1924 - Annual Convention Report

              A L B E R T A W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T ES
P u t t i n g it v e r y p r a c t i c a l l y , i t is far less expensive to educate a c h i l d t h a n it
is to f a i l h i m Society p r o t e c t s i t s e l f t h r o u g h e d u c a t i o n . It is n o t t o be f o r g o t t en
t h a t the centre of interest i n a n y s y s t em is the c h i l d , a n d t h a t t h e p r i n c i p l e of s e r v i ce
is the only one w h i c h can j u s t i f y a n y system.
R e s p e c t f u l l y s u b m i t t e d,
A L I C E L . G R E V E T T,
C o n v e n e r .
R E P O R T O F P R O V I N C I A L C O N V E N E R O N A G R I C U L T U R E F O R 1923- 24.
I have put off t o the e l e v e n t h hour the p r e p a r a t i o n of t h i s r e p o r t , t h i n k i ng
I would have so m u c h i n f o r m a t i o n sent i n f r om the Conveners throughout the
P r o v i n c e t h a t I w o u l d have h a r d w o r k condensing it, but, alas! o n l y five C o n v e n e rs
out of t h i r t y - f i v e h a d a n y i n f o r m a t i o n to send me. Now if I were to get i n t o u ch
w i t h a woman f r om each C o n s t i t u e n c y , I k n o w she w o u l d h a v e a great deal to tell
me, b u t when i t has to be p u t on paper, i t is different. The five f a i t h f u l C o n v e n e rs
who reported are, M r s . B r i m b l e , C o a l d a l e ; M r s . West, M o u n t a i n V i e w ; M r s.
M c A r t h u r , H u x l e y ; M r s . Scott, K i n s e l l a ; and M r s . F l o r e n c e , B o n A c c o r d.
M r s . B r i m b l e ' s l e t t e r to her C o n v e n e r s was of such a n a t u r e that each woman
i n t e r e s t e d i n a n y of the branches of our w o r k s h o u l d have at least received an i n ­s
p i r a t i o n .
D u r i n g the year I received numerous requests f r om members throughout the
P r o v i n c e for i n f o r m a t i o n or l i t e r a t u r e on a g r i c u l t u r e to h e l p get up a paper for a
meeting, so b y t h a t I j u d g e t h a t a g r i c u l t u r e h a s been h a v i n g i t s place o n programs.
I wrote all of these ladies, t h a t i n s t e a d of w r i t i n g t o me for i n f o r m a t i o n t h e y s h o u ld
be p u t t i n g f o r t h an effort to secure l o c a l i n f o r m a t i o n for me, as that is more satis­f
a c t o r y and accurate t h a n details I c o u l d secure t h r o u g h newspapers or magazines.
Of the five Conveners, o n l y M r s . M c A r t h u r reported h a v i n g h e a r d f r om any
of her C o n v e n e r s on the subject of a g r i c u l t u r e . I expect they are a l l so b u s y w i th
t h e real w o r k that they h a v e n o t h a d t i m e t o w r i t e a b o u t i t . We a l l t a k e different
papers and farm magazines, and if each C o n v e n e r w o u l d make it a h a b i t to cut
out any articles of interest, and make a scrap book of them, w h e n the time came lo
report they could s? nd t h em on to me, or condense? them i h e n i s o l v e s for a repor .
M r s . B r i m b l e of C o a l d a l e i s v e r y s t r o n g for t h e clean- up c a m p a i g n . It s h o u ld
c o n s t a n t l y be kept before the people even in the r u r a l parts. We a l l k n o w tha<
b e a u t i f u l b u i l d i n g s alone do not make a home, but w e l l - p l a n n e d gardens, shrubs,
trees a n d flowers do m u c h more. I a m here q u o t i n g a l i t t l e out of M r s . B r i m b l e ' s
report, t a k e n f r om the ' ' F a r m L i f e " magazine. " The great work of women today
is to teach the y o u n g the value of pure homes and pure life, and t h a t m a n ' s r i c t us
consist not i n the t h i n g s w h i c h he possesses, but i n s i m p l i c i t y of life, i n a broadened
i n t e l l i g e n c e , i n b e t t e r s o c i a l a n d home c o n d i t i o n s a n d customs. We women c a n do
m u c h to s t em the t i d e of disrespect a n d l a x i t y i n s o c i a l life, a n d w h e n we have done
a l l we c a n do, we m a y s a y w i t h C e c i l R h o d e s ' s o m u c h t o do, so l i t t l e done'.*'
A l l who reported s t a t e d t h a t nearly every d i s t r i c t is i n t e r e s t e d i n the seho' I,
i t s ground, fairs, etc., most I n s t i t u t e s a s s i s t i n g or m a n a g i n g the school fairs.
T h e r u r a l w o m a n m a y do a great deal t o h e l p i n greater p r o d u c t i o n . She s h o u ld
also s t r i v e to educate her fellow women along the l i n e of p r o d u c i n g goods of b e t t er
q u a l i t y , a n d of a u n i f o rm grade. She m a y i n s t i l the idea that real p r c s p e r i t v de­pends,
not u p o n H O W M U C H , but u p o n H O W G O O D .
I had the pleasure of h e a r i n g f r om b o t h the N a t i o n a l C o n v e n e r , M r s . L a u ra
Rose Stephens, and the F e d e r a t e d Convener, M i s s E e a r d m o r e , M e a d o w v a l e , O n t .,
a n d I w i l l t r y to give y o u a few ideas w h i c h t h e y are p a s s i n g on.
M r s . Stephens is keeping well posted w i t h a l l t h e women who are a c t u a l l y in
C a n a d a ' s greatest i n d u s t r y . She mentions q u i t e a n u m b e r f r om her o w n P r o v i n c e,
Quebec, who are m a k i n g a success of sheep- breeding, bee- keeping ; p o u l t r y - r a i s i n g,
a n d one w o m a n f r om N e w O n t a r i o , some distance f r om F o r t W i l l i a m , who t e l ls
h ow successful she has been w i t h vegetables and fruits. M i s . S t e p h e n s also men­t
i o n s M r s . D e a c h m a n of C a l g a r y , r e c o g n i z e d as one of the most successful p o u l t r y -
breeders i n A l b e r t a , also a M i s s M a r g u e r i t e C h r i s t i e , B . A . of C o l d S p r i n g , Saslc.,
who, when her father died, was left heir to three a n d o n e - q u a r t e r sections of good
l a n d , s t o c k e d w i t h p u r e - b r e d Herefords, C l y d e s d a l e s , O x f o r d sheep, a n d Y o r k s h i re
hogs. She n o w supervises and d i r e c t s a l l w- ork done o n t h e C o l d S p r i n g F a r m .
W h a t these w o m e n have a c c o m p l i s h e d on a large scale, c a n we not m a k e a success
of i n our l i t t l e w a y , i n a l l l i n e s of a g r i c u l t u r e p e r t a i n i n g to women's a c t i v i t i e s?