely there is here a wrong to be righted. " Stupidity Street" can not
remain the domiciled address of 100,000 intelligent women. Situations arising
like the present must be met, unemployment must be faced. Either work
must be created, or existing jobs must be divided up to go round the workers.
To work is necessary for maintaining self- respect, as well as for providing a
l i v i n g . The woman worker is in a dilemma just here. Nowadays there is a
large and increasing number of women workers outside the home— married
women workers, and the outcry against these is persistent. No one denies
that the place of the mother of a young family is, if possible, with her children
at home. There are sad cases when this is impossible. But is it wise to join
in the hue and cry against the married woman worker in general? Consider
this carefully, seeking a principle to guide you to a decision. Not so long
ago women strove and all but died to win the franchise; only two years ago