Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-02-23

Tread before the Districi Convention held az
Mineral Point February 81" Hnd 9th, 1851
| have no apology to make for the
short, simple written paper | read to-
day. ! have sought no flowery words
nor pleasing figures. | have asked no
aid from the muses. nor have striven
by fine phrases to stir your hearts and
arouse your enthusiasm. Like Mark
Anthony, Il only speak right on few
thoughts that have suggested themselves
to me on the prosaic but all important
subject: GLOW can We Awaken New
Interest in our Local Unionsp" | had
hoped to make the paper real practi-
cal and helpful one, for such is much
needed here, antitrust now some thought
may come helpfully home to you How
shall we arose this interest? Your ex-
perience doubtless bears me out in say
ing that work is the best antidote for
Indifference. Interest in and work for
any object are 50 inseparably related
that each is at once. both the cause and
effect of the other Interest ard work
seem to bear to each other much the
same, double, two-edged relation in the
mental world, as vegetation and rainfall
in the physical. Where vegetation is
there will be RAINFALL; where there is
rainfall there will be vegetation. Just
sof what we work for we care for; and
what we care for,we are willing to work
for. We do, and this makes us love
and because we love, we do. Our
question has now changed its form and
has become, How Shall We get Our
Members to Work?' The Unions at
tempt to solve the problem by appoint
ing superintendent of various depart.
ments-ten or dozen may be-'the
more the better as it gets just so many
more of our ladies TO work." they say.
Does it? The superintendent of per-
haps four or five of these departments
have work to do, and do it. The APP
pointing of the rest is mere farce and
they know il, and theU mon knows it that
or at most entertains but feeble hope
they will accomplish anything. Union
A. creates uperintendent of this. that
and the other thing because Uuiou B
does, or because the National suggests
such line of work, instead of consider
ing the needs and opportunities OF It's
own special locality. Vastly more is
lost than is gained by appointing 81
this kind. 1t is weak and sgc instinct
lively feel it TO b.. weak ami it detracts
from the strength of the strong points
until, maybe, it seems that the Union
itself is accomplishing very little all
because of this sham work, this -9Id
tense. Ii on the election of new sup
erintendent the members of the Union
were to suggest what occurs to them as
to the possibilities of her department,
she might start out full of enthusiasm,
and new ideas, and new inspirations
might come to her as she worked. But
isn't this sometimes the way rather:The
topic of say Social Purity comes up and
after little earnest talk member
says: ''Mrs. President, l think this is
a very important subject, and work
very much needed right here. move
that Mrs. M. be made uperintendent
of such department. Mrs NJ. finds
herself superintendent of the Social
Purity department without the slightest
idea of how she shall work, and after
thinking over the various possibilities
for week or month, she brings the
the subject before the Union again and
asks in what way she shall proceed.
But they have comfortably put the
whole matter off onto superintendent
and dismissed it from their own minds
and have nothing to suggest, so say,
"do just as you think wisest and best
you have full liberty in the matter, >
and unless she be an energetic woman
and full of interest and earnestness in
her line of work, she will doubtless say
in effect if not in words, "Oh, well, they
don't expect me to do much anyway"
And so her report comes in, if she is
ever asked for one, Il haven't been
able to do much. was quite busy. |
distributed some of the White Cross
leaflets" Suggest to your superintend-
ents, not bind them to follow every sug-
gestion but give them something to take
hold of. If you are not ready to do
this. then disappointment is needed,
for the Union is not ready for that
work, and what twenty people have no
idea about, the twenty first, the SUPER
intendent, will probably not have. Ask
for short written report each month
and at the end of the term of service a
brief paper concerning the needs and
opportunities of the department and the
difficulties in the way of their accom-
plishment. Some Unions rust out be-
cause OF the infrequency of the regular
meetings. Once month isn't often
enough. Only three in a whole long
winter! Think of it! How can YOU
keep alive? Could the month be a
month of deep thinking and prayerful
planning and the meeting 50 much the
richer for the long stored up thoughts
mellowed and ripened by the keeping,
the case would be altered, but your OK.