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HOME and COUNTRY September, |933 2% pin-mental services is required Essentials For Success in The Institute By Geo. A. I’utnain, Superintendent for Ontario Since this copy of “Home and Country" is to go to all the mem- bers of the Institute, we think it well to take advantage of the opportunity to present some of the essentials which have made for success in the Institutes and some of the outstanding needs at the present time. On the first of March next. I will have finished thirty years‘ happy association with the Wom- en‘s Institutes and take great pleasure in passing on to the officers and members at this time my sincere appreciation for the earnestness shown in making to- ivard greater efliciency on the part of mothers and daughters, a realization of their responsibil- ity in the home and in the com» munity, the leadership which they have given toward a sane, social structure and judicious community service, a readiness to do their part in providing re- lief and assistance to those who have met with misfortune, and the example set by the women of rural Ontario in co-operative ef- fort, co-operiition so far as local groups are concerned and comp- eration with services avuiiab through the Department of Agri- culture aml other branches of Government service. Evidence of the benefits derived arc to be found throughout all sections of rural Ontario in the ability to provide adequate nutrition at a minimum of cost. in making for comfort and health. in construc- tion. arrangement and e ‘ ment in the home, in the app ica- tion of recognized laws in pre- serving health, and providing for the proper development of youth. While much has been accomp- lished, the possibilities for fur- ther advance are unlimited, so we make our appeal to the officers and members to continue to ap- preciate the fact that the women of practical experience, especial- ly those on the form, have much of value for each other in the multiplicity of responsibilities which come to the homemaker. Do not fail, therefore, at your regular monthly meetings and, if you will, group meetings by those who can conveniently meet oftener than once a month, to pass on to each other the methods successfully followed in provid- ing for the needs of the family through home grown products, utilizing to the best advantage home equipment, and provid~ ing the necessary supplies and equipment to meet emergencies in sickness and accident. The women of rural Ontario are not generally conscious of the fact that their success will be record: ed in the pages of history as one of the greatest, if not the great- est, accomplishment of women in any country, as stated by a reâ€" cent historian who has made a world wide investigation of country women in council. While there have been differ- ences of opinion as to methods of carrying on and rules to be followed, the splendid spirit of serVice has always surmounted minor difficulties, and we find faithful, interested women of all parties, sects and nationalities, working harmoniously in the best interests of community life and national stabilization. One could write indefinitely of the masterly manner in which the country women of Ontario have givennudicious, earnest leaderâ€" ship in their local, district and area undertakings, but we shall divert to Departmental service. The funds available through Government sources have been somewhat reduced during the past two years, in keeping with the general policy of retrenchâ€" ment found necessary on the part of the Government, and the Institutes have willingly accept- In ed the reduction. With some re- adjustments in our methods of providing serVice through Con- ventions, district meetings, short courses and various group meet- ings, instead of the usual sumâ€" mer series, and latterly the pub- lication of “Home and Country," we have been able to maintain a service which compares favor- ably with that of former yearsâ€" in fact, in one respect the results have been most gratifying, for it has created in the minds of the members generally a keener sense of their responsibilities and a fuller realization of the fact that the benefits derived through educational service and organ- ization work are dependent to a very large degree upon the per- sonal effort of those concerned. The members are coming to ap- preciate the fact that they are not so much in need of additional literature on nutrition, health and other lines of interest as they are to make a careful study in- dividually and in groups of the splendid literature available and which is referred to in detail in another section of this issue of “Home and Country"; so let us appeal to the officers and mem- bers to make a very careful study, especially of the litera- ture bearing on nutrition and health. We will make announce- ments from time to time regard- ing literature available and the services to be secured through the Institutes Branch. In the meantime, we wish to announce that a number of Three-Months and One-Month Courses for rur- al girls and young men will be held in December, January and February; and when announce- ments are made, we trust that the Women's Institutes will do their part in inducing the young people to take advantage of these classes, which enable the partici- pants to garner information which will be of value to them throughout life, but the greatest value lies in starting them on the right road and placing them in touch with sources of informaâ€" tion