"BE SELF-CONSCIOUS"

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 42, 19 February 1931, Page 15

"BE SELF-CONSCIOUS"

AN APPEAL TO WOMEN

Catherine Helen S,pouce, the "Grand Old-Woman of Australia," lias made a very fine appeal to women in the Australian women's paper, "Dawn." She was tho first Australian woman to be a candidate for, tho Federal Convention —that was in 1896. Miss Spence speaks of the difficulty and extraordinary interest of the affairs of the world during this coming year, and urges women to study these affairs, and not to act ignorantly in any of the.important details of life. She asks women to cultivate a national self-consciousness; to bo conscious of their powor in the world, in the home, in business, as the chief purchasers of the goods of tho country and Empire, and to link up the household economics with that of t1 j wider business world. Miss Sponce says: "These household economics which link up housewives with politics and our national welfare generally are aptly described as 'the youngest^ and most undeveloped section of the science of economics, unrecognised, so far, by learned economists, who have no knowledge of cookery or running a home, or who have not applied this knowledgo to the social problems of the production, distribution, and consumption of essential commodities.' The writer is of opinion that the young nations must learn to stand firmly, on their own feot —to become more nationally self-con-scious in the right way. All nations aro ' feeling for this, and when they have set their own houses in order they will be in a better position to co-operate in the international field, not as competitors, but as co-operators for tho welfare of the world. Misß Speneo alludes to the "freemasonry of women" which has growu so tremendously during the past half-century, and shows how ''bridges of communication" have been built across to the women of many countries, and how at international gatherings women have taken stock of the prevailing world conditions only to realise that there is something radically wrong in the economic,, industrial, and social spheres. They have learned that the lasting improvement must come by united effort, and that one country or other cannot bear the whole burden, or make all the sacrifice. The women's international Press shows unmistakably that women are "alarmed for the future of civilisation" if .things go on as they are Urifting at present. The "Petition of Appeal" presented to the statesmen of the world at Geneva represented the opinions of '40 million organised women from 56 countries of the world. All the women in all these countries protest against another war, and appeal to an international understanding and right feeling to prevent such a catastrophe. Miss Spence feels very keenly, according to her written word, that women must "use the tide while it is flowing, as it will surely ebb later," and now in the countries of the highest civilisation, it is flowing towards the placing of women on equal terms in all essentials with men. She says: "Wo are only half-way to our destination, do not let us fail now. . . . There is a lack of interest shown by all Governments in tho unemployment of women. Belief and other schemes are only available for men; educational and other facilities are being curtailed, and maternal services are thoroughly inadequate to cope with the appalling state of affairs in nearly all the'countries with regard to the question of maternal mortality." Mrs., Eisehbieth writes interestingly on tho question of the employment of women on small holdings and farms, as one means of relieving the pressure of unemployment from women, and also urges women to realise that continued and intelligent effort is needed still to consolidate what they have won, and continue the uphill struggle towards Equality of both responsibility and privilege in life.