The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 18, 1921, Page 8

1 AT TP A Page of, by and for the Women In Behalf of Social Progress Churches Under Attack Manufacturers of Nation Asked to Put Veto on Social Teachings of Christ N THE last issue of the Leader atten- tion was called to the fact that the Employers’ association of Pittsburg, Pa., had blocked the recent drive of the Y. W. C. A. for a $200,000 fund because the Y. W. C. A. would not give up its industrial program, which included work for a minimum wage, government employment agen- cies, co-operation and the like. Since the last issue we have been informed that this is only the start of a nation-wide drive, not only against the Y. W. C. A., but also against churches which.are engaged in bettering conditions for the workers of the city and the farm. In a letter sent to employers’ associations and similar organizations throughout the United States, the Pittsburg Employers’ association says: “For your information we desire to place before you the action of this association in reference to the Y. W. C. A. On January 12, 1921, we issued 2 bulletin to our members drawing their attention’ to the industrial program which had been adopted by the Y. W. C. A. The local association had just be- gun a campaign for $200,000 when our bulletin was issued. As a result of the information given our members the Y. W. C. A. raised only $90,000 of its $200,000. “The ladies of the Y. W. C. A. were very ‘wrothy’ over our action, but we told them we could do noth- ing unless they would repudiate the action of their national body and promise not to send any of the sums they were raising to the national head- quarters. _ “The dangerous attitude of some of our religious and quasi-religious institutions is one of the most serious things we have to face at the present time. Unless those of our members who are connected . with the various churches of the country protest in vigorous fashion against the radicalism which is creeping into our church bodies, the result will be extremely grave. Religious bodies can hardly ex- pect us to give them money for the purpose of manufacturing weapons with which to destroy in- dustry. “DISCONTINUE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF CHURCHES,” SAY THE STEEL KINGS “The radical and Bolshevik elements in the churches seem to be co-operating through the Fed- eral Coum;il of the Churches of Christ in America and many of our members are expressing them- selves as determined to discontinue financial sup- port of their respective churches unless they with- draw all moral and financial support from the Fed- eral Council.” To show just how “dangerous” and “radical” are the doctrines of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ we print herewith the industrial doctrines adopted by the national conference at Cleveland, Ohio, in May, 1920: “Resolved: That we af- firm as Christian churches: “1, That the teachings of Jesus are those of es- sential democracy, and ex- - press themselves through brotherhood and the co- operation of all groups. “2. That an ordered and constructive democracy in industry is as necessary as political democracy, and that collective bargaining and the sharing of shop control and management are inevitable steps in its attainment. “3. That the first charge upon industry should be that of a wage sufficient to support an American standard of -living. To that end we advocate the guar- antee of a minimum wage, the control of unemploy- ment through government This is a picture of one of Minnesota’s young- est stockmen—Mr. Walter William Prieb “of Wolverton, Minn., and his pet calf. Walter is a good Leaguer, his sister, Miss L. G. -~ Prieb, says in sending the picture. labor exchanges, public works, land settlement, so- cial insurance, and experimentation in profit shar- ing and co-operative ownership. “4, We recognize that women played no small part in the winning of the war. We, believe that they should have full political and economic equal- ity, with equal pay for equal work, and a maximum eight-hour day. We declare for the abolition of night work by women, and the abolition of child labor; and for the provision of adequate safeguards to insure the moral as well as the physical health of the mothers and children of the race.” Texas Is Organizing With Mrs. Maud Morris of Cis- tern, Texas, as an organizer, the Women’s Nonpartisan club move- ment is progressing rapidly in the Lone Star state. Mrs. Morris is now at work organizing clubs in South Texas, but the Texas women hope to have the organ- ization spread later over the entire com- monwealth, which is “some job,” because Texas is larger than Germany was before the war. State™ head- quarters of the Wom- en’s Nonpartisan clubs in Texas are at Waco, Texas, Box 1442. What Mrs. Morris has to say about the club movement will be found elsewhere on this page. Watch the women of the South and their progress! ; What One Club Did Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I want to tell the readers of the Woman’s page about the food sale and fancy work bazaar Club No. 1 of Minnesota con- ducted at Eagle Bend on March 19. We had posters printed telling of our sale and put them up in most of the business places and gave the school children some to take home to their mothers, besides having it printed in our paper for two weeks. We rented the main hall and placed our tables in the following manner: Near the stage we put our table for fancy work display and covered the tables in white. Next, our