TOCH LEAGUE OF WOMEN

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 74, 29 March 1933, Page 11

TOCH LEAGUE OF WOMEN

DUCHESS'S ADDRESS

(From "The Past's". Representative.) LONDON, February 21.

The Duchess of York, as patroness of the Toe H League of Women Helpers, was present at Southwark Cathedral on Saturday afternoon, when 2000 women wearing the little 'lamp brooch of Toe H assembled for their festival service.

She was received by two Toe H pioneers, Mrs. Edmund Home, in whose drawing-room tho first meeting of Toe II women was held eleven years ago, and Miss A. B. S. Macfie, the founder pilot. Those participating in tho service wore Canon Monroe, tho sub-dean, the Eev. W. M. Hope, the Eev. M. P. G. Leonard, the Eev. Gilbert Williams (of the staff of All Hallows' headquarters), and. Sister Truscott, deaconess, who read tho lessons. In the evening the Duchess attended the fifth annual Lamp Lighting Festival at Kings way Hall, and charmed all by her practical speech, delivered with charm and feeling. It is not often that-Eoyal Ladies ar© heard in public. The Duchess, who has a good carrying voice and sincere style, expressed appreciation of tho growth in membership, and said: "The figure by which we best remember the League of Women Helpers and tho Toe II movement is as a chain of Light encircling the World, and tho individual members thereof as Links in that chain of Light. Tonight we are thinking of the many dark places that exist in all parts of the country just now—dark patches, where unemployment and poverty exist. "A new problem for the civilised world has arisen suddenly—tho problem of enforced leisure. Leisure has been called tho growing-time of the spirit, but, at the present time,- looking around at tho misery of thwarted energy, it is anything but that. In certain places, however, by sympathy, brains, and the craftsman's lead, enforced idleness has been transformed into well-directed leisure.

"These circles of light have ■ shown ■what can be done to pierce the gloom. We know that our League of Women Helpers has its contribution to make in lightening this darkness. Specialised work must, of course, have first place in all such activities. But casual work in the form of the innumerable small friendly jobs that are always there to be done is of great value. As an optimist has said, 'The trying time is the timo to try,' I feel- sure that all of you who are- present' tonight, when you return to your homes, will throw your minds and energies into helping to transform these black patches of our country, whenever possible, into circles of light and friendship."

An important feature of the festival programme was an admirably-acted little morality play called "Outcasts," given by tho Mystical Players.

THE SERVICE OF LIGHT. *

The climax of the evening was the beautiful Service of Light. The Prince's lamp had been brought from its shrine at All Hallows' for the purpose, and the Duchess of York lit fro^n it the symbolical lamps of the different branches, eighty-eight! in all, including seventeen new ones this -year^ Seventeen girls representing the hew branches knelt before the Duchess to have their lamps lit. After the ceremony and the Minute of Silence^ led by the patroness, the Prince's lamp was given back to the- keeping of Private Pettifer, who was batman to the founder, the Bey. P. B. Clayton.