The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Mrs. Herbert K. Maluske. President the Federated Women 's Institutes of Ontario 1 Dear W.I. Members: On the western prairies in the old frontier days fleetness of foot was a highly prized skill among the native Indians. Not only did Swift running win hon- ours in tribal games. but it was a proven asset in the Indian way of life. Young boys eager to attain speed and endurance asked the older men of the tribe how best to achieve their goal. The old Sioux told the youngsters to go out every summer and cover their hearts with the colour- ful dust of butterfly wings. Yes. it was that simpleâ€" but the one thing the elders would not do was to sup- ply the wings. Each boy had to with his own but» terflies. Any one who has ever spent part of his childhood in a neighbourhood where he. too. chased butterflies across the fields knows what that meant. Those who caught butterflies summer after summer became excel- lent runners. For two weeks this summer many of us sat ena thralled as the feats of the Games of the XXI Olymâ€" piad evolved before our very eyes. I could not help but marvel at how those athletes and participants had covâ€" ered their hearts with the colourful dust of butterfly wings in order to achieve their goals and win the cov- eted honours. Somewhere here. i thought. must be an applicable lesson for everyone. Aren’t we all in a gameâ€"the game of life? How do we run our races or perform our feats in order to achieve? I agree there is only one Nadia Comaneci or Kornelia Ender or Nancy Garaâ€" pick or Tatiana Kazankina. But each one of us likeâ€" wise is an individual. unique in her own personal way. Each has her own standards. her own goals and her own code of ethics. How she trains. disciplines and prepares herself makes the ultimate difference. What about those who seem to get so much zest out of livingiso much enjoyment out of an Institute Meeting. a District Annual. 21 Food Forum. a Tweeds~ muir Tea. a Workshop. a Senior Project. an Area or National Convention? Is it because they have given so much that they seem to be always on the receiving end? Or have they been catching butterflies day by day dusting their hearts with the fruits of friendship thereby reaping the rewards of their benevolent giv- ing'? How do we give? Wilfred A. Peterson expressed it thusly in his article on THE ART OF GIVING We give of ourselves when we give gifts or m _ t - . l.‘ heart. love. kindness. joy. understanding. sympalh‘ tolerance. forgiveness. )- We give of ourSelves when we give gifts or up . . . L mind: ideas. dreams. purposes, ideals. plans, pnn_ ciples. inventions. projects. poetry. We give of ourselves when we give gifts ui' [he spirit: prayer. vision. beauty. aspirations. peace. faith We give of ourselves when we give gifts or i... encouragement. inspiration guidance. Emerson said it well: “Rings and jewels .m no. gifts. but apologies for gifts. The only true gift 15 t W. tion of thyself." I’ve heard the sentiment expressed so oftes. “NU one ever wants to go to anything beyond the inch Meeting. We have such a problem in oar i nth trying to get a delegate to attend a District Am, .l or a Convention.“ When I hear this I am always reminded 1h.- story. The Worm that lived on a Persian Rutt I it from a Sunday School textbook. The Old Test mi For Us. written by G. K. Wiencke and C. M, ( m and used with permission of Lutheran Church w. “This worm was Very susceptible to Changes ! si. our. Yellow made him feel glad and gay; red ilk. him angry; green turned his stomach upside t n. purple aroused feelings of deep sadness; blue t. ad the sources of courage inside him. As he want so over his rugâ€"world. the worm’s feelings changed it. but he never knew why. Then one day the worm spun around himsell i. coon and went to sleep. When he awoke. he i .d himself no longer a worm; he was a butterfly. No. is he limited to crawling over his rugâ€"world; he coui lv above it. And when he did that. he discovered l'll‘ ltl home was not a senseless succe55ion of hues thz. 1- temately made him sick or well. sad or glad. The A combined into a single. beautiful design.“ Something like that can happen to Women‘s I l- tute members too. once they find a way to look r the whole setup of the organization and discover it the many parts and projects combine into a singut attractive pattern. 50 besides catching butterflies let us also bee i: butterflies and leave our restricting rug-world to c rience the great view we can have while serving 01! not only at Branch level but also at the higher level District and Area. William Wordsworth.“To A Butterfly". “0h! pleasant. pleasant were the days The time. when, in our childish plays. My sister Emmeline and 1 Together chased the butterfly! A very hunter did I rush Upon the preyzâ€"with leaps and springs I followed on from brake to bush: But she. God love her. feared to brush The dust from GIT its wings.” unis: It is my earnest desire that it never be said of ill- Women’s Institute member that she is reluctant ' cover her heart with the dust of butterfly wings as 5' seeks the common weal. the good of all mankind. We]. W