A CONGRESS OF WOMEN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 562, 17 July 1909, Page 11

A CONGRESS OF WOMEN.

. Delegates from all,over the civilised world are going to the. quinquennial: congress of International Congress of Women which is to bo held at Toronto within a few weeks. The last; oongress .was held at: Berlin,when more than,one New Zealand representatiye , distinguished hereelf as a.pubpc speaker. There will be . New : Zealand: women present at this probably; but they will not ■, go aa representatives of any national: council, for it is now some years since'the Women's National Council of New' Zealand died'from • want of sufficient, (»mponeht; parts' to make ■ existence worth-,its while.; That is to-say, in plainer terms, that , after'being, in existence for, some' years "and holding, scleral ' conferences ' tho' National Council/discoveredthat most of .the New/Zealand women's socicties ; had come to an end.- ,Tho. political .organisations.^had ceased, andthere only remained the Women's Christian.Temperance Ijniqn,; with two ;or three minor'wpmen's societies, and it:was obviously- ;no ; - longer worth while ; keeping' .'a council going'to do.workthat tho W.C.T.U.. could do equally.;well.by itself. So,the council has by now almost faded;out of memory, though if .one" only'knew'-it, .the .-result of its work. suTviv.es: in various; reforms that were first set going by," its/means.'' ';, . ■ '}■' ■ ...New, South, Wales: still' maintains its. National Cpuncil'M Women, and'just at present that council-is not too well : ploased. : ;■.'■■ ">■/'. .: .For.- one thing it has. discovered/that tSho two splendid'womcn who-were to represent it at the Tpronto Congress have- been suddenly called, away to,Europo:on urgent and- for- another,-when Ithad .a'meeting recently .to read and .discuss the ;four, papers that hadbeen sent. to.the congress as .its con-: tribution. to the discussions, "■ it found it did■ not'liko .them at;.all. : Itis spoke. , A woman writer fin .tho "Daily Telegraph" gives'a sad- little'account' of». the: way the papers were* received. The papers wero very dull; at least two of them woro. wore very worthy and full of informa'ticni,:'but they made painfully heavy, reading, 'and the other, two were very slight; and one'bf the four was not'at • all -representative of -the National Council's opinion. And' what made tho womeii .all the , saudor ,was. tho fact that the' wife .of •the Governor-General-,was ■Lady Dudley,, who had herself had.dealings "with the.: head council, 1 \iai who. had' taken'the trouble to prepare'a really inspiring, speech; for:: tho occasion,, in ' which , she ' '-'wondered whether "we in Australia:realisd , the import-, ance of these councils." Apparently her hearers . were/. left- ; : with . the '.feeling:. .that"' they didn'tj: but they.; would : do so -in' fliture. V :