The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 27, 1921, Page 11

‘v News of Women's Nonpartisan Clubs A Hard Philosophy The Price Mrs. B. Paid for a Comfortable ; Old Age Miss Gray has been contributing brief articles to this page for some time. . BY MARY GRAY 7| HE woman had worked hard in her day on the farm—the usual endless tagks, the usual long hours. And she ‘has raised a large family. She is entitled to the respect that any of us who does her duty is entitled to. But she was- more fortunate in the end than thé majority. A part of the land they had homesteaded, a part they bought cheaply right after pioneer days. They made no money raising crops, but sold over half their land 10 years ago for a fortune. But they have stayed on the farm and continued to work the land they had left, though it has been' a sort of “gentleman’s farming” that they have been doing. They have house servants as well as farmhands and go South in the winter. A crop failure or two doesn’t bother them any more, and they don’t worry about the state of the market. Their income from their invested re- turns from the sold land would keep them in town without work, or even playing at farming, if they wanted to live that way. ; Mrs. B. {that’s what I’ll call her) is nice to mect socially. I have,always loved her for staying on the farm and bringing the children up in the whole- some and healthful environment of the country, so different from the cramped, crowded cities. I wish that every farm woman at.40, or even 50, could be as happily and comfortably situated as Mrs. B. It would be some- thing for us to look forward to. Some day, with God’s help and stout hearts, the farm men and the farm women will raise agriculture to a point where honest toil, and faithful service in feeding the hungry mouths of the world, will have a fair chance to get its just reward! SAYS FARMERS MUST WORK, BUT NOT ASK REFORMS But, dear readers, I hope none of you will purchase ease for your latter days at the price Mrs. B. has paid. Ten years of comfortable, worryless existence has closed her mind and heart. Pleasant to meet, kind to her family, considerate of her friends, she vet has developed a hard philosophy of life. “All farmers,” she told me the other day, “can win independence and all the comforts and satis- factions of life, if they will work and save. I’m not in favor of your ‘leagues’ and ‘movements,’ or any kind of agitation. It makes folks dissatisfied— makes them think they can rise in the world with- out toil and thrift. No, I will not join your club. What the farmers need is advice to stick to their job of farming, not promises of something for nothing.” . N " Dear friends, what would YOU have said to this poor woman whom a little prosperity had hardened, who had forgotten those who struggled with her on the rungs of the ladder which she, by lucky chance, had climbed, leaving them behind? I hope if any of us, whether by a fortunate land deal or by our own work and pluck, win independence, we will not use our position to oppose those reforms which will make it easier for our children to win out, and which will give a larger proportion of us a place at - the top, where fewer and fewer get now. My mother and father made a fair success at farming in the old days back East, and till she left the farm m¥ mother carried water from the pump to the kitchen. But she never objected to her daughters having running water in the house— which, figuratively, is what Mrs. B. objects to. N _ 'PROGRESS MADE " The maternity-infancy welfare bill, in which- practically every big national women’s organization THE FARM WOMAN’S PAGE is actively interested, was beforg the senate com- mittee on education and labor and the committee requested the chairman, Senator William S. Ken- yon, to report the bill in practically the same form in which it passed the senate and was favorably re- ported by the interstate commerce committee of the house in the last congress. Representatives of the Sheppard-Towner subcommittee of the women’s joint congressional committee, composed of 14 na- tional women’s organizations, expressed much sat- isfaction at the action of the committee. Japanese Active World Peace Movement Taken Up by the : Women of Nippon The movement for reduction of armament has re- * ceived immediate and detisive approval in Japan, where theé “women, under the leadership of Mme. Yukio Ozaki of Tokio, have organized a Women’s Peace society, dedicated to furthering disarmament, especially by the promotion of an understanding between the United States and Japan. ¢ According. to a statement just made public, of 16,000 Japanese who expressed their views in writ- ] A CITY NONPARTISAN CLUB | This is~a picture of the Twelfth Ward Women’s Nonpartisan club No. 102 of Minneapolis, one of the many live organizations of the cities which are affiliated with the national organization of Women’s Nonpartisan clubs. It is hard to