The organization of the Clubs into a central body proceeded slowly during 1910. At the beginning of the year Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal (Women's), Moncton, Winnipeg, St. John (Women's), were enrolled as members of the Association of Canadian Clubs. During the ensuing year the Women's Canadian Club of Winnipeg joined; together with the Canadian Clubs of Portage la Prairie, Weyburn, Sask., Calgary and Moose Jaw. Victoria declined to join. The Association met on Sept. 7-8 at Toronto with Delegates representing Toronto, Ottawa, Brockville, St. Mary's, Woodstock, Orillia, Fort William, Bowmanville, Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Vancouver, Calgary, North Bay, Hamilton, Montreal, St. Catharines, Peterborough, Edmonton and Collingwood. The Constitution was amended by declaring the organization to be "non-partisan, non-political, and non-sectarian." The annual fee was made $2.00 for each Club of 100 members with $1.00 additional for each additional 100 members or fraction thereof. A Resolution received from the Moncton Club in favour of the more national celebration of Dominion Day was approved. A proposal to contribute toward the erection of a monument to General Wolfe at Greenwich was not accepted for reasons presented by several Delegates-that the Association should not be used for collecting money and that this suggested action would antagonize the French-Canadians. Mayor W. Sanford Evans of Winnipeg, who had been instrumental in aiding the formation of the Canadian Clubs at Hamilton, Toronto and Winnipeg, was elected President with Mrs. R. Wilson-Reford of Montreal as Vice-President while the appointment of a Secretary-Treasurer was left to the Executive. The following Provincial Vice-Presidents were appointed: Ontario Woman's Work and Saskatchewan British Columbia. Public Policy in Canada Canada has no organized policy on the part of its women; perhaps none is needed. There is no such Association as the Women's Industrial Council of London, England, to look after the whole range of women's trades, business and labour, or to publish elaborate documents of a comparative and statistical character; there is no suffragette agitation though there is a suffrage movement of limited extent. In the British elections of 1910 women were exceedingly prominent in the demand for a vote as they were, also, in the electoral conflict in Australia-where they had and freely exercised, as in New Zealand, the right to vote. Active movements in the United States were underway and Mrs. O. H. P. Belmont, the New York leader of the cause, described Suffrage as inevitable while the Reverend Anna Shaw declared bachelors to be barbarians, and marriage the only civilizing influence! In Britain the suffrage movement developed a conciliation and compromise measure, under the Chairmanship of Lord Lytton, to which Parliament gave a second reading by 299 to 190 on July 13-with Mr. Asquith in opposition and Mr. Balfour in favour of Woman Suffrage. On the 23rd a huge demonstration of women was held in London and at the same time a strong National League was formed to oppose the movement with the Earl of Cromer as its chief exponent. Lord Curzon drew up for this organization a list of 15 reasons against Woman Suffrage of which the chief were that women did not want it, that it would create domestic discord if granted and take women out of their proper sphere; that women did not have the temperament or training to qualify them for its exercise and would not use the privilege if it were given; that the female factor in a British Government would weaken its influence in Imperial affairs, in Indian administration and in Foreign relations; that respect was woman's chief protection and this she would largely forfeit in the political arena; that intellectual emancipation was proceeding without it. In Canada there were only echoes of these struggles although a few Women's organizations did declare in favour of the Suffrage as, for instance, the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Manitoba at Carman on May 4, and the National Council of Women meeting at Halifax on July 5-by 71 votes to 51. The Toronto Globe in February and March threw its columns open to letters on this subject and quite a number of women responded. Both sides were well presented but the majority were favourablepretty much on the line of women's difficulties and problems being of a special nature which required Legislative action based upon woman's own growing experience of life and business. Meantime, Canadian women were coming, individually, to the front. In August Miss Helen MacMurchy, M.D., of Toronto, was the first woman to be appointed to the Permanent International Committee of the Congress of Hygiene at Paris. On Sept. 8, Mrs. Willoughby Cummings, who had early in the year retired from her long-held post of Secretary to the Woman's National Council of Canada and been appointed by the Dominion Government to take up Annuity work, was given the Hon. degree of D. C. L. by King's College, Windsor-the first time in Canada that such a degree had been conferred on a woman. Similarly in the University of Toronto elections for its Senate three women were for the first time chosen on Sept. 8th-Winifred W. Leisenring, B.A., Margery Curlette, B.A., and Augusta Stowe-Gullen of Toronto. In the Ontario Legislature on Mch. 19th a militant suffragette who turned out to be Miss Olivia Smith, an Englishwoman, startled the House by rising in the Gallery, as the Lieut.