WOMEN AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2892, 3 October 1916, Page 3

WOMEN AND THE WAR

LECTURE BY MR J. J, VIRGO

Tho'Concert Chamber of the Town Hall was filled yesterday afternoon, when Mr. J. J. Virgo, National Field Secretary of tho British National Council of tlio Y.SI.C.A.j gavo an address specially for -women, upon the work of • .women during the war. The Mayoress (Mrs. J. P. I/uke) presided, and also .oeoupying scats upon the stago in addition to Mr. Virgo and Mrs. Iniko were Mrs. Low, president of tho Ladies' Auxiliary of the Y.M.C.A., Mrs. Korsley, wifo of tho president of- the Y.M.C.A.- (Wellington branch), Mrs. Dumbell, secretary of tho Ladies' Auxiliary, and Mr. Brownell. Mr. Virgo spoko of the way in which it was proposed to work out the great plan of tho unification of the Young Men's Christian Association tho world' over. In this -unification the Ladies' Auxiliaries would he called on to- play their part, and it was proposed to form a World Ladies' Auxiliary of the Y.M.0.A., with its centre hi London. On the other side of the -world they already had representatives who could bo gathered in to form this Imperial Council of the Ladies' Auxiliary, which, •with tho Imperial Council of tho Young Men 1 would deal with the work of the organisation in tho interests of. tho overseas countries. The president of this; central Ladies', Auxiliary would be , Her Majesty the Queen, who has very closely associated' herself with the work of the Y.M.C.A., and after whom several huts have been named. Tho Queen. Mother had also dono much in this direction, and also Princess Victoria, who gavo all her time to the work, saw the artiste who go over to France to give their entertainments to tho soldiers, and also saw as many of tho workers as possible w;ho go there to work trnder tho association. _ Mr. Virgo spoke warmly of what Mi_6s Lena Ashwell had done for the soldiers in organising theso entertainments.

Tho work of women in tho munition factories, on farms, .in mdtor buses, as window cleaners, and' in practically every walk of life, was just touched upon. What Mi - . Virgo was'warm in his praises. about in regard to their work was the way in ivhich they used their influence and their energies in trying to provide counter-attractions, to tho temptations and dangers that besetthe soldiers, particularly (when they arrived in London on leave from France, and had.a few hours to put in before they could leave for their friends or their homes in otlior parts of England, Sootland, Wales, or Ireland, as the case mjght be. Words altogether fai'ed to do; justice l to the wOrlc which the women of 'Britain wero doing during this war in every direction. Mr. Virgo was greatly interested in seeing what women had doiie in this part of tho world, and ho was sure that they wero..proceeding on the -right lines. , For that reason ho had no 'suggestions .-fo, make, .for they knew from letters and from every other sourco just what their'men needed.' "Tho most you can do is-not enough for tho boys who are facing what they are facing," said Mr. Virgo, and he hoped they would stand, by. the National Council in this country and enable Mr. Brownell to

send' to lYanco and to Egypt many things that were needed to make the lives of tho moil brighter. No one oould give .their money too 'iberally in such a cause. The- judgment of men who had. investigated tho way in which money had been spent upon tho needs of. tho soldier through the association had pronounced it as spent inithe best possible way. What' women wero doing •

— ; in the hutments at Havre, in the Harfleur Valley, and elsewhere was.touehed upon. All their time'was spent in attending to tho wants of the men—in canteen work, in offico work, in motor ambulance and other forms of motor work, etc., and they were exerting a very fine'influence upon the soldiers. The message which the men gave, to take to • the people in the Homeland . 8 and .to, those in Australia and 1 New 1 Zealand was always the same: "Give ' U 'them our love, and tell them, we'll see I this thing through." Reference "to the | work for tho men which was 'being'done fi in Egypt by women was made, | and Mr. Virgo . told of one I place, notorious;, in bygone days, I which was jiow cleared of every--8 one but the soldiers and the women who wero working for their good. Tho Eskebieh Gardens wero a wonderful illustration of this influence. Mr. Virgo ended his address by making a very special appeal to Women to exert their utmost influence in seeing aa that when tho men came back the welcome that was held out to them should . havo no. harmful elements." The welcome that some - who- called themselves mon would hold out was not the sort of welcomo to-givo theso soldiers of ours, and it was for tho women to seo that • they wero not tempted in ways to which the.v had become unacoustomed during their strenuous campaigning life,- and to discourage anything that would help to lower their manhood.