The Daily British Whig YEAR 91; No. 207. Twenty-seven years ago what is to-} day the largest international wo-| man's association in the world was | organized at Stoney Creek, Went- worth county, Ontario. And why? Because -a young mother, Adelaide Hoodless, standing beside the tiny coffin of her child, who might have been sleeping in her arms but for her ignorance of the simple rules of nursing, vowed she would not rest until the goVernment gave the same assistance to mothers to learn how to care for their chil- dren as it gave to men to acquire the necessary knowledge for the care of their young animals. Her efforts were rewarded, and on February 20th, 1897, "The Woman's Depart- MRS, C. F. ALLISON, BATH Provincial Director for Sub-division No. 3, on the Federated Board. mnt ment of the Farmers' Institutes of South Wentworth' was inaugurated under the Department of Agriculture of the province of Ontario. The Woman's lustitute is the only wo- men's soclety directly associated with a department of the govern- ment, and its wonderful growth is, in a measure, due to the assistance it receives through this channel. "For Home and Country." "For Home and Country" is the slogan of the Institutes, and in a marvelois way the society has de- veloped the sense of responsibility in the women of the rural districts, not only in Canada, where branch insti- tutes are found from coast to coast, but in many parts of the empire, con- servative England having followed the lead of one of the dominions, and in several continental countries. The Institutes have no politics. They embrace all creeds and all classes. ' In England, where many of the nobility live in the country, wo- men of title are enrolled as Institute members, and on the prairies of Western Canada the newcomer from Central Burope learns how to become a Canadian and a British subject under the selM-respecting independ- ence of the Woman's Institute. For the women living in more isolated parts of the country, the Institutes have meant a new life. Through them comes the travelling library, the demonstrator from the Depart- ment of Agriculture . who gives courses in home nursing, food values dressmaking, millinery and all the departments of home life. This year tn Ontario 8,000 women and girls have taken these classes. The re- sult of these courses is far reaching. Thedefinite knowledge acquired gives the women a degree of poise and con- fidence in speaking and acting upon the knowledge gained for the benefit of the home and the community and the increased vision shows them the vast possibility of rural life. They go forth armed and to conquer. Who DIa All This? And so the reports read yearly at the conventions tell a wondrous tale, and travellers asking 'Who bullt this fine hall?" "Who gave this splendid monument to the men who fell overseas?" "Who planted the flowers and vines in the school yard to make the place of learning a place of beauty?' and so on, receive the answer: '"The Woman's Insti- tute." Quietly they have gone to work, making the often , neglected God's acre a fitting resting place for their loved ones; lighting the dark streets of country villages; providing the hot school lunch which is such a God- tend to the country scholar who has tq.walk through the cold of a Cana- dian winter to the little school where he will get his chance of winning his way to the university. The Insti- tute made a great record during the war and many a lonely Canadian lad in hospital blessed the women at home who sent the comforts he en- joyed, and when he came home, still unable to do without medical care, has been cheered by books, maga- zines and Christmas gifts from the mothers who are members of the W.L The Branch the Centre. The branch is the centre, the heart as it were of this great soclety. The branches bind themselves into dis- tricts and the districts into areas with annual conventions. The pro- vincial board of directors consider matters of a provincial nature and take action on .behalf of the Feder- ated Institutes. ; Since the British Whig has had a Woman's Page its editor has taken a deep interest in the Woman's In- stitutes and has communicated with the presidents of the six districts lying between Brockville and Napa- nee, which belong to the Bastern Ontario area which meets in con- vention in Ottawa. Reports of the branch meetings or any other Insti- tute news are published on the Woman's Page, so it seems fitting that a general outline of the Wo- man's Institute work in the districts from which reports are read with in- terest by the Whig subscribers should form part of the Christmas number. Frontenac, Frontenac has one district of which Mrs. J. D. Shibley, Harrow- MRS. G. W. MacNAUGHTON, SYDENHAM District secretary for Frontenac. smith, is president and Mre. G. W. MacNaughton, Sydenham, secretary. There are nisae branches, five of which have been formed during the year. Westbrooke and Inverary, the mother branches, were formed on the same day, sixteen years ago, and have always been most active. West- brooke has recemtly signed a con- tract for twenty years for the light- ing of their community hall. Inver- ary is noted for its war work and still remembers the sick soldiers in Mowat sanatorium at Christmas and subscribes for