CIVIC LEAGUE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 251, 22 October 1919, Page 12

CIVIC LEAGUE.

The usual meeting of the Civic League was held on Monday evening in the V.W.C.A. building, when a lecture on the '"Wider Outlook of Women as tlie Result of the War,'' was given by Miss Melville. It was accompanied by lantern slides. The speaker, in opening her remarks, said that she wished to deal with the wider form of patriotism which women had <»iven to tlie nation as the result of the war. Tlie women of the Krapirc had responded to the call of country in a most wonderful way. and had displayed the most remarkable genius for organisation of women as industrial workers, both in munitions and in field work. When the story of tlie British share in the war came lo be written, the most amazing part would he tlie reorganisation of their whole industry while engaged in the midst of a stupendous war. l-'or tlie first eight or nine moot lis of war there was no greater output of munitions than on a peace footing. The war was really a conflict between British science and German science, and British science won. Before the war three national factories produced munitions, but when the women's help was given lot) national factories produced munitions while 1500 controlled establishments assisted. There were two million persons employed m war activities in England, of whom twothirds were women. Tile advent ot women in the engineering shops was an omen of a advance. Before tho war women were held incapable of performing engineering work. A gre;it national crisis forced 1 lie employer to put his pride in his pocket and employ the women. It lias been conceded that it would have been utterly impossible for us to win the war if we had not had Ihe assistance of the women. In foundries women smiths were to be seen at work, iv the air craft shops women worked as wielders. The technical schools were then opened to women, as it was found to be impossible to wiit while the women trained as the men were usually trained. This was arranged by the feminist groups who saw the i great need. Amazing results were soon obtained. One girl, after a few weeks at at school, produced a gauge that was dead exact. So perfect was it that it was taken as a model, and their work emphatically proved they had a genius for engineering. Miss' Melville dwelt upon the advance that women had nude in every way. and showed a number of j beautiful slides bearing upon the subject, , and at the close of tlie address was j thanked for ber paper.

A story is told the "i ambridge j Magazine" of what happened to two girl graduates in .Inpan. who happened to he ardent advocates of what are generally called women's rights. On i.Mny --, ] states a Shimonoseki message to the i "'Asahi, - ' flic graduation ceremony of the Tlaiko .Togaktiin, at Maruyainaclio, Shimi onoseki, was held when Hirotsu Miid- ; zuko, one of the graduates and a daughter of the director of the school, delivered a speech advocating nn extension lof female rights and claiming women's .-uffrage. much to the surprise of those j present. At a farewell meeting held the j same night at the school, under the auspices i.f the Students' Association, Okabe ! Ilaruko, another graduate, .spoke, point- : ing out the erroneous character of the , education now being given to girls, which, she said, is conducted in accordance with the out-of-date teachings of i "Confuc.ius. She emphasised the neces- ! sit.v of women's emancipation. The girl orator went on to urge the abolition of the licensed prostitution system of Japan, and the importance of temperance, referring also to the question of i men's chastity and the necessity of woj men's suffrage. The police headquarters lof Yamaguehi prefecture, which were in- | formed of the event some time afterI wards, are described as being greatly j surprised at what had taken place, and lost mi time in dispatching detectives to Shimonoseki to make full investigation I into the matter. The Shimonoseki mm'sage to the Osaka journal adds that the Haiko .logakuin is a mission school, with some Korean girls among its students Ui fact which led the local police to keep a watchful eve on the institution on tho occasion of the recent disturbances in Korea. \'o troops so far have | been called out to deal with the girl j graduates, slates the "Japan Chronicle."