say whether the women folks of the working people’s distric‘s in the city, or the farm women are taking the most inter- ' . est in this great progressive club movement. ing, 93 per cent favor reduction or restriction of armaments, and only 5 per cent oppose it. Two pér cent were uncertain in their opinions. The action of the Japanese women, following so . closely the/initiative taken by the American women, is a great encouragement, because it shows the in- gergst with which women generally regard this sub- ject. . Since American women have achieved the ballot and are exerting their influence on parties for world peace, the prospect for measures toward disarma- ment have become bright. ANSWERS EDITOR - -~ Mrs. A. D. Wells, superintendent of the Com- munity Sunday school at Deering, N. D., has. sent the Leader a clipping from a religious publication and a copy of her letter to the editor of the publi- cation, calling him to time for his absurd views on reform movements. The religious editor, among other things, queted the Bible words, “The poor ye have always with you,” as evidence that there MUST be poor, and if there were not, the Bible would be untrue. equality of men was against the ,Bible! Mrs, Wells was able to answer such afguments in an effective. way. How many women are watching the publieations they read for just this sort of un- reasonable anti-reform propaganda, and writing the editor responsible about it? There is no better way of influencing hostile editors. PAGE TWELVE The editor said that to teach’ "Letters From Live Workers Is Ybur Club In? " How Your Local Organization Can Raise a % Neat Fund Y THIS time most of the many hun- dreds of Women’s Nonpartisan clubs throughout the.country have received the letter, mentioned on this page last issue, which the Nonpartisan Leader has sent to all clubs through the kind co-operation of the national headquar- ters of the clubs. Has it been read at your club meeting yet? If not, brihg it up at your next meeting. The Leader believes it has presented your club with a plan by which you can raise a large fund for your club, or the cause of progress, and besides you can be doing a work that-is second to none in im- portance to the farmers’ movement. Our letter to clubs concerns our new circulation policy and drive for a million subseribers. It shows you how you can earn for your club a substantial commission through members devoting a small part of -their spare time. Furthermore, the Leader plans on offering special prizes, in addition to the regular commission, to clubs which do the best work. In any event, your club should fill out and send the Leader the blank in- ‘closed with our letter, so that you can ‘get full details of the plan.—Adv. Dr Rosa Dead In the passing of Dr. Edward Ben- nett Rosa, chief physicist of the bu- reau of standards, Washington, D. C., who died suddenly at his office at the bureau Tuesday. afternoon, May.- 17, the women’s organizations have lost a friend whose work has been of ines- timable value to them. The strongest and most effective argument. of the women for federal enactment of protective measures for- women and children was furnished by the illuminating figures and charts compiled by Dr. Rosa as a government pamphlet. His startling analysis of the allocation of every dollar of fed- eral appropriations, with but .0056 cents for women’s and children’s wel- fare and 1.01 cents for research and education as against 92.83 cents for past war and present upkeep of army and navy, has been effectively used and published broadcast: Dr. Rosa has done notable work in science and electrical engineering, but in the hearts of the women of the country he will hold a greater place because of his broad humanitafianism and his wholehearted efforts for the advancement of human welfare and the safe- . guarding of children, women and industrial workers. A Colorado Club Editor Nonpartisan Leader: This is the first time you have heard from this locality, as this is the only club of this kind in this part of the state, at least. We are less than a year old and have a membership of 12, nine being in the role of present workers. This being a country club in a somewhat sparsely settled part of the state, we feel it is a very good membership. During the winter months we studied in the books received from the auxiliary but as sum- mer advamced have spent our time more in civie .work. : This last month our club donated refreshments and labor to furnish an ice cream social for the benefit of the local cemetery. The proceeds were $16.65, the same to be used for a gate for the cemetery. : We are also taking up women’s problems on the farm in regard to poultry and gardening and find the experiences of each very helpful to one another. . ‘Would like to-hear from some of the other Colo- rado clubs through these columns or by letter as to the work they are doing and planning. : Crook, Col. MRS. E. J. SIMPSON.