OUR AIMS AND OBJECTS.

White Ribbon, Volume 22, Issue 261, 19 March 1917, Page 1

OUR AIMS AND OBJECTS.

In last month's issue appeared an article telling of the daring* conception of a world union of women, f all races, of all classes, of all se<» and creeds, united together for so rim and temperance reform. This loveß dream has begun to materialise. tfi ideal is becoming the actual, and B is no mere figure of speech when \B sing, “All round the world our rßbon white is twined,” but a statcmeß of fact. It, in very truth g rdles tB planet. Starting from the 1 nittd States, it is looped around the South American countries. It crosses the Atlantic, and wraps its snowy folds around South Africa. Tlv n its strands divide; one gm s northward to link India, China, and Japan to its silken cha n ; it crosses with the railway into Europe, and e\le iding through C.ermany, Italy, Belgium, and France, it hastens to place it*- snowy badge upon the United Kingdom. Hack ac ross the North Atlantic till Canada’s White Kibboners are encircled, then bending southward, it meets at San Franc isco the other strand, which crossed the Southern Ocean to decorate Australia’s daughters, and thereafter waving ovc r our own fair Dominion, rejoins its other strand, and unites in one large bow. Already the W.C.T.D. is organised in over 50 countries, and its membership is fast approaching a mill on. Our watchword is Organise. I have been organised in \ w Zealand, and by the time this article is in the hands of our readers delegates from

all parts of this Dominion will be gathered in Convention in Auckland. We are scarcely proud of the fact that in thirty years we have not reached a membership of 5000. Let improve upon this speedily. We arc* passing through critical times, and during the period of demobilisation large powers will rest in the hands of women voters. Who is going to organise and train the young womanhood of New Zealand? Is the* W.C.T.U. going to claim them for the service of (iod and Home and Humanity, or are we going to leave them to other and less elevating influences? lor the successful carrying on of our work it is imperative that we enlist the young womanhood of the Dominion in our crusade. How* are we to do this? With one or two notable exceptions, our \. I 1110ns have not been very successful. Why not make an effort to meet the young women and get them into our l nions 1 To do this we must have evening meetings, say one afternoon and one evening meeting a month. Our young women ire in business during the* day, to attend afternoon meetings an imposs bility. Naturally, they are not keen to join a Union whose meetings they can never attend, neither is it desirable that they should do so. Encourage young women to join our Union s, take them at reduced fee, hold an evening meeting for them, elect from among them a Vice-President of the Union, whose duty it shall be to preside at these evening meetings. By meeting both afternoon and evening some members could attend one meeting, and some the* other. Also in this way we

should he training leaders for the future. Our great leader, Miss Willard, described the W.C.T.U. as organised mother love. Hut alas ’ for lack of enthusiasm among us, muc h of the mothe r love of New Zealand goes unorganised. It is not too early to organise for the u)iS election campaign. W’e want not a “Win One” campaign, hut a “Win half-a-dozen” campaign. Urvons who are in earnest w ill personally ask every woman in their neighbourhood to join their Union. We so of’en are told, “I would iike to join your Union, but I have never been asked to do so.” Wake up! White Kibboners, and see that every woman has an invitation to join us. We meet women who are willing to .assist us in many branches of soc ial reform, but who will not sign the temperance pledge, and so become members. Now. don't let us lose sight of these women. Ciet them to subscribe to our paper, and so keep in touch with them. Make a determined effort to secure non-members as subscribers to our paper. If they read it they will in time become interested in our work, and may become members. Let us use our paper to advertise our work among outsiders. Agitate. Dire<t attention to wrongs and evils. Don’t let them alone. All that the devil asks for is to b • let alone. The deadiiest of the seven sins is the sin of doing nothing. Individual women see and deplore evils, but seem pow\ rless to protest, but organised womanhood can speak with mighty power. Remember that the more members we number, the more votes we can count, the greater will be

the weight our protest will carry with politicians. A few women meet and urge the necessity for the appointment of women police, their resolutions are reported in the daily papers; others see it, and so the ball of reform is started rolling along. Educate. Our aim is to educate our women to be good citizens. We can all help in this work. By voice and by pen we can tell others of the mighty advance of temperance refoim in other lands. We can distribute literature. Neal Dow, the Father of Prohibition for the world, said: “We did not carry prohibition in Maine until we had sowed the State knee-deep »in literature. Direct your friends’ attention to articles bearing upon temperance and soc ial reform. These are becoming increasingly plentiful even in our daily papers. One of the silver linings to the dark war cloud now enveloping Europe is the clear and unmistakable lesson it is teaching that Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach and a source of weakness to any nation. With practical unanimity, King and Statesman, Admiral and General, Archbishop and Professor, Shipbuilder and Munition Inspector, Transport Director and Food Organiser, Doctor and Scientist, declare that alcohol is weakening our troops and delaying victory. Net we still allow the liquor trade to reap its harvest from the pockets of soldier and civilian alike, idle dollars of the 1 brewer are guarded more carefully than the life and honour of our boys. A troopship arrived in Port Chalmers one evening bringing sick and wounded soldiers. Before 6 a.m. residents near at hand were aroused by boys in khaki demanding when the hotels would be open. After () a.m. the hotels were busy. At <>. }c> a.m. a noise in the railway yard beneath drew u> to tin* office window. There was the train drawn up to carry the returned invalids upon the first stage of the home journey. Beside it were several men quite intoxicated, and violently resisting railway officials and their own comrades, who were attempting to get them on the train. How one’s heart ached to see these boys, who had fought and suffered like heroes on the battlefield, dragged, struck, and literally pitched aboard the- train as though they were animals How indignant we felt with

the Government which could take our boys for soldiers, and then, when they return wounded and weakened by illness, relax all military discipline, and allow them at that early morning hour to enrich the publican’s coffer and to impoverish their own health and reputation. And what censure is too severe for the men in charge of these invalids who allowed them to go home to wait ng mothers and sisters in a state of intoxication. Could the mothers of our land have seen this sickening spectacle they would have realised how much more value our Government puts upon the dollars than upon the boys. In view of scenes like these, how earnest should be our endeavour to secure prohibition during the period of demobilisation. White* Ribboners in Convention assembled, will you not undertake to organise the womanhood of our Dominion till scenes like these will be impossible in our loved country ? Sugar is scarce. Why allow the brew ers to waste it ? Bread is dear. Why allow grain to be destroyed to make beer? Shipping space is at a premium. Why use it to bring in harmful luxuries.