table for our display of food. At the side we had our serving table. We served coffee and whatever else they wanted, and as we sold out our fancy work we used that table for serving also. We started our sale at 2 o’clock and at 5:30 were completely out of food and also the last piece of fancy work was gone. If we could have had more, we could have nearly doubled our proceeds. Twenty-four members took part and we cleared $41.90 above all expenses. One of our -merchants donated the coffee we used and the town people were very kind to us. They seemed to like what we Mrs. Maud Morris and daughter. l WALTER PRIEB’S PET I had to sell.. Our food con- = sisted of cakes, pies, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, cookies, baked beans, pre- serves and fpickles. Our - bazaar handled aprons, dresses, dresser scarfs, doilies and crochet work. -Other clubs of the county also donated work. We are now planning on a quilt, with names at 10 cents each worked on each block. Will write and tell more about it as work goes on. We are also planning on getting every township of the county or- ganized before our county federation in May. Wish- ing our page as well as the whole organization a big- ger and better year. TENA SCHWARTZ. Eagle Bend, Minn. PAGE EIGHT °) What Is the Next Step? Leaders in Women’s Work Tell What Their | * Sex Must Do With Ballot The editor of the Farm Woman’s page recently wrote a number of women in many states, including leaders in Women’s Nonpartisan clubs and other forward-looking __women, requesting an answer to this question: “Now that women have the ballot, what is the next thing for them.to do?’ Among those to whom .our letter went was Alice Stone Blackwell of Boston, Mass., former editor of a paper which pioneered in the suffrage movement, noted author and journalist and, incidentally, a strong believer in the Nonpartisan league, Our letter found Miss Blackwell ill, but while confined to her bed she insisted on writing the following message of cheer to the women of the Northwest and . accompanied her letter by a generous donation of money for “the good of the cause.” Letters from other -women follow Miss Blackwell’s, and more letters will be published in the next issue of the Leader. BY ALICE STONE BLACKWELL / HE_next thing for. women (and men) which the profiteering big business in- terests have got upon the political and economice life of our country. The best outlook for doing this, within a meas- urable length of time, is through the Nonpartisan league and the Farmer-Labor party. Therefore women should work to extend the organization and to spread a knowledge of its principles and of the abuses that it is seeking to remedy. ‘Women can be especially useful in spreading this knowledge among other women, because they un- - derstand the arguments that will appeal to them. In addition to building up the organization-local- 1y, by such methods as may best suit each locality, they should organize a campaign of education among the women of the nation. There is a fine field for it. Big business feared woman suffrage and fought it by underground methods because they believed that women’s sympathetic nature and real wish for-. the _public good would line up the women on the side of human welfare whenever there was a con- flict between human welfare and the almighty dol- lar. It would be so if the women understood the facts. Most of them do not, and of course every ef- fort is made by the great profiteering interests to mislead them. It ought to be our job to bring the facts home to them. It is a big job—a woman-sized job, and no mistake—but it can be done. THE ADVICE OF THE AUTHOR OF “UNCLE TOM’S CABIN” Long ago, as a young girl, I attended a birthday party given in Boston in honor of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s seventieth anniversary. After many dis- tinguished authors had paid tribute to her in prose and verse the little old lady got up to respond. She told us never to be discouraged in working for any righteous cause, no matter how hopeless it might seem, for nothing could possibly look more hopeless than the attempt to overthrow African slavery did when she was young. Slavery was firmly intrench- ed in the government, in the business world, in the colleges, the church, the press and public opinion. It seemed impregnable—yet it had all been swept away. She said: : : “Remember, whatever ought to be, can be done.” That is just as true today as it was then—and the work is splendidly worth doing. The following letters are from leaders in Wom- en’s Nonpartisan club work in the states named: It makes little difference whether we were for or against woman suffrage. We must accept the re- sponsibility of full citizenship now. Under a re- publican form of government the people may have anything they want, but they must know what they want and how to get it. They must knew how to vote intelligently. There is no better way to learn how to meet these responsibilities than through the organization of strong Women’s Nonpartisan clubs in every community, to study our needs and the needs of our children and then vote for our best in- terests. A MRS. MAUD MORRIS. Cistern, Texas. Read and study to promote political education to the end that we may vote intelligently. Be nonpartisan and without prejudice rather than accept a partisan view without knowing the facts. Know that the business of voting is a serious thing as well as a privilege. : . Become informed on all public questions and to do is to break the stranglehold"