WOMEN'S INSTITUTES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 145, 16 December 1929, Page 9

WOMEN'S INSTITUTES

LONDON EXHIBITION.

MOVEMENT IN NEW ZEALAND

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 18th October.

Miss Agnes Stops, who has previously, visited Samoa and New Zealand, is shortly going out to the Dominion to stimulate still'greater interest in-the women's institutes' movement. Recently she has been working for the Northamptonshire branches of the fed* orations. The movement ia New Zealand, of course, is not new,. the first branch having been formed at Hissington, near Napier, in 1921. There are now about 14 institutes in the Hawkes Bay Provincial Federation, and in the Auckland and Wellington Provinces the movement has also been set on foot. ■ ' J.he proof that the movement meets a real need lies in its growth in Greafc Britain. The first institute was founded in September, 1915. i n June, 1929— less than fourteen years late—the number was 4321. During the Great European War the need arose for combined effort among the country women of in this case with special reterence to food production and preserZ *°l U 1915 Mrs- Alfred a«> who! haa been secretary of the Advisory; Board of Women's Institutes of the British Columbia Department of Agri, culure, brought the question of the lormation of women's institutes in England Sn^'f A ASricultwal Organisation Society Owing m a large measure to N,? CT GIV w iaS- Ue SUpport Siven by Mr.' to U. A n I m4'- thm- geaeral secretary to tn ; A.0.5., this society undertook the organisation of the movement, and Mrs. Watt joined the A.O.S. staff as Women 'a Institute organiser. The first institute tU, i e . U"ited Kingdom was formed at v f \ ir£ G -' " :North Wales- The first English Women's Institute to sign the rules was Singleton (West Sussex), with Wallisdown (Dorset) a close second. PRINCIPLES OF TKE MOVEMENT.

The ideal of the institute is that all women of the village, rich and poor, gentle and simple, learned and unlearned, come together with the one idea of helping each other. All pay the same subscription, have the same rights the same privileges, the same resp6nsibilities. Each contributes what she has to the common store. If one member has a garden she can lend for an institute party, another does the washing-up or brings a cherished' recipe for marrow jam. There is gratitude for all, but no sense of obligation to anyone. To give and to receive are both natural aid healthy when giving and receiving are not divorced. "If you know a good thing, pass it on," is one of the principles of the institute movement, and the result is a common bond of fellowship which unites first the women of one village and then-r-through the county and national federations—tha women of the county and of the country.

The members take a great interest in afiairs outside their own surroundings and before long they gain a knowledge of world affairs. In the drama and literature they evince special interest, and the local presentations of Shakespearian plays are of high merit. • '

THE QUEEN AND VILLAGE CRAFTS.

During the past' week the Imperial Institute has been a centre of special interest, for there the National Fedoration of Women's Institutes has held a very fine exhibition of Home Crafts everything shown being the work of members of the institute all over England and Wales. The workers are often merely simple village folk, iano-. ing m ago from 17 to 90, but they possess remarkable powers with the needle. There are beautiful tapestries and embroideries shown; also useful quilting-first-class gloves, "woollies," carpets' rugs, carvings, pottery, and baskets '

THE "COUNTY" BEDSPREAD.

Of course, the outstanding feature of the exhibition is the marvelloous bedspread, which was specially made as a I gift from Queen Mary, who has always displayed the greatest interest in the purpose and progress of the Institute. The bedspread was presented to the Queen by Lady Denman (president). This beautiful coverlet was worked cooperatively by the members of the institute in every county of England and Wales. It measures 9ft by Bft Bin. is of parchment-tinted Irish linen, ana is embroidered in yellow silk in a Queen Anne design. ■ - Each section, diamond in shape, was worked separately in a county, ana finally assembled together, the whole Being symbolic of unity and co-operation. The centrepiece consists of a coronet with the monogram M.E.'^elow. Each' of the 52 counties took some part in the completion of the whole. In making the" presentation to Queen Mary Lady Denman said:— '

"We are proud of our unity, but we are most united in. our appreciation of the never-failing help and encouragement given by your Majesty in every step for the good of village life. It gives me great pleasure to present you with this bedcover on behalf of your Majesty's 300,000 fellow-members ot village institutes throughout the counitiy" ■ . .'

_ The Queen expressed her appreciation of the magnificent piece of work.

VAKIETY OP OCCUPATIONS.

Quilting should become a village craft, so admirable is the work on view. One of the best quilt-workers in the country is a woman, nearly 90 years of age, who lives in a mining I village in Glamorgan. Although she !is nearly blind, every bit of these huge, heavily embroidered and artistically designed quilts is hand-made. -:- ' Another quilt-worker is the wife of a Durham miner, who thus told of the way she found inspiration for her patterns: "When we wanted a pattern my grandmother used to take me into the woods to look at flowers and leaves, and we would go back and work them into a design for a quilt. This is one of the patterns she taught me. When the Queen came to tho exhibition she admired it and asked me how it was done. I'm only a working man's wife, so I have to do my quilting when the housework is done. One piece of work took nine weeks." ;

This worker is proud of the fact that Princess Mary ordered her to make a quilt two years ago. Admirers of the work often want to buy it, but very little is for sale. As one member put it: "The main idea of the "Women's Institutes is to encourage villagers to improve their own homes A great deal of the needlework shown ihere has taken a tremendous time to do and we could not expect to obtain a price commensurate with the time that ihas been devoted to it." In some sections of work orders are executed, but it was never intended that work should ,be offered for sale. Only some 30 per cent, of the exhibits could be bought' I everything else will be kept by the makers for their own use. Year by year the standard of the exhibits improves, and the variety extends. Thus for the first time the County Federations have made household furniture. The women were allowed to have a little help from the men, but they had to do 75 per cent, of it themselves. Inspectors visited the counties, and awarded the first prize to the "West Kent Institutes, while Warwickshire, Yorkshire, and Staffordshire were also asked to furnish one of the four rooms in the exhibition. The Queen was much pleased with this competition, for the women had Bhowa great skill and ingenuity. ~ "*