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WI Found Origin In Infant's Death By Jean Murray IN CROWING NUMBERS during the past hal--eentury, rural women have banded fogether as members of Women 's Institute: groups. -- 'The movement -- which grew oul of a mother's heartbreak at the loss of an infant through Inck of knowledge, spread through the Dominion, and heyond to countrywomen all over the world. U was on February 19, 1897, that the first "Women's Institule" meeting was held. Recognizing the prime import-- anee of the home and the need to improve condifions in the home from the physical, intellectual and cultural stand-- points, 101 (women gathered BP uolenen i Squire's Hall at Stoncy Creek, io| ganization, and by the turn of discuss the possibility of form-- the century interested organiz-- ing an auxiliary organization to| CS Were carrying the Institute the then--prominent Farmers' In--| purpose to rural communities in gtitute. all sections of Onlario. ENe muiece ake hok Wt ante They met to hear Mrs. Ade-- lnide . Hoodless, of Hamilton, spealc ferlingly on the need for iraining in domestic science and| sewing to fit girls for homemak--] ing. Mrs. Hoodless could sperk feelingly on the subject. She had lost.her eldest son, an in--| fant of 18 months, through ill-- ness which the doctor told her; could have been prevented had | she had the necessary knowledge. | To her the nceed for such an or--| gnnization as the Women's In--) stilute was & real and vitel| thing. i Government Support ! At that meeting, the movement] that was to sprend throughout! the world stailed its assured and live'y existence. With the co--) operation and encouragement of, Erland Lee, the young Saltfleet! 'Township farmer who Wasflhe' only man to attend the first W.L. galhering, Government support was soon oblained for the or--| MERS. ADELAIDE HOODLESS -- founder of Women's Institute ganization, and by the turn of the century interested organiz-- ers were carrying the Institute purpose to rural communities in all sections of Onlario. Membership of the Women's Institute in the province now nearly hits the 40,000 mark with close to 5000 of these in the London area. More Lhan 12350 Ontario branches now hold regu-- Jar -- monthly -- meeltings where members contribule, each to the others' enlightenment, . and . of these, 218 regard the -- London Convention _ as . their mother group. > Ten of Western Onlario's ac-- tive branches were among the first 50 Women's Institules (o be organized. _ Goderich | Inslitule marked its 48th anniversary in February, and groups at Walk-- erlon and . Clifford were . or= ganized in January, 1901. . Janu-- ary, 1902, anw the formation of branches at Aylmer, Paisley and Fordwich, and two months Jater Durham, Wheatley -- and . Tavi-- stock organized. Exeler formed 'a Women's Institute in January, 13008. . Spreading her conviction of the need for teaching homemaking talents in public schools, Mrs-- Hoodless soon had courses starl« ed in Hamilton. It was largely through her that Macdonald In-- stitute was eslablished at the Ontario _ Agricultural _ College, Guelph, _ fo -- provide . scientific education in all phases of home-- making -- on -- & eomprehensive scale, Individual branches fool . ac-- lion in fields hitherto untouched, ns when BRyron W, J dn 1926 evereame _ the -- disapproval _ of trustees and . had the school-- house wired for electricity. . In-- stitute history is symbolized by that net; a story of spirit and of progress. Iome and Country Changing though the genora-- tions have been, . the original purpose of the Institute has never been forgotien, 'The molto, "For Home and Country," is on the tip of bvery member's tonguc, and the friendship and helpful-- ness that kept the first group of women together is carried on in-- to each existing organization to-- day. Wonien of Vision From the beginning Institule members . were women _ with vision and foresight. 'They were among the pioncers of organized wbmen's grdups, and ilustrated through their sincere efforts the benefits to . be derived . from united womanhood. Even the edueatlonal program of the Institute, while changed somewhat -- in name, -- remains substantially the same. In 1807 the six departments . suggested as a working basis for the or-- ganizalion were set down as do-- mostic . economy, archilecture with special reference to | henl, light, sanilation . and . ventila-- tion; health, embracing . physi-- ology, bygiens, calisthenies and medicine; floriculture and horti-- culture; music and art; litern-- ture, education, . sociology . and Jogislation. Today's six slanding comnii'-- tees cover the same ficlds: home cconomics, citizenship, _ social welfare, historical research, agri-- culture and Canadian industries and publicity. -- Proud War Record No organization has a prouder record of effort than the Women's Institute e&tablished during the two greal wars, Red Cross sew-- ing, helps for servicemen and answors to nll calls were only A few of the items on the list, and hundreds of pounds of . jam wore senl (o civilians in Britain fo ele out rations of the war years. Inspired Leaders m Currently . giving tnspirational leadership _ to _ the -- BSedernled Women's Instiintes of Onlario is Mrs. J. R.-- Futcher, . of 5t Thomas, a long--time member of Middlemarch W, I. and an ener-- gotic and enthusiastic Institule worker, 'Taking over after the organizaltion's golden anniversary year, -- Mrs, -- Futcher -- earried through the plan for the Ade-- Inide Maodless Memorial-- schol-- nrship fund and carly last year presented a check for $£19,000 to W. R. Reck, principal of the On-- fario Agricultural _ College, . to provide | scholarships . for . girls entering -- homemaking -- courses. ow . jubi[elG & \ Hoodless homestead P3 A d cicbiaist | "we has 1000 visitors in June," reports Mrs. H. Lockman, hostess at the Adclaide Hunter Hoodless Homostead, gt. Georg®, Ont. Theso have com$ from all prov-- inces and some from abroad. The peak was reached the day five bus loads avrived, Visiting hours t the Homestead are from 2.00 ** Coh was and sb other Uimes AHERUE uo at the Adclaide Homostead, St These have C07 inces and some ES EVC The unveiling of the plaque, erected by the National Historic Sites Board on June 2, with the consequent publicity, has created even more interest in this his-- torie spot, the birthplace of the founder of the Women's In-- stitute, now an international or-- ganization. o. epmeane /n Furnishing of the old NOME * proceeding satisfactorily. Articles required . are being -- given . by YWomen's Institutes and interested friends in consultation with the sub--committee in charge of this aspect of the national . project. The -- chairman, . Mrs. H. Nixon, St. George, Ont, asks that she be contacted when donations are being considered as it is necessary to make certain all items are ap-- propriate to that period of 100 years ago. to 5.00 p.m. An by appointment. | London Area Convention elect-- \ed a new chairman Jast fall when Mrs. Edmund Hansuld, of Tavistock, look over from Mrs. Fred Oster, of Blyth. More than 400 district women galhered in London in Oclober for the big~ 'gest area convention in history -- the 34th annual meeling. 'An innovation che Introdifced to}; the W. I. program this year was | the rally of branch presidents -- and secretartes afler the spring session of the federated board mnd secretartes afl session of the fed at Guelph in May. p.m. !;.;\(1 at 181 G pserey 3 § BHPY C 'atk y$