DO SOMETHING!

White Ribbon, Volume 37, Issue 444, 18 July 1932, Page 1

DO SOMETHING!

Frances Willard's book. "Do Everything." is well-known to White KibI toners. It is a tine Ideal, but for l tract leal work in an every-day world we would say to women. “Do Something?’ How often do wo hear at Conventions, Annual Meetings, Bible Class Conferences, etc., lamentations about the evils of the present-day Godless schools, \veak*‘ne< 1 home influence, juvenile crime an«i immorality, cabaret dances, with their accompanying evils -all these are spoken about, regretted, and there the matter ends. Many times our soul hath cried out, "Cease your talking, pet to work; Do Something!” The Bible condemns the shirker. When Deborah and Barak pathered the forces topether to repel the invader, anil sent out their SOS. to all the cities; one Merox, nestling in its hills, passed by, by the invaders, refused to answer the call. And Deltorah has put on record, for all ages to read, her condemnation of the shirker. "Curse ye, Meroz, and why? Did Meroz help the enemy? Were they traitors to their country? Oh! dear no, not traitors, but shirkers, "Because they came not up to the help of the Lord apainst the miphty.” Not pilloried on infamy’s hiph stape because they di<l evil —but Inna use they did Nothing. Take a New Testament story. A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves. Bobbed, wounded, left for dead; surely, if ever help was needed, it was here. I lie I riest and tin* Levite passed by oil the other side, and it was left to the Samaritan to win the Master’s approval, Itecause he was neighliourly in feelinp and in act. The

Driest and t he* Levite did no wronp, their condemnation was that they did Nothing. Then again the angel of the Churches condemned not for actively doing evil, but for not having energy enough to do anything. “Neither cold nor hot.” To how many this applies to-day? The glow of holy enthusiasm is needed, the red-hot purpose to do and dare, to suffer and sacrifice, to remedy the evils of which we complain. The following pafier, read at the Ovvaka Cnion, has been sent to us witli a request to publish it. May those who read it. feel the need to l»e up and doing;— TDK INDIFFERENCE OF WOMEN ON QCKSTIONS OF WORLD-WIDE IMI’ORTANCE. Indifference is the state of experiencing no feelings or emotions the state of being neutral and unconcerned. (in the intellectual side, we are told, indifference is the lack of Education, and the lack of Imagination. Ignorance can lie abolished by the teaching of facts; but that. In itself, is not sufficient to stimulate interest. Imagination wdl vitalise the facts, and induce a feelinp other than boredom towards them. On the moral side, using moral in its widest sense, Indifference is the out come of selfishness. A child begins by liking himself better than anyone or anything else; th**n. as interest develops, he experiences feelings for those altoul him tiis family, lister his inteiest includes his village or town, and when he is older, his country. It depends on how his character has been built up, the degree of selfishness, or selflessness, as to what point he will feel interest In any group of which he is not the centre.

It would iw* hard to decide just how far indifference is due to intellectual inability or to moral slackness, it is a fact that some women have gone through the Cniversity, and are not in the least interested in world problems. Others are interested solely in so far as the study provides mental exercise. On the other hand, there are those who have never gone lieyond the Hth Standard, but who show a keen interest in such things. The most selfish educated woman recognises that, either directly or indirectly, now or later, she herself must he affected h> any world problem and its solution. The world has shrunk so much of late years, through the speed of its communications, that the business ol one part of the earth in now the business of all other parts. Not only tin* affairs of our own Nation come before us; hut the affairs of .ill other nations are forced upon us, showing that, after all, we are hut a unit in the great scheme. As we look around, what do we learn of the part our sisters are playing? The Emancipation of Women is a long history. From having no rights, no duties, save absolute obedience to the head of the family, the way has gradually opened up, and woman has cone* into her ow n. In Turkey, in India and China, the Women’s Movement is a revelation. The I’an-Pacific Conference, including women delegates from all countries bordering the Pacific, met to discuss world problems, is a convincing argument against the Indifference of Women. Eight packing cases were required to convey to Geneva the signatures of women who signed flu*

Disarmament I >eclaration. Surely women are not found wanting when the opportunity romps! Ami yet, as we take stock of our own land, ii forced upon us that Indiff irenec does exist. W'e Christian women, untrammelled by custom, free and unbound, what are we doing? We are faced with such problems as: The Addition of War; Communism and Unemployment; the Liquor Traffic; Gambling: the Divorce Evil; Sabbath Desecration; and others. How do we meet our responsibilities in regard to these questions? The woman membership of our Church (i res.) is some 30,000. Take, in addition, the woman mend>ership of -nr sister Churches, and we have a force to l»e reckoned with, surely; and yet, results show us. to quote Mrs. McLean, that “We are not pulling our full weight.”