magazines for them. Sydenham has installed a moving picture machine in the village and has several times brought a first class Chatauqua to Sydenham. Like all the Institutes, they have had courses given on varfous subjects and as the branch is a very large one the attendance is correspondingly so. Battersea has lighted the streets and carried on other good work. Mountain Grove is an energetic branch and bas done splendid work in providing for the needy folk in the district, tis being one of the ways the neighboriiness which is one of the outstanding features of In- stitute work is shown. Godfrey has assisted with school fairs. Parham put on a splendid historical pageant at the Parham fair, showing the cos- tumes of the last one hundred years, and otherwise assisted in making the fair a pronounced success. Har- Bh, a new branch, is assisting Mrs. C. Field KINGSTON; ONTARIO. ATURPAY, DECEMBER 20, 1924 \ » ONTARIO', NEW PRESIDENT Robertson bor Lanark, elected to office at the recent Cen ntario Convention. of Agriculture in household econo- mics and agriculture, and is de- termined to have a library in the village before long. Sunbury has made a record which will not soon be forgotten in raising $15,000 for the commodious community hall which was opened on December 17th, 1924. Pittsburg, one of the most recently formed branches, is preparing to give Christmas fare to those in need. Junior Institute. Frontenac has also a Junior Wo- man's Institute, with Miss Ursala Sproule as president, Miss Beryl Ar- thurs vice-president, and Miss Helen Wilmot secretary-treasurer. In No- vember, 1923, a short course in agri- culture and home economics was held in the Kingston Dairy School for the young men and girls of Fron- '| tenac, with Mr. W. A. Sirett, county representative of the Department of Agriculture, as principal. The re- sult of this successful course and the interest taken by Mr. and Mrs. Sirett in the young people was that a Jun- for Institute was organized in Feb- ruary, 1924, by Miss Ethel Chapman and Mr. G. A. Putnam, of the Depart- ment of Agriculture. The Junior Institute and the Junior Farmers' Assoclation give well arranged so- cial evenings in the Kingston Dairy School. As the young president says: "The social gathérings are held under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Sirett and could not Fave been managed without their wisdom and experience." When the W.I. district of Frontenac had an exhibi- tion at the Kingston Industrial Ex- hibition, the girls took their part in demonstrating the making of sand- wiches, etc. They have assisted in the work of the Canadian National Institute of the Blind and are now making clothing for the home for now being put on by the Department|Friendless Woten and Children in Kingston, Mrs. A. W. Srett, wife of the Frontenac represmlative of the De- partment of Agiailture, was the first district presidt and is a life member of Sydenhay Institute. She has been most actle in forming branches and in asgsting in various MRS. E. BATON ATHEZS, District secretary for Brockville. ways. The Frontemac Woman's In- stitute, which is one of the affiliated societies of the Kingston Local Coun- cil of Women, has chosen her as its -+hership Leeds County. Leeds has two districts, South \Leeds, of which Miss Mary McGuig- gan is president and Mrs. E. H. Bol- ton secretary, and Brockville district with Mrs. C. F. Yates as presideat and Mrs. E. Eaton as secretary. It is noteworthy that the Woman's Institutes were introduced into the county by a man. When Mr. John Dargavel was member for Leeds he had reason to believe that branches of the W.I. would be of benefit in his constituency, and approached Mr. G. A. Putnam, who was rather dubious about the success of the undertaking. However, Miss Susie Campbell came from Toronto in June, 1908, and organized, with the assistance of Mr. Dargavel, a branch at Lansdowne and one at Newboro. Eleven years afterwards the district organization for the riding of South Leeds was formed, with Mrs. R. G, Leggatt, president of the Newboro branch, as district president, an of- South Leeds district ranks sccond in the Eastern Ontario division in mem- and financial standing. Branches organized during the war did splendid work. In most cases the Red Cross work of the locality passed through their hands. Several branches made presenta- tions to the men who returned and Lansdowne placed 'a handsome bronze memorial tablet in the town hall and Westport Institute has re- cently completed a memorial in the form of a fence around the athletic grounds, costing $1,800, .with hand- some stone pillars on one of which is a bronze tablet bearing the names of the men from the community who fell in the great war. School fa.rs are encouraged and assisted in most lo- calities by the Institutes; lunch is served and prizes given. Seeley's representative on the council, Bay, not being in a school fair dis- On: in the three-month course |, Jug, District President for Lennox. MISS HELEN WILMOT, PITTSBURG, Secretary, Junior Frontenac W. L > fice which she held for twelve years. |. trict, conducted a fair for the chil- dren entirely by the efforts eof the Woman's Institute. This branch has recently bought new gasoline street lights for the 'village, Lyndhurst