and inspiration, and the for- mation of new links of friend- ship and co-operation which will be among their most valued as- 15%L'mho’ns and memories in after i e. The Institutes have taken it for granted evidently that since a policy of retrenchment has been introduced, they should hesitate to ask for instructors for Threeâ€" Day _qr 'l‘woAWeek Courses in Nutrition, Home Nursing and First Aid, and Sewing. The fact is that the expenditure on these short courses has been reduced to a greater degree than in any other line of service, so we wish to state to the Institutes that for the next few months, at least, the funds available will enable us to provide instructors to all who may apply and who are prepared to_ meet the requirements which will be supplied to those who make enquiry. Briefly, we may state that the locality concerned is required to provide a suitable hall, or in some cases a private home, free of cost to the Depart- ment. The only charge to the members of a Twoâ€"Week Class is Twenty-five Cents for Insti- tute members and Fifty Cents for non-members; while for the Three-Day Courses, it is left with the instructor and the members of the clius to make such collec- tion as is found necessary to cov- er the local expenses. It is recognized that while much has been done in acquiring a greater knowledge of nutrition, there is a great need for creat- ing a more general interest and a more systematic efiort toward the production and utilization of Canadian grown products in providing for the needs of the family; so the Minister of Agri- culture has directed that special cooking schools be held'in centres where groups of Institutes can take advantage of the instruc- tion. Four of these trial schools have been held with an average attendance of over two hundred at each of the twelve sessmns and many words of appreciation have been received and valuable follow-up work has resulted. Announcement of further effort along this line will be made in due course. _ - It would appear that With the money available, we shall extend the number of centres to be servâ€" ed in the Summer Series of Meet- ings, so we would advise at this timethat the Branch and District Ofiicers make their plans to hold, say, four meetings where three were held‘ last year, and we can assure all that a most efficient stat? will be given an opportun- ity for special preparation for the task in hand, for ‘we recog- nize that the possibilities are very great for making this fea- ture of service of increasing value. The members of the staff in the Institutes Branch when not engaged in Field Work are de- voting considerable time to pre- paring Loan Collections for the use of members who wish to pre- pare papers and addresses for the regular monthly meetings and special occasions. The folders already available include infor- mation on: Loan Papers Art as Applied to Pictures. Autumn in Nature. Bee Keeping for Women. Bird Guessing Contest. Canadian Women of Note. Civics. Criticismâ€"How to Avoid, etc. Clothing the Family â€" Miss Collins. What should Christmas mean to me? Good Manners in the Home. Debateâ€"The Pioneer Woman. ‘ Economies we may all pracâ€" tice and enjoy. Teachers, Parents and Chil- dren. The Child, the Parent and the Teacher. Farm Beautification. Cutting, Care and Arrange» ments of Flowers. Foods for Storageâ€"Mrs. Jas. Patterson. Uses of Salt. Interior Decoration. The Influence of Associates. Plays. Family Budget. China or Porcelainâ€"Wedgâ€" wood. Christmas Entertaining. Preparation f Ch'ld School. 0 a i for Influence of Environment. Fireless Cooker, Home~made. Outdoor Farm Decoration. Perennials for Home Beautifi- cation. Meniisfgesourcefulness. POSSibiIities of a Kitchen Gard- GIL Home and Country. _ A Woman‘s Influence in Mak» Huge Home Attractive. ersonal Responsibilit for Dog’s Own Health. y areful Cleansi ‘ Fabrics. “g or spnng The Versatility of Eggs. A Step That Leads to Peace. Is My Daughter Safe at Col lege? Left Overs Should Not be Left Over. More Thought for Safety. Exercising the Baby. d Mysterious Differences in Chil- TE“. How Much: Th P the Food Buyer. 9 mblem for This is not a com 1 t ' the available informaptizne, ‘3: will be glad to receive enquiries on all questions of interest to Institute members and if we are not able to provide material will undertake to co-operate with the Packet Loan Library at: Guelph and other service branches in securing the material asked for. The collection of material under the subjects announced herein has entailed much labour and the Institutes are invitede take advantage of this special service. Application should be made for material ten days or twp weeks in advance of the time it is required for use. The aim of the Department will be to keep in close touch with the Institutes through the publication of “Home and Coun- try” as occasion r e q u i r e 5 throughout the year and to make the service as outlined above and any additional features which may be planned of as great value as possible, and we confi- dently expect the indiVidual branches to make their educaâ€" tional programme of increasing worth. Some branches take the atti< tude that since they are not able to raise funds as readily as some few years ago, the value of the Institute has decreased. Not necessarily so. The worth of the Institute consists in its educaâ€" tional value, the assistance which it can give in advice, service and co-operation to the needy. sup- port of community undertakings, and the opportunities which it can provide along social lines; so, do not be discouraged because of a decrease in financial resources. The trying times through which we have been passing have been the means of strengthening the bonds of friendship and co-oper- ation; so the advice of the De- partment and your Provincial Board is not to disband a branch or slacken your Aefi‘orts at a time when the need is so great, both so far as the individual, the famâ€" ily, and the community are con- cerned. Does This Apply to Your Branch Extracts from Reports of Recent Months 1. “The branches are vastly improved during the past five years, and there is every reason to be pleased with the wonderful influence for good being exerted by these Institutes." 