Do we fully understand the responsibility of membership in Church, or an> <'hristian organisation? There must always In* leaders. All good leaders l>egin by being good followers. and we thus find eager earnest women coming to the fore in this respect. Hut no leader can win the battle. There must be eo-operation of the whole foree. Then, what of the rank and file? The majority act up to their pledge of membership; but there are some who are apparently not much interested. They cannot be depended upon They may vote for what we see is good, they may not. No one is sure. What is the reason?

Some (few) appear to have drifted into Secularism. The prosperous years have taken their toll. The question may well l** asked: Can human nature support a high degree of material prosperity without undergoing serious deterioration?

Others, without going so far, have slipped into an easy-going Christianity, a kind of religion that allows of a growing laxitj—which we may instance: In a Church school, several women of ♦ he staff were dismissed because of their propensity for bridge-playing and similar amusements. It was rightly considered that these women were unsuitable for the training of young girls. A lady who is a Church worker, when reproved for attending the races, rerdied unconcernedly: “Oh, it is such a lovely day’s outing.” A mother, in a small town, excused herself for her first attendance at a race meeting, by saying; “Oh. everybody goes. There is no harm when one does not gamble.” Hut a year later she boasted of having made a small win! One fi end in the country, with hotel .mil dance hall almost at her door, does her utmost to fight these enemies to the young men of her household; but, sad to say, her Sabbath observance is many times forgotten. At a recent conference, where a large dinner was given, one woman refused cigarettes and wine. Some of those present, I am sure, did not make a

practice* of Hiking these things; but they did net wish to appear odd at that function, and so suited themselves to their company. Some women think that an assumption of indifference is good form. They pride themselves on their open-minded-ness, not seeing that all the time they grow shallow with regard to what really matters. Indifference may sometimes lie the outcome of laziness. “Just let things go, it will l>e all the same a hundred years hence. Things will right themselves.” This is an attitude adopted by some. With others again, there is only a pretence of Indifference. They really have thoughts; but various reasons prevent them from coming forward. Some are sensitive, and hove suffered rebuff over a little mistake which may have resulted from timidity. They cannot find the courage to venture forth again.

Others may lie l>ound by tradition in tlie home, where the husband or father is the ruling spirit and does not hold with women having opinions of their own. it is a fact that many wuimen vote in accord with the head of the house, even though they know, in their hearts, it is wrong. There are some women so engrossed in family and domestic cares, and so placed as to environment, that they are ignorant and therefore indifferent, through no fault of their own. Take the country women in far-back districts, toiling day in and day out, what time or opportunity have they to devote to world topics? Truly, in some cases, "A woman’s work is never done." Outside interest is left to the husbands, who hear the news in the “market place," and have time at least to read the newspapers. Yet these women, where a lead is given, become interested, and somehow or other find time for meetings, as instanced by the Women’s Division and Women’s institutes. This brings us to the point where we may ask: “But what are we to do about it?* Allow me to quote once more from Mrs. McLean, in her notable address at the I'.W.M.r. Conference: “A general invitation to members will achieve little. Intensive personal work must be done in systematic fashion. Constant prayer must be offered for guidance, and the guidance followed. Friendship and love must be poured forth. Membership has been increased many hundred-fold by such methods, and w hat ha.s l*een done can tie done again. Kemember, we can never tx> a perfect Mmb as long as one woman is missing trom our ranks. The more zealous we are in this work, the more will we understand and follow our Lord, who left the ninety and nine to seek the lost one.” Thus we see that the cure for Indifference, and likewise the solution of world problems, lies in the Kingdom of <'.od. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of

Cod, and His righteousness, and ail these things shall be added unto you.” Christ gave no command of Indifference. The sinner He habitually denounces is the one who has done nothing. The Driest and the Levite who passed b\ on the other side, the servant who hid the one talent, these were of no benefit to society. Let us understand that "Our individual attitude counts tremendously.” Each member stands alone in her responsibility towards God and towards society. We are our brothers' and our sisters’ keepers! And we are united in Christ Jesus! As Frances Willard says; ’The golden rule of Christ Will bring the golden age to man.”