also maintains street lights. Delta has done much to raise the standard of entertainment in that village with good moving picture and Chatauquas. | Elgin has this year been specializing in community hall work. By form-| ing a joint committee with the Ath-| letic Association, it was possible to persuade the council to undertake | the enlargement of the town hall. | The committee has raised $1,200 for! this purpose, with an additional $800 | towards furnishings. The Newboro | branch has recently assisted in de-| corating and furnishing the renovat- | ed Masonic hall of that village. Port- land and Morton are also interested in the community hall question and hope to have them next year, Crosby has an emergetic branch from which the Whig frequently publishes re- | ports, and Philfpsville, organized in| 1919, is also doing excellent work. Two junior branches are at Lans-! downe and Delta. Chaffey's Locks is | the "baby" 'branch, organizéd in June, 1924. | The Brockville district which | comprises the townships of Eliza- | bethtown, Escott, Front of Leeds | and Lansdowne, has only been or-| ganized as a district for two years and six months. There are six branches, Athens, Mallorytown, Rockport, New Dublin, Fairfield | East and Addison. 'The newer dis- | trict has not fallen helifnd, but has kept up the name '&f the W.I. as foremost in all good works. Mrs. C. F. Yates, the district president, re- fers to the spirit of sisterhood de- | veloped, the welcome to the stran- | ger within the gates always given | by the Institute members and the | high ideals which have their roots in the motto "For Home and Coun- | try." Among the activities has been the purchase of a property to be | used as a park as a memorial to the men of the district who were killed in action in the world war. Medals have been given to high school students. Demonstrations of various kinds have been given from the Department of Agriculture, rest rooms furnished, travelling libra- ries. have been - secured and the needy ones of the district cared for. Like many of the Institutes those in the Leeds district sent relief to the fire sufferers in Northern Ontario in 1922. An effort to make the programmes at the monthly meet- ing of real value has been nade, not forgetting that as well a: edu- 2 MRS. C. ¥. YATES, ATHENS District Secretary for Brockville cational the meeting should be enter- taining. At Athens there lives 'Lois Williams," the poetéess who has given to the Federated Institutes of Ontario "The Institute Carol and the Woman's Institute Song Folio," expressing in verse the ideals of the W.I. Her district is very proud of her, a pride which is felt by all the W.I. members of Eastern Ontario. Mrs. E. Eaton is the district secre- tary-treasurer. . -- Lennox County. Lennox has for a district presi- dent a trained nurse, Mrs. W. L. Haight, who as Miss Jennie C. Phip- pin, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Phippin, graduated from the in 1913 and the same year married Mr. Haight, a graduate of Ontario Agricultural College. Mrs. Haight, who lives at "Darcroft Farm." eight miles from Bath, has been in Instl- tute work for ten years and distriet president for two. As wel; as in- teresting themselves for the be fit of the community, caring for the needy one at Christmastide, visit. feel at home, placing drinking fountains in schools, found time to maintain two fooms in the Kingston General Hospital. Mrs. A. P, Young, Bath, is district secretary. FIRST SECTION Hartford Hospital, Training 'School | they have! "MRS. J. D. SHIBLEY, HARROWSMITH District president for Frontenae. A AAA A AAA ANY | ested in the history of tha county and has been addressed on several occasions by Mr. W. 8. Herrington, KC. Adolphustown also shows a laudable interest in the extremely important history of this section of the country, which is largely settled by the United Empire Loyalists and has made the old ULIL.L, cemetery on the shores of the Day of Quinte beautiful and established a care taker. 'Conway is noe of the brauche MRS. A, W. SIRETT, PORTSMOUTH Representative for Frontenac Kingston Local Council of Women. on A A Al es which has a room in ths Kingston General! Hospital 2nd the Maple Leaf branch also supports room, Bay View. is a mo-~t erergetic Ine stitute and assists in various ways to make the community in which it Is an example of progress, Mrs, C. F. Alilson, provincial die rector for subdirivion numbar threé on the Federated board of the Woe man Institutes, has beem an outs standing figure In W.I. work in Lennox and in Toronto and has done much to develop the Institute work in Eastern Ontario. a Addington. 1 Addington is a comparatively new district. Mrs, Heary Piper is the district president and Mrs. Charles Amey, Moscow, the district socre« tary. There are four branches ----- Moscow, Enterprise, Roydon and Tamworth. We receive 'eporig from them frequently and our reads ers will hear of the work they arg doing. We regret that we were une able to get photographs from the district president and secretaries of Addington and Amherst Island. The island is a district in itself. with Mrs. William Scott, Stella, as pree sident and Miss Margaret Hill ag secretary, ing newcomers and making them/| u Napanee branch is greatly inter-