POST-WAR PROBLEMS IN EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25933, 13 October 1949, Page 2

POST-WAR PROBLEMS IN EUROPE

ADDRESS BY MRS BELL Until the women of the world took a sense of responsibility and were determined that man’s ways of settling disputes were changed, they would go on having wars, said Mrs G. K. A. Bell, wife of the Bishop of Chichester, when she addressed a large gathering of women in the Durham Street Methodist Church yesterday afternoon. Her subject was “Women in Europe.” The meeting was sponsored by the Christchurch women’s committee of the National Council of Churches. Mrs Bell was introduced by Mrs H. D. Broadhead, president of the committee. Mrs A. K. Warren, Dominion president of the committee, was also present.

The most pathetic problem facing the German nation was the enormous preponderance of women over men, said Mrs Bell. For every 100 men between the ages of 20 and 40 years there were 180 women. Church organisations could not do much about this problem, but they had helped considerably with the problems of vagrant youths, of whom there were 10,000 ip Euiope in 1947, and with the problem of refugees, of whom there were 15,000,000. The most unfortunate of the refugees were perhaps the Balts. “Don’t be surprised if some of those that come cut here are bitter and disappointed and not as grateful as they might be. Remember that they are exiles trying to learn the language and customs of a foreign country, and doing not what they want to do but what they are given to do.”

Mrs Bell urged those present, especially the younger women, to take a serious interest in the work of the National Council of Churches. “We must try to look over the barriers of our own church and work with our fellow Christians.”

A vote of thanks to the speaker was moved by Mrs C. T. McKenzie.