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y l 'r'sfj i _ I Gordon Conant's Speech At Golden Jubilee Banquet i Of :Stoney Creek Institute Mrs". Conant isthe Daughter 01' .the First President of lA Women's Institute. The, fiftieth anniversary of the formatio'n'pf. the Stoney Creek Wo- mfinfs Institute, which is the Mother Institute," eld at Stoney Creek on Wednesda ,February 9, 1947, Mrs. Gordon _Ct)iiaiit,..'of Toronto, the daughter'of»Mrs.'E. D. Smith, the first Pre§ident, was the weaker and following'ri ".her'addres V It was'with much pleasure that I acceptedg'the invitation to be your guest to_night and I take great pride In representing my Mother, the first Prestdent of a Women's Institute. It is a privilege to he so closely connected with this organi'zation which in its growth has done 50v much toward bringing the women of the world together. 1 have at- tended its special functions down through the years; the 25th anniver- sary celebrated here in Stoney Creek and .at the Battlefield, of which I have a treasured program- me in my hand; the meeting of the Country women of the world at the Battlefield in 1930; and now at this golden jubilee. ' it seems a coincidence that as a child I lchd about four mile from the first Institute, and after marriage I _I.made my home in Oshawa which is. the same distance from Whitby where the {and Institute was organ_,' ized. ' ll do not remember the first incct-, ing. after all I was quite young, butt I do remember in later years my; Mother telling me that she worried' about neglecting her family of two, children. (my brother who is present, and myself), but that Mrs, l-luodless who was her personal friend. pcr« suaded her to be first President. which ofiicc she held in 1897, 1808 and 1900. An addition to the family: at that time made her relinquish out-- side duties. ,I definitely remember being taken to many meetings, climbiniz thoscl rickety stairs on the outside ofl Squire's Hall, and beiiig seated in[ jth front row with my legs dangling. thinking my mother must be ' the pretty important to be on that high' platform. ' Then I recollect when some sill). jects peculiar to the female of the species were discussed the door was locked in case some one of the, opposite sex should intrude. 1 Also I recall the interest when Mrs. Rorcr's cook book was pub~ lished and in it the statement that tomatoes were not fit for human consumption. Mother felt that a farmer's life was ideal, if only there could be a little more social contact for farmers' wives. I know that Erland Lee, I'. l\ Carpenter and my father, E D. imith were of great assistance to Mrs, Hoodlcss inl establishing the \Vomen'g Institute! and I feel that women should give those three men credit for desiring sanic privileges for farmers' \\'i\ that they themselves cnjoyctlu l well remember Mrs. John hiC--' Neilly and Miss Maggie Nash. Their voices are very clear in my memory. Then when attending MacDonald College, Guelph, in 1012 it was a proud day when my mother read the address and unveiled the portrait of Mrs. John Hoodless. The signatures besides my Mother's on this address were those of Mrs. McNeilly; M lirland Lee; Mrs, F. M. Carpenter: Miss Nash; Mrs. C. E. Morning and 155 C. \Valkcr. hiv Mother would feel highly rc- wardcd for 'turning the sod'. as it were, for future Presidents the world over. The Women's Insti. tute has been a constructch com- pelling: force for good wherever it has been established. Your motto, "For Home and ('onntry" has a depth and warmth that stirs the heart. Homes are whch the nations learn to live to~ gcthcr, \Vc need sound homes whch there is laughter and love. It has been said that. "a sound family of nations begins with nations of sound families" and that, "thc destiny of a country is shaped in its homes." \Var has disrupted the homes of the world. Even here in our Vtiestcrn Hemisphere where we still have our homes unscathed by bombs, we are in needuof more houses to make lwas homes. But when one thinks of the sad plight of the Europeans, many of whom I was privileged to meet last autumn in Switzerland and France, one cannot help but believe that this continent; was left unscath-- ed for some divine purpose. During the two months abroad, I spent 20 days in Switzerland; 12 in France and 29 in England. The return trip made more interesting and pleasant by becoming acquainted, at Heath Row while waiting to board the Lancaster which would fly us home, with Mrs. Charles Russell representing the Associated Country Women of the World and coming to Canada on the first lap of a speaking tour that would take her to U.S.A., New Zealand and Australia. She was also interested in meeting the first President's (laughter. I attended as a Canadian delegate the 11th \Vorld Conference uf»the Girl Guide Association at Evian, well known French \Vatcr- in}; Place on Lake Geneva. 