"ON, SPINSTERS, ON!"

Evening Star, Issue 22452, 24 September 1936, Page 14

"ON, SPINSTERS, ON!"

SELF-LABELLED AND UNASHAMED A thousand spinsters, self-labelled and unashamed, matched with songs and banners to Hydo Park one night. They represented .‘15,000 members of the National Spinsters’ Pensions Association, started a year ago. “Wo want pensions at 55 ” and “ Equity with the widow ” are their slogans. Many of them had been at work in the morning, rushed for a train, travelled four or five hours, and listened for 2i hours to speeches in the Kingsway Hall, before marching through the hot streets to Hydo Park. They went home afterwards by late trains, reaching the industrial towns where they live at 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning. “ We are not asking a favour when we claim pensions at 55,” said Miss Florence White, gallant little Bradford confectioner, who started the move“We are asking for fair play. Widows have pensions at 55. We want the same treatment.” ... , . Shrieks of delight greeted this challenge by Miss Alison Garland, former suffragette;— . . ‘‘Some women are spinsters by choice But 1 have never yet met the man who believed it.” The gathering sang song after song to old tunes: ‘Fight, Fight, Fight for Spinsters’ Pensions ’; ‘ Should Spinsters’ Pensions be Forgot ’; ‘ Onward, Spinsters, Onward ’; ‘ Stand Up, Stand Up, Ye Spinsters ’• ‘ Let’s All Sing the Spinsters’ Song. And thev sang “ For .she’s a jolly crood fellow ” to Miss White so many times that nobody kept count.