DOMINION CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Issue 59, 6 September 1935, Page 15

DOMINION CONFERENCE

MEETING AT DUNEDIN

■An interesting account o£ the thirteenth conference of the New Zealand National Council of Women is given in the "Otago Daily Times." Previous to the civic reception Hie delegates attended a special service held at First Church, when the Rev. W. Allen Staveley officiated. The Mayor, in welcoming the visitors, referred to the emergence of women into public life, which, he said, was no new thing in British history. Though the evidence was obscured by the dust of centuries, women played a part in the witenagemot and medieval guilds. One authority stated that there were scarcely five out of 500 guilds known in history which were not formed equally of men and women. Then came a period, lasting about 1000 years, when women were relegated wholly to domesticity, and | platform and senate were closed to them. They were bound by rules as rigid as those which imposed the binding of feet on Oriental women, and he wondered that women had so long submitted to such a bondage. He- was glad to welcome those who took a wide interest in the concerns of the world, and who gave special attention to the affairs of women and children. Their ideal, he believed, was to apply the "Golden Rule" to society, custom, and law, and their interest extended beyond the confines of national boundaries. He was pleased that such an assemblage of women existed, arid bade them welcome to Dunedin. Mrs. W. N. Benson (on behalf of the Dunedin branch) extended a welcome also. . - ' BENEFIT TO HUMANITY. Miss C. E. Kirk, J.P. (Dominion president), in he* reply, alluded to the special subjects of benefit to humanity which the N.C.W. had tried to forward for many years, and mentioned some of the matters in which they had .been successful. When in conference the members received a deputation from the League of Nations Union, led by Dean Cruickshank,' when special support was asked from all affiliated societies' to help forward the work for peace in every possible way. The speaker received a sympathetic hearing, and the assurance that the cause of peace with honour was most dear to the hearts of the women composing the N.C.W. in New Zealand. The report of the secretary contained sympathetic allusion to the deaths of Miss Lovell-Smith and of Mrs. McCombs, M.P., both valued members of the N.C.W. and who had done much | good work for women and children; Extension of the number of branches of the council was mentioned. with pleasure, and also in the number of affiliations to the various established branches. Matters in connection with the international meeting at Istanbul i and also the Pan-Pacific meeting were ! brought forward by members who had •been present at each. ■■". SEX INSTRUCTION. Miss Andrews (president of -the j New Plymouth branch) spoke of the need for sex instruction of children. After all, development of character was the first essential of education in its best sense. The great thing in life i was self-control, and unless youth were taught that, all education failed. Discip--1 line of the will alone could raise men from the ape level _to the plane where he walked with God. Clean-minded-ness was a natural heritage of their children, but it had to be preserved at jail costs. This could be done only by careful and intelligent sex instruction properly administered. The mother held a position of advantage and privilege with the very young, but it was also a great responsibility she carried. When questions came it was the mother who was asked, but too often they were answered with lies. Knowledge came later, and the mother's harvest was a loss of her'child's confidence. But worse, r the child got the impression that there was something to be hidden and avoided. Thus the breach widens and frankness becomes more and more difficult. And further than that, the mother lost an oppor-] tunity of introducing to her children, i the sanctity of life. The need for some proper system of enlightenment was never more vital than it was today i when men were' displaying so terrible a; disregard for human life. The pre-1 sentation of knowledge must be made, in such a way that the will could'be^. influenced for good and not for evil. It should not.be forgotten, however, that the final responsibility was the ] mother's, and the wise woman was the I

one who could realise the necessity for getting in first. The father; also had a duty and a-.privilege in this respect, but the mother came first. Parents could not-fight their children's battles for them, but they could arm them, and the best weapon in the world was knowledge—knowledge presented in the best and cleanest way. In that way only could the unhealthy conspiracy of silence be broken.