A FINE IDEAL

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 36, 11 August 1936, Page 15

A FINE IDEAL

The ideal which prompted the' inception of the Women's Social Progress moyemenfis plainly shown by a quotation from the early minutes.

These record the following statement: "That the time was opportune to stress the need for higher ideals of social conduct and right thinking and right judgment in regard to many social problems, and also to make certain /that the liberty now enjoyed by women was being used to ensure progress in,all that pertained to the real betterment and happiness of mankind.".

It has since been the aim of the movement to. study social problems so that their cause might be attacked, rather than that remedial measures should be applied to the unfortunate results. :

The.annual report presented yesterday stated: "The characteristic difference between ancient and modern philanthropy is that the former,aimed at curing while the latter aims at preventing; the former was moral, the latter is intellectual as .well as moral. Thus, it is well the task of the ancients to relieve disease, it is ours to use our new knowledge of sanitary laws for the prevention of ; disease; if it were theirs to assist the poor, it is ours to destroy the causes of pauperism. "During the seven years of its existence- the Women:s Social Progress Movement has sought to educate its members in the understanding of the social, economic, and political problems of our time. It has been said: 'For a brave man to know that an evil is, is simply to know that it has to be vanquished'—and so we keep on trying, with patience and steady effort, to make some contribution towards the well-being of the future generations of our country."