An Occasional Paper.

White Ribbon, Volume 9, Issue 106, 15 March 1904, Page 9

An Occasional Paper.

The National Union of Women Workers of Great Britain and Ireland

publishes an “ Occasional Paper.” An issue appeared in August last, and is now before us. The governing body of the N.U.W.W. is the National Council.

From the pages of the “Occasional Pap r ” may be gained at least a glimpse of the varied departments of work taken up by the women of the Mother Land for the benefit of their sex in particular, and humanity in general. At a meeting of the Indian and Colonial Committee attention was directed to the Indian Ladies' Magazine. The opinion was expressed that with the spread of education the zenana system would slowly away. More English women doctors, more English nurses, more trained teachers to train others as teachers are wanted to give help and support to their Indian sisters. The Preventive & Rescue Committee through a deaconess from Lahore, warn girls against accepting situations as governesses, &c., without making due investigation.

An interesting meeting is reported from Liverpool in connection with the work of Women’s Settlements. The Warden of the Liverpool Victoria Settlement complimented past workers on having entirely eradicated the idea that their mission was to give. She had not been begged from since taking up the Wardenship. The ideal was be ; ng fulfilled - serving the neighbourhood by setting before it a high standard of living. One speaker made an appeal for trained workers. Money, she said, was probably never easier to obtain. Ir the present day of cheap travel, cheap books and cheap education, the desire for a wider life and passion for seif-im-provement weie to be found in all classes, and it was necessary to direct these desires into right channels.

At another Liverpool meeting the Lady Mayoress of York read a valuable paper on the Housing Question which she described as being inextricably interlaced with other social problems. Private enterprise has not solved the question, but individual effort has done much to educate public opinion, by agitabng for better and increasing

methods of transit, by endeavouring to bring home to landlords their great responsibilities, by encouraging the formation of garden cities. The speaker advocated that in garden villages such as liomnville, “one acre of garden ground will produce as much as thirteen of pasture land." (What a score for vegetarianism !) At a meeting of the Bureau for the Employment of Women one speaker noted that every girl should learn some work, and know how’ to do one thing well. No woman would be the worse but rather the Iretter wife for this. A knowledge of scientific housekeeping would l»e of great advantage in many families. Some women, having sufficient means to live on, loved work for its own sake. She did not think it wrong for these to work, but she did think it wrong that they should undersell others, that they should take les& than the market price.