HOME ECONOMICS’ ASSOCIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17780, 25 February 1926, Page 11

HOME ECONOMICS’ ASSOCIATION.

A GARDEN. A garden is a friendly place! You come to know each flower’s face. There in the morning sun one goes To gossip with a friendly rose. Smile back at sunflowers that grow With fellow faces in a row, Follow small paths that loiter where Jasmines make fragrant all the air, .Meet peonies in ruffled frocks And stately lady hollyhocks. There calla lilies, white and tall. Range their straight rows against the wall Like slender choristers that stand Each with a candle in his hand. There velvet pansies bob and stare And honeysuckles scent the air Of all the bright and quiet space— A garden is a friendly place! —Eleanor Hammond, in " CXS. Moniter” (Boston). 35 3C X On the evening of Tuesday, February 16, Miss Spencer, on her way home after spinning and weaving demonstrations at the Dunedin Exhibition, very kindly gave an address to the members of the Home Economics Association on the work done by the Women’s Institutes of Hawke’s Bay. Perhaps no one who has not spent many years of her-life, and especially of her youth, in a remote country district, far away from the educational advantages of a city, can quite realise what these women’s institutes, as described by Miss Spencer, have done for country women. Miss Spencer commenced her friendly little talk, for it was too simple and intimate to be called a “ lecture ” or an address," by apologising for not having brought her spinning and weaving implements with her. She had checked them straight through to Hawke’s Bay, and for this she was now sorry, as she would like to have explained the process to an audience who were evidently so much interested in it. Weaving was no longer regarded as a mere hobby to be swept aside as a little relic of the past. No machine can ever quite equal beautiful handwork. With regard to her work in founding women’s institutes in New Zealand, Miss Spencer said:— “ Women’s institutes aim to do for country women what hanye economics associations do for the town. They are associations of country women who meet once a month to discuss matters of interest to aIL

“ Twenty-five years ago a group of farmers’ wives met together in Canada, and in this little gathering arose the idea of forming a countrywomen’s as-

sociation. There are now hundreds of such associations in America with a membership that runs into tens of thousands of women. If you are travelling you will find the immense advantage of being a member of such an institute, for you are passed along from one State .to another with friendly help and guidance in each. “In 1915, the authorities in England felt that English countrywomen should be organised, and they invited Mrs Watts to come over from Canada and do the work of organisation. Tfcfs she did so successfully that in three years a hundred and thirty women’s institutes were firmly established in England. There are now three thousand six hundred institutes with a membership of tens of thousands of women.

“ When I was in England from 1916 to 1919. I heard the fine work of women's institutes constantly referred to, and I had the privilege of seeing a wonderful exhibition of Women's institute work at Westminster. This exhibition. with its endless variety of l-eautifully executed handwork, was a revelation to me.

"In 1921, we formed our first Women’s Institute in Hawke’s Bay, and it has already done wonders in our little district. We organise and work together. We are sixteen miles from the nearest railway tat ion. In Hawke’s Bay alone there are now seven Women’s Institutes. The constitution of our Institute is strictly democratic, everybody us eligible and everybody is wanted. We are strictly non-sectarian and non-party. At our monthly meetings members take turns in being hostesses. We try to be strictly businesslike in the reading of minutes, correspondence, etc., as we realise that this is an important training in public work. It is a great thing for women to learn to express their view without diffidence and to differ without rancour, and, indeed, for countrywomen to learn to be articulate at all. At our meetings the business is always followed by a programme in which we aim to have something to see, something to hear, and something to do. Each one must help. This is one of our most important rules. One of our most interesting afternoons was occupied by a demonstration of sausage filling. Then we have little competitions, such as, e.g., the best set of biscuits containing not more than two eggs and a quarter of a pound of butter. Once a year we hold a little market. In the country there are often so many women who have thus an opportunity, otherwise denied them, of disposing of their handiwork. Sometimes we have a meeting where each member must read, recite. speak, or pay a fine. We have an S.O.S. department upon which we have a right to call in cases of illness or accident. On one occasion, when the mother and father of a family were both taken suddenly away to hospital, this department took charge of the children and kept them healthy and happy until their parents had recovered.