-Governor was closing the Session, and making these remarks before she could be interrupted or removed: "There is one thing you have forgotten in your deliberations and that is justice to women. I hope that at your future meetings you will give more attention to the cause of women. That is all I have to say." She escaped from the scene before anything was done and the matter then dropped. Another Englishwoman, Miss Millar, addressed the Woman's Canadian Club at Victoria on Oct. 15th and made a strong appeal for the Suffrage. In the Toronto Globe of Oct. 31st and Nov. 1st and 5th appeared a series of articles on the Ottawa Civil Service openings for women which afforded food for thought as to the difference between men and women in business aptitudes and opportunities. In Victoria, B.C., on Dec. 14th, a Political Equality League was formed with 60 enrolled members and Mrs. Gordon Grant as President. On May 18th the New Brunswick Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance declared itself in favour of Woman Suffrage. Amongst Women's organizations connected with religion, morals and social or business life there was much and increasing activity during 1910. The various Provincial Councils of Women, the Woman's Missionary Societies in connection with the various Churches, the Women's Canadian Clubs at Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, St. John, Quebec, Halifax, Victoria and other places, the Woman's Christian Temperance Unions throughout Canada, and the Young Women's Christian Associations, the Victorian Order of Nurses and the Women's Institutes of Ontario, covered a wide range in their work and ideals. The annual meeting of the National Council of Women at Halifax on July 4-5 resulted in vigorous Resolutions. One protested against the harmful character of many theatres and moving picture shows; another proposed a Standing Committee on Employment for Women; the Report of the Committee on the White Slave traffic gave some terrible details of this business and attention was called to the necessity for greater care of feeble-minded women and children; the Dominion Government was asked to appoint a woman on the Royal Commission on Technical Education. In the discussion on Woman Suffrage Lady Taylor said that many men's votes were bought for a dollar and, if so, their wives' votes could be had for 50 cents; Mrs. Willoughby Cummings, in retiring after 17 years' service as Hon. Secretary, was presented with a purse of $300; Resolutions were also passed in favour of Provincial lists of books suitable for supplementary reading in the various School grades and asking the Ontario Government to provide for better enforcement of the Curfew Bell regulations. The Hamilton Local Council of this body, on May 4, protested against any Woman Suffrage policy. In Ontario the Women's Institutes, with their 16,000 members and 600 branches, held their 9th annual Convention on Nov. 16-17 and heard many subjects discussed including gardenwork around the home, medical inspection of school children, the danger of the house-fly, and the value of Travelling Libraries. The following were some of the chief Women's organizations in Canada with their Presidents: Temperance Women's Christian Lunenburg ...N.S. .Winnipeg ..Man. Union, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Mrs. L. C. McKinney....Claresholm ..Alta. Women's Christian Temperance Union, British Columbia. Woman's Canadian Historical Society Maritime Women's Missionary Asso- General Board: Methodist Women's Methodist Woman's Foreign Mis- Woman's Congregational Board of Canadian Household Economic Alexandra Club National Council of Women Mrs. C. Spofford.... Victoria ....... Mrs. Forsyth-Grant Toronto .....B.C. ..... . Ont. Mrs. J. D. Chipman.....St. Stephen...N. B. Mrs. W. E. Ross........ Hamilton ....Ont. Mrs. T. G. Williams..... Montreal ...P.Q. Mrs. C. E. MacMichael.. Mrs. L. A. Gurnett. .Lady Edgar Victorian Order of Nurses (Canada). Dr. T. G. Roddick. ary Society Mrs. J. F. Bitts. . Mrs. R. C. Osborne. Winnipeg Women's Press Club. St. John.....N. B. Marjorie MacMurchy....Toronto Mrs. G. M. Jackson...... Winnipeg Mrs. D. Hutchinson...... St. John .B.C. .Man. ..Ont. ..Ont. ..Ont. ....Man. .N.B. The Socialist If Socialism means the principle and practice of Public ownership of public utilities then it bulked largely in Canadian thought during the year and has been dealt with under Provincial and Municipal headings. If it is understood as involving Marxian principles or as meaning political anarchy after certain European types then it was only in a condition of incipient propaganda. Socialist speakers, however, rarely indulge in definition and the Rev. J. Stitt Wilson of California in addressing Ottawa audiences early in January was no exception to the rule. He cited the Post Office and Public Schools as good examples of Socialistic work and then declared that the policy itself would never be brought about by the press, the pulpit or the men with full pockets. "It was for the workers alone to emancipate themselves." He described Socialism as creating family life and capitalism as destroying it. In Montreal on Feb. 27 the blood-red flag of Socialism figured at a big meeting addressed by a man named Wayman who used the Bible as the basis of his arguments and described class distinctions as the curse of ancient and modern life. "Show me the means whereby I live," he cried, "and I will show you the man that owns me." Representatives of various Labour organizations also spoke and freely denounced capitalists and employers. On May 1 there was the usual demonstration in Montrealchiefly of Russian, Jewish and other Foreign nationalities. The open-air meeting included some 2,000 people who listened to fiery speeches in French, English, and Yiddish. In Winnipeg, May Day was celebrated by a parade of 4,000 people and addresses given in the open air, and at an evening mass meeting, by local Labour leaders and others which breathed defiance of the "capitalistic class." At Springhill, N.S., on Aug. 11, hundreds of red flags floated in the town, as a result of the striking United Mine Workers of America celebrating their 52nd week of idleness and futile strike. An incident of the year in Toronto was the retirement of James Simpson from the local Socialist body on account of his membership of the Royal Commission on Technical Education; there was also in November a secession of the radical or "revolutionary" wing of the Toronto Socialists, under Moses Baritz, from the main body; earlier in the year a Social Democrat Party had been founded in Toronto on the lines of German and British Socialism with a view to working with Labour organizations. On Nov. 27th Gustave Prager, Germany, addressed an audience in the Labour Temple, Toronto, and said: "The unrest in the world is caused by the robbery of the working classes by the capitalist class. The remedy is to stop the robbery and to give. the toilers a fair share of the wealth they produce. The Churches have no live message for the workers to-day; all sects alike cater only to the wealthy; the poor and needy are not wanted. Instead of trying to uplift those who have fallen by the wayside, or who are distressed, they shun them." Another meeting on the same |