INSTITUTES FOR WOMEN

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 79, 29 December 1919, Page 2

INSTITUTES FOR WOMEN

Hiss Ttclen Frnsov, who has done nutelt useful work during the war,. has recently returned to Scotland from a prolonged stay in the United States, where site li'as been sludyini; tho various institutions, and has also been Riv-in-t to many of America's more enlightened workers the benefit of her experience in public affairs in Great Britain. In an interview witn a representative of "T|io Christian Science Monitor" Miss Frascr outlined a scheme which she has been i'onnulatim;, anil which elm hopc3 to bring into opexition during the coming autumn, with the co-operation of Viscountess Khondda, who is in wholebearted sympathy with the idea. While, in the United States, Jtiss I'raser was struck with the club facilities for women which she found there, and which appealed to her as a valuablo asset in the national liff of the United States. In Great Britain, she/aid. tho women of large classes of society have practi'-allv no interests outside their homo life", and few. facilities are at present available for them to acquire an understanding of municipal, political, or social affairs vital to their own interests and welfare. Alias Eraser is therefore working out nil idea wliu'h niins- at having what iri"ht bo termed o women's institute i n "every city of the United Kingdom. They would be non-political. That is to sov, tliey would not be dominated by n'nv particular political party. Each initihuto would consist of an assembly hall, reception rooms, committee rooms, oliices for business, a library, and nil information bureau. Instead of having the various agencies connected with tlio many interests of women scattered over a city, .as is almost invariably tho case at present, these would bo boused in the institute, with their own offices for tho conduct of their particular business, and in touch with each other for co-opera-tion whenever necessary. • The institute would aim at increasing tlio educational status of women, generally, by means ot lectures and class instruction. I'or this purpose, the assembly hall and committeo rooms could bo used; and it might ho cxpectcd that in Scotland, under tho new Scottish Education Act, assistance would be given to this effort by tlie local education authorities. Miss Frascr-pointed out the value ot bringing together people, from different States. It enabled them, she eai(, to liecomo acquainted with each others points of view and to esteem cacti other's ideals more. The reception rooms of the institute would be used for this purpose; and it wrfs hoped a broader and more sympathetic international spirit would thus bo engendered and fostered, a S]6rit more tolerant m its nature than that which is apt to peisist under tho regime of a too exclusive nat ;,I Malism. . . What, perhaps, is chiefly dominant in the view of those in sympathy with tlio scheme is the effort to equip women tor the better carrying out of those duties which recent political and international cents have imposed imperatively upon rju>ni. The franchise lm< Wu largely extended to women in Great Flritain. the Parliamentary franchise. especially. lhe\ have to be educated in citizenship tofulfil these duties, not only in the town where tliey reside, but in tho nation wlreh thov' call their own. , Then, again, there is the international awt. .Miss Fraser is of opinion that women will plav a great part m the international life of the nations in the future. The sympathies of women ino readilv kindled, they are quick to detect mental atmospheres, ami responsive t> tho humanitarian assets of life; anil, further, tbev-are not associated to anything like the same extent as men witn the nurelv commercial side of international affairs, differences concerning which too frequently m the past lia\c been the cause of disagreements.