140 were present from 23 countries. Although the theme of this Con- fercncc was "Open Windows," we had several speakers who told us of the "closed windows" for the children and adults of Europe. These men and women speakers were well qualified to tell us of con- ditions for they had worked for years in U.N.R,5R.:\., Y.M.C.A. and opr own Guide International Ser-- vice. lSccausc of your theme of "home" and its meaning in our land, I pur- pose tclling you something of the gulf between our experience and ideal of home and what our sislcrs and brothers of Europe are forced to substitute for that sacred word. The stories of conditions of Dis. placed Persons (D.P.) camps were as interesting as they were heart- rcnding. \Vherc parents have decided not to return to their native country, they live in camps which may be a factory. a row of houses or a barracks. But always people of one nationality are herded t0- ectlier The D.l'. child has not a father who goes out to work, He is sitting at home and probably in the one room in which the whole family lives and eating otit his heart. losing all self-respect becat'c he is not able to provide for his family The displaced persons child is different from our children. Meat to him means "spam" or corned beef; fish comes in tins. He or she has never been with mother to buy a suit or frock, Clothes come from 1' \'R. RA, it is U.N.R.R.A,'s fault he of shoes. ed the U.N.R.R.A, worker next time to bring her a baby brother and not a bab ' sister. Children do not relate their families with having'to provide for their Wants. Family life is a travesty because of the herd- ed way in which they livc;----one room w'th beds, a table, a few chairs, {lo room to walk around. There is nothing hidden from the child, and all being so huddled to- gather, without interests or reading matter, they squabble and incessant- ly talk of the past. Children become confused. They are called DI'. children, and yet parents tell them they have a country of their own. As no work is necessary to pro. duce the bare necessities of life, the children consider work a punish~ ment' and shrug their shoulders and say: "Why work?" They only know the black market. That was a necessity of life during the war and now the older boys and girls want an easy life, or go into the black market if they do not become thieves and bandits. They absolute- ly despise people who wor have missed 5 out family. without education, with. out worship and many have never heard God's name. Now they are adolescent and are without princi- plcs. \Vhat of the parents ? They fight against their child being labelled D. P. and go to the other extreme. The Kindergarten Schools are run A little Latvian girl ask- separately for each. nationality, where pupils learn only their own language and traditions. '] his makes them all fight when nation- alties are grouped together for each child has been taught his country is "best". Thus the germ of intoler- ance is having a good start. Children wonder why they don't go liomc when their country is so fine and beautiful. I could tell you at length of the children whose number is legion, who have 110 parents. all without a home or country and in many catagorics. Holland has taken all those who can be proved of Dutch mothers and German fathers, Sweden has taken a great number of the homeless. so that they may be brought up belonging: to a family and having a nationality. Must we in Canada remain heartless to their pitiful plight ? The older unaccompanied children are one of the major problems of the world. Many are searching through the countries looking for their par. cannot go to school because of lack l l ants. One ' boy recognized the family horse In another country and They ' years of life, with-' thro' the driver founchhls His mother had been. killed. These vagabond c provide for themselves--Abe nothing of family y know cepts of human soctcty. 1 to ' n (3 Boys and girls of all ages ca ' ' eir parents. Belsen looking for th ask, "Is Wishing to help them you I _ your father alive r" and the makes one of two answers,----.(l'\_i _ "he went to the right" (to \VOl) )Yot "he wont to the left" (to the gas chamber). There are other childrcn .Of 13. higher age group who lived ll'lrtl'L WOuds with the RusSian Pan's'mhi They fought, killed, murdered ant used weapons, which gave 1} stature of mom--a superiority C001" plex. I I U.N.R.R,A. i had found 19,000 parents and our Guide International Service, 2000. We found through our teams that where there was utter hopelessnc, befQK'C'. When Girl Guiding was organized them sprang up a joy and new courage. They felt they were not. forspltt'" and belonged to something lllgg'r'r than themselves. The youth of Germany today are in the same position as they \i'ei'C after the ieii~is war. Hitler came along and gave them an ideal. 'l he have no hope and no ideal at org. cut and if we do not help and guide them some one else will do so. SO'niillion in Europe are without homes. associated with the poorest class. now includes all classes. The great problem is to make the changes from their present life to a con- structive one. One million children in France are without families. "be children of today in Europe will either be the friends or enemies of our own children. \Vhat can you, whose motto, is "Home and .Country" do to help the situation ? Canadian homes at present are suffering from lack of domestic help, one outcome of which is our short- age of voluntary workers and leaders in all our organizations, Our youngr mothers are so tied with housework. Ythat small families will result and micro population is a crying need of fCanada. The National Council of l I women have forwarded a petition to the Dominion Government asking that a selective type of female immigrant be brought into Canada to meet the need of Canadian wo- men in domestic work in homes. [institutions and hospitals, and that 'thcy be required to work for a specified time. Europe is full of desirable female i l l . l l i l l l . y i . ociu wool--u m mn- --_<o g: =---»:..- L;L. H m..- i.__I.-.:im'uu,; humu' >°AE>EBoo>=w9 :x =_E=n 92.:T"~:'nu':3--ngvxs -----_::lun=o,g:zm Docs: | Nur-- '-- :"o D o '5 o-- :1 1:, ~m~mum g-rum 'J c: L. a... >u'hum emacfioa =- ._ ._..sn "1... 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