‘Briefly put, the aim of our Women’s Institutes is to serve (1) our heme; (2) our district: (3) our country. We wish to bring the educational and social advantage of the town to the country. Towns should not grow to such excessive size; country dwellers -hould be the backbone of our national life; and it should be our aim to make

country life useful, interesting and beautiful to all.” At the conclusion, a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Miss Spencer for her interesting and inspiring address. 35 35 35 t The next public meeting of the H.E.A. will be held on Friday evening, March 12. The readers of this column are indebted to Mrs E. Marshall for the following very useful recipes. More recipes from the same pen will be given in the next edition of this column: — BUSTERS. Ingredients: 13oz flour, 3oz butter, pinch of salt. Method: Rub butter in flour, mix with water, and roll out very thin. Cut in squares or fingers and bake till just crisp and a golden brown. When cool, store in tin. These biscuits will keep for some time and are nice buttered for afternoon tea. FROST CAKE. Ingredients: 2 cups flour. 1 cup sugar, ilb butter, 3 eggs, 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder, i cupful milk, vanilla to taste. Method: Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, then flour mixed with baking powder. Put in greased and floured tin. Bake in moderate oven. Do not open oven for twenty minutes. Leave in tin until cool. FLOOR POLISH. Into a large bottle put 2oz shellac and 2oz resin, pour on to them a pottle of methylated spirits. Keep handy and shake occasionally for a day to dissolve shellac and resin. Have floors clean and dry and with a soft rag wipe over with the mixture. It dries veryquickly, ANNUAL MEETING. A meeting of the committee of the Home Economics Association was held in the Y.M.C.A. on Tuesday, February 22, to hear the report and balancesheet for the past year, and also to draw up part of the syllabus for 1926. Mrs Geo. Cooper, president, was in the chair, and others present were Misses Blackmore and M’Kee (vice-presi-dents), Mesdames Muff, and Garton, and the Misses Gilmour and Bevin (hon. secretary). The - secretary’s report was as follows: The year was a most successful and satisfactory one. Sixteen meetings were held; also a most successful social. The proceeds of the final evening, at which Mr William Kennedy very kindly showed us some of his wonderful views of New Zealand, were given to the Children’s Fresh Air Home. The membership has kept up to its usual, nearly 300 being enrolled. The demonstrations given during the year were mostly practical, and were very helpful to homemakers and others who wish to try to carry out the association’s motto, “ For Home

and Country,” and whose object is to help to promote the health, comfort, happiness and efficiency of the community generally by the aid of talks and practical demonstrations. A woodwork class for women was formed, and by the courtesy of Dr Hansen was held at the Technical College. It was

so successful that the members, like Oliver Twist, want “ more.” So we hope to again continue learning to use tools and make useful things for the home. An English folk-dancing class

was also formed and carried on most enjoyably under Miss Greenwood. A dramatic and musical class under Miss Lezard’s direction is also doing good work, an<f is giving of its talent at an

evening up at the sanatorium. We are indebted to all the able demonstrators and lecturers we were so fortunate in having during the year, and to whom we feel very grateful. Most of them are very busy people, and it is extremely good of them to give up some of their spare time in order to help our association. We hope this year to hold

an exhibition at the end of the year. Our last one being cut out on account of the larger one being held at Dunedin. We are pleased to be able to show a credit balance of £7 12s 4d for the year. We wish to thank the newspapers for the help they have given, particularly the “ Star,” which very generously gives our lady editor a column for the H.E.A. every second Thursday, and which has been found most helpful to country women, as well as to ourselves. Mention has recently been made of our association in the Auckland “ Herald,” of February 6, which has a very good article in the ladies’ column. We also wish to thank the gas company, the electrical companies who have helped our cookery demonstrators by installing stoves and other household appliances free of charge, and the Y.M.C.A. for its unfailing courtesy and help during the year.” At the conclusion of the meeting a vote of thanks was passed to the president and all members of the committee, by whose untiring efforts the asso-

ciation has been founded and brought to such a successful issue. The election of members for 1926 will tak& place at the meeting to be held on March 12, at which Miss Shaw is to give a demonstration on “ Fruit Preserving.”