The White Ribbon. For God and Home and Humanity. WELLINGTON, FEBRUARY 18, 1916. CONVENTION.

White Ribbon, Volume 21, Issue 248, 18 February 1916, Page 9

The White Ribbon. For God and Home and Humanity. WELLINGTON, FEBRUARY 18, 1916. CONVENTION.

Last year Convention met in sorrow, and with chastened feelings, for the shadow of the gigantic war, devastating the fairest countries of Europe, cast its gloom around us. A year has sped since then, and still the reign of peace on earth and goodwill to men seems as far off as ever. Our Empire, together with other Empire's, has been cast into the crucible of suffering, and we pray that it mry emerge with the dross of national sin

cleansed from it, and with the gold of national character puritied in the furnace of affliction. Many parts ot our vast Empire have done something to lessen the evil of intemperance, but with shame we confess that New Zealand (which at one time boasted that she led the world in soc ial reform) lags sadly behind. It this Convention to meet in a spirit of determination, and to be tirmly resolved that, by God’s help, we will lead suc h a movement in favour of temperance reform that even an unwilling Government will be forced to do something. In locking over Convention Agenda, we note several things that should be considered by Unions, and delegates sent up fully prepared to help discuss them. We are pleased to see arrangements made for an all-day Executive meeting before Convention assembles. The Executive should in that time be able to fully consider the plans of work to be brought before the Convention, and nothing hasty or ill-prepared should be placed before them. An afternoon is rightly given to prayer and intercession. In every land White Ribbon mothers are mourning the loss of loved ones, and others are anxious for those in the danger zone. That service should bean inspiration to us all. Forgetting all bounds of country, creed, or race, may the Convention, as one person, pour out its soul for comfort and help for sad and suffering womanhood the wide world over. May we not too pray for strength to fight the foes within our gates, and that we as a mighty sisterhood may be prepared by the Divine Father to take our place and do our part in tne reconstruction work which must come when peace is declared. An evening is to be devoted to social reforms. The many returning troopers will make reforms in this direction more urgently needed than ever. We hope Convention will take a very high stand on these matters. We wart to see our women stand as a united sisterhood with every woman and child in our land. We want to see the ideal set up that there must be no class of women or girls shut out from heaven and doomed to hell to satisfy the craving of men’s lusts. We want to see that lie nailed to the mast, once and for ever, that God ever intended numbers of women and children to be damned to satisfy man’s physical necessity. Also

great pressure must be brought to hear on the Government to secure better protection for the girls of this Dominion. Plans of work for the ensuing year are to be given one afternoon for discussion and consideration. We hope all L T nions will send up suggestions for this afternoon. We would like to sec a monster petition in favour of six o’clock closing undertaken ; also pressure brought to bear to go* antishouting legislation. Then we must make a forward move in our work among young people. There is to be a model L.T.L. meeting, and we hope all delegates, on seeing this L.T.L. at work, will hear an inward voice saying, “Go thou and do likewise.” Much educational work yet requires to be done, and in this connection we should press our literature, 'and particularly our paper. The more homes we can send the “White Rihbon” into, the more people we can get to read it, the more people will get information upon our work and upon social work in all parts. The suggestion has also been made that we give either a motor ambulance or something equivalent as a gift from the N.Z. Union to the Red Cross work. We do not anticipate any difficulty in collecting funds for this purpose, and we would all like to sec something done to alleviate the sufferings of our brave boys at the Front. The British White Ribboners gave a motor kitchen, at a cost of ,£BOO, and this was a very suitable gift. Since we object to the rum ration, and are told that to provide hot soup or coffee or other thing in its place would require another kitchen per unit, it is surely most fitting we should give that kitchen. Thus would we show that we are prepared to do something to help put valuable and nourishing food in the place of the useless and harmful rum ration. Above all things, we must never allow our temperance and social work to stop. White Ribboners in Great Britain and Canada are doing as much and more war work than we are, and yet they show a splendid record of W.C.T.U. work as well. We have the Master’s promise that if our faith be as a grain of mustard seed we shall say to this mountain (be the mountain one of intemperance or impurity, gambling, or any other form of evil) be removed from our midst. Girded with faith and piayer, aflame

with the love of God in their hearts, White Kibboners will come up to their 191 b Convention determined to do greater things than ever for God and Home and Kvery Land.