HUGE CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 193, 15 August 1936, Page 14

HUGE CONFERENCE.

ENGLISH INSTITUTIONS.

EIGHT THOUSAND WOMEN ATTEND

(By K. M. KNIGHT.)

The annual meeting of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, held in the Koyal Albert Hall, was a lesson for all men who still hold that women cannot organise public affairs. There we're 8000 women present, filling every available seat in the huge building. Next year, so great is the growth, of this amazing movement, a larger meeting place will have to be found. The vice-chairman, Miss Hadow, took the chair in the absence of Lady Denman, who was ill. She said that it was always the dream of the institutes that there would one day be a time when the Albert Hall would be too small to house tliem. And this day had come.

Sir John Boyd Orr, the famous scientist, gave' a long talk on food values, and the part played in the world by women, who placed "first things first." Men, lie said, were apt to muddle along in their politics, their industry, the laws they were making; forgetting that the aim of all their work was to produce housing and food and clothes to make the right kind of homes. But women went first to the centre of things.

"In every country," he said, "there is a great deal waiting to be done in improving the condition of homes. If all Governments in the world would take for their motto "For Home and CJountfy" and. direct their ambitions towards improving the conditions of the homes within their country, the danger of wars and revolutions would disap-

pear." Speaking about the spread of dietetic knowledge already done by the institutes, he said, "Make your teaching as simple as possible. You read a lot about proteins and vitamins and minerals; but don't bother about these technical terms. Leave all that to the-scientists. Everything of practical importance, as far as you are concerned, can be stated in terms of common foodstuffs. Don't bother about fixed diets. There is no need to eat according to schedule. There is danger of becoming too fussy and faddy about food. All that is needed for health is found in common foodstuffs. There is a lot of truth in the saying that a little bit of what you fancy does you a lot of good. Extend your splendid educational work until the conception of a new standard of health and knowledge of the diet needed to reach the new standard is carried to every home represented in your institutes. "Your women's institutes form a great organisation; an army of 300,000 strong. You have great responsibilities. We dream of a happy, healthy countryside, prosperous and progressive. You women can make our dream come true. In more ways than one the future of our race lies in hands.

Birth Control Society. Wedged in between the huge meeting of the National Federation of Women Institutes, during the luncheon recess, was another important meeting. It was chaired by Dr. Marie Stopes —that much maligned* woman —and was extremely interesting. Interesting because, hearing so much about the work of the society, of which Dr. Mario is president, one hears so much that is entirely misleading. In the first place, the work of tlie. society is not to make way for licentiousness; it is to assist poor women who have far too many children to understand something of scientific birth control, as opposed to the many unscientific methods that many of. them practise. On the other hand—a side of the work that is always overlooked—the clinics established also give advice to women, who desire to have children, and through malformation or other causes are unable to do so. Through the "Mothers' Clinics" free advice is given on all subjects pertaining to mothers and babies, and a great deal of really valuable work is done. They set down as their aim "That every baby born shall be healthy, beau- | tiful and loved, both before and after birth"—surely quite a worthy object. j

The speakers for the luncheon were Dame May Whitty, D.8.E., and Dr. Charles E. Goddard, 0.8. E., medical officer for health for Wembley. Previous lists of speakers have included such people as Maud Rovden, the Rev. Canon H. R. Sheppard, the* Rt. Hon. the Earl of Cromer, Sir Frederick Keeble, Beverley Nichols, H. G. Wells, the Marquess of Tavistock, the Marquess of Donegal. These people do not support a movement unless they believe it to be of scientific value to the world.