2. “A healthy attitude toward local needs as well as farther afield; toward social life and the coming homemakers and citi- zens. With much splendid talent still available but not at present being utilized. much may be ac- complished, as there is marked ability." 3. “A good feeling exists and the members appear to be seek- ing a good time among them- selves. ?arties appear to be of greater interest than courses or neighborliness. The officers, who are new each year apparently have failed to grasp the educa- tional value of the Institutes.“ 4. "Fine, intelligent group of women, but whose interpretation of Education is scholastic rather than mental or vocational, and fail to grasp the fact that nutri- tionas more‘than cooking; cloth- ing something beyond sewing and home nursing means more than Just work which must be done, finding no relationship be- tween these things and a happy home and right living?" 5. ‘fA lack of tactful under- standing as to the limitations of the privileges of oflice, where the president dominates all activi- tree." '6. “Good, live, homey branches- wrth good talent and good spirit and broad Vision of usefulness. Attending to community needs and find both time and assistance for broad service, (re-operating well ‘writh other organizations." 7. The branches visited seem to depend upon talent outside their membership, rather than and developing themâ€" 8. "The stimulus of the De- tn maintain the high educational aspect of the Institute.” 9. “Need higher intellectual standardpf oflicers. 2. Hamp. ered by limited opportunities, 3, Absence of social ethics and coin. tesies due visiting members or ofiicers of other branches." 10. “Drifting to social life and entertainment from outside tal. ent and congenial companion, ship, rather than to the educa. tional, or serVice work which may tend to better home and commun. ity life." How the Federation Has Assisted By Miss M; V. Powell If we consider the literal in. terpretation of the term “ch17, ation” we cannot but be confidrhl that this is a most fitting appli. cation of the word, in connection with our Women’s Institu : “Federation,” or in other wont, “leagued together," or "united in common governments." How truly due: this apply it the Federated Women‘s Insti- tutes, which is a linking togvth. er of- the representatives of th, local groups of members, from which is chosen by the common consent of the members them» selves the provincial body, the members of which are in “league together" for more 8300’.in service to and on behalf of the local groups and the individual members. The federation has indeed rendered. service by upholding the morale and prestige of the organization side by side with other important national and ill- ternational organizations. It has been and is the official means of expression for all the branches. It has discharged its responsibility in part. by at equalization of the delegates’ ei- penses when attending Conven- tion Areas. It encourages the branchv. in reach every possible needy a uni» an to interest and help her. The federation also coâ€"nper- ates with all departments of gov- ernment, but espeoially with :he Department of Agriculture. 1" every way possible for the ad- vancement and in the lntel’eSl-S of the rural women who form the membership of the organization, In minor and more direct ways the provincial board assist all areas in financing their annual conventions, in providing {01 the area conventions as well as new» ly organized branches, copic= (II the Institute song sheets, the un- of which adds greatly to the pleasure and- enjoyment of In- stitute gatherings. By contributions of mattrial of provinceâ€"wide interest to thi Institutes'publication“Home and Country" it has direct enrizirl with individual branches, as well as by the appointment and suit port of conveners of Standing Committees through whom the work of the Institutes in general has become more uniform and is constantly developing educnllfln' al and cultural talent amonL‘ the members. In addition to .this, the prm'l'l- cial federation through the 0"' tects provided to the memb E“ the Board, who are elected h _th women to represent .the van ‘ groups in the areas and sub-d ' sions, gives to these members 3 broader vision of the DOSSlblll' Pics, a keeper realization of tvliE importance of the work in wlm' they are engaged; a deeper re- spect for their fellow home»iiiali- er and a more adequate knowl' edge of the dignity of her call- ing, which gives an added resaei‘l and poise to everyone. The fifl' eration then has and does aw“ the branches in a practical a!“l also an ethical way to read” more ac table and eflieienl service to t eir homes and coin munities, thus fulfilling the all“ of this unique and- worthwhile ar- ganizetion.