WOMEN'S NATIONAL RESERVE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16638, 9 March 1916, Page 6

WOMEN'S NATIONAL RESERVE

EFFECTIVE MEETING AT ROSLYN. ADDRES§ BY MRS S. M. PARK. Another of tha aeries of suburban public meetings for women organised by the Women's National Reserve, was held in Washer's Hall, Roslyn, last night. The object of these meetings is to increase the membership of the reserve and to make' its work and objects more widely known. Miss M. D. Stewart presided over a large attendance. ' , The Chairwoman said it would be pre-' sumption on her part if she were to introduce to them the speaker of the evening (Mrs S. M. Park). They all knew Mrs Park as one of the leading women speakers of Dunedin, and it would be superfluous to introduce ' her to any Dunedin audience. Ever since the beginning of the war Mrs Park had thrown her heart and"soul into any patriotic work in the interests of our soldiers. She was the mother of soldiera, and they all felt, consciously or unconsciously, that Mrs' Park was just the ideal type of citizen that" our country needed so much' to-day.—(Applause.) Mrs Park said she was there at the request of the comimittee of the Otago branch of the Women's National Reserve, to speak .briefly of the national crisis, and of some of their obligations to their nation and race in this time of national stress. As_ a woman she made no apology for speaking on such a subject. On the outcome of'this world-wide conflict depended the continuance of British supremacy: a supremacy which demonstrated over a hundred years ago at Trafalgar, had enabled our Empire to extend to the uttermost parts of the earth, to found these telonies. to cast the mantle of her beneficent protection over smaller, weaker States, 1 and to make her yftiee paramount in «ny parliament of nations. This supremacy we must retain if our Empire was tot- live, if our children's children were to be born British, and free. To help to retain it, our young men had gone forth in thousands. They must continue to go forth. So far|. happily -for tho women of this dominion, it had not been found necessary to employ what might be termed " emergency female labour" to any extent, though, in the Home land, according to recent cablegrams, a special board had been set up to deal with the question. The next day we should send away Otago's share of the 14th Reinforcements,'and we knew that, including previous bodies, over a score of such reinforcements would leave our shores. It was this depletion of our country's manhood which was responsible for the forma* tion of. the Women's National Reserve, Tho very word reserve implied a_ strength, as yet untouched, a latent force which called into action and use, would add something tangible, something that could be measured, to the general result—the desired result being the winning of thn war. In other words, it was desirable that we "take stock" of the dominion's womanhood; its capabilities —and its limitations —for the schedule of possible employment would; reveal both. Lest there should be present there women, who, as mothers of families, would say "Alas! what" can one so burdened with domestic duties as I do?" she wished to say" Jit once, that such women belonged to the finest reserve of all—the great national reserve of motherhood. At the time of the South African war there were in this city, in this gubirrb, women who were as jubilant as any over the victories which were so joyfully celebrated by the cheering crowds in front .of , the Town Hall, but it was not possible- for them to take part in these celebrations. They were otherwise employed with children to wash for and children to cook for. Now many of those children were fighting at the front. She had no in saying tlhat in these circumstances their clotheslines became a rosary, with every garment a prayer for the country's welfare, their kitchen a temple dedicated to the service of the State.—(Applause.) Such women belonged ,to the nation' 6 reserves of motherhood. The speaker went on to show that beyond the reserve of motherhood there wore the reserves of healthy womanhood, and of the nation's girlhood. „ She urged upon her hearers the duty of keeping fit and strong, and doing nothing to impair their health.She wondered how many young women had any idea of how great was their influence and how powerfully they could help young men nobly to do their duty. There was but one way in whidh they could express their gratitude for what the men had! done for them, and that was by willing service. The Women's National Reserve gave them the opportunity fpr such service. One result of joining it was that they ceased to be thp passive recipients of protection, and acquired a larger interest in larger issues. It would cost them some selfsacrifice; but What of that? Nothing permanent was ever added to character without self-sacrifice of some kind. She hoped that whatever happened they would 'see to it that their support would not be too late, hut that their reserves would be up in time. In conclusion, she said that even tho work thev were prepared to do, and tho work that their men had done for them would, bo in vain if there was not some permanent outcome of all this parting and_ time of suspense. It was surely the wish and the praver of every woman in t!he city and in that hnll that there would come a great national Pentecost, which would make even tlrs time' through which we were passing vcrv well worth while. —(Applause.) Miss M'Lcan, before proceeding to explain the constitution of the reserve and tho meaning of its enrolment card, paid a fitting compliment to Mrs Park for the v«ry ab' n adddress to which sho had treated them.. Patriotic music was supplied by Miea White, both beforo and after the formal nivt of the meeting. At the close of Miss M'Lean's speech a large number signified their svmpnthv with the reserve by coming forward and fillintr in an enrolment card. v