On Friday, Feb.19th.,1897, Mrs.Hoodless to her amazement found on her arrival at Squire's Hall, Stoney Greek, one hundred and one women and one man; needless to say the man was Mr. Lee who acted as chairman when the first Women's Institute in the world was organized. The officer elected were:-Hon.Pres., Mrs.John Hoodless; Pres., Mrs.E.D.Smith (Mother of Mrs.Gordon Gonant); Sec.,Miss Nash; Treas. Mrs. McNeilly. Mr.Lee requested that the W.I. be affiliated with the farmer's Institutes, the Supt.of the Farmer's organization becoming the Supt.of the Women's organization. "Mr.F.W. Hodson, Supt.at that time-later of Brooklin, Ont. He also notified the Minister of Agriculture the Hon. John Dryden, also of Brooklin, Ont. of the action that had been taken and requested a govt. grant for the W.I. Both requests were granted. Thus the W.I. became associated with the Govt, and was launched under Govt. supervision and it is believed to be the only organization, composed of women, that is linked with the govt. In 1902 a committee was appointed with Mrs. Hoodless as convener and acting on her suggestion chose as the motto "For Home And Country". In Feb. 1903, an emblematic pin was selected for Institute members. The choice of pin was designed from a signet ring worn by Miss Laura Rose,who later became Mrs.Stephen, and was in the form of a small oval in blue and gold, with the letters O.W.I. cut in the oval banding. The blue chosen was clear cornflower blue and the gold, a bright yellow. After 60 years, the pin still remains the emblem of Women's Institutes. The second Institute to be organized was at Whitby, Ont., on June 29th, 1897,just four months after the first Institute, and has continued to function ever since. From then on, branches were organized all across the country. Kinsale W.I. in Pickering Township, was the third Institute to be organized in the world. During the First world war, 1914-1918, Mrs.Alfred Watt, N.S. carried th