Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-24
w. G.. T. L. Department
BY JULIA a. GARRISON

we are doing what we cam but not
what might be done if every woman in
town would put forth her ounce of en-
ergy and influence in the right direc-
tion. 1t takes so little influence, some-
times, to SWerVe the balance in the
right or wrong direction. our state
president, Mrs. Hester Griffith, gave
as her parting word to the women at
the recent convention in Los Angeles
who were about to separate and go
out as u little leaven into every nook
and corner of our beloved state, a
word of advice it were well to always
remember, let something good be
said and I pass 1t on to others within
and without our ranks.
"The aim and object Of our coming
together in this open-air institute is
that we may learn the how of every
thing. Those of us who have been
school teachers remember how a part
of our vacation was spent in institute
work, how the very best instructors
were obtained to impart to us the
latest and best methods to employ in
order to obtain greatest results. IL
is thus with the w. c. 7. u. Institutes.
Our organization is constantly reach
ing out after new ideas, and new plans
| of work for combating the evil we
are pitted against. We are constantly
taking new members in our unions
who are not always informed in re-
gard to our many different lines of
department work and need to be in
structed In order that each one may
Immediately find the work they are
best fitted for, and how to conduct it
properly and efficiently. To those who
are not of our ranks we want you to
feel that you are one of us, for today
at least, and possibly something may
be said that will cause an arrest of
thought and that you may become one
of us. The cause needs you; helpless
children are sending out piteous cries
continually; heartbroken wives, whose
situation is worse than If widowed, are
appealing for help, let us put on the
armor and never lay 1t down until
the terrible evil of intemperanCe is
driven from our fair land. Then, and
not until them will we have done our
duty towards God and home and every
land"
Mrs. Elizabeth H. Mills Of Santa
Ana, state superintendent of Institutes,
| responded to the presidents welcome
in a few well chosen remarks which
were followed by the reading of a
paper on How to Interest Our Mem
bers." Mrs. Mills said in part: when
a new thought, or very desirable one,
because of its helpfulness to humanity,
is to be distributed, or made to find
remember there are more than three
billion brains to inject. What Her.
culean task, you say, and what i'm
measurable time it will take to do it!
No use to think of it; it cannot be
done. So we grow faint-hearted and
turn aside to smaller thiugs. Why
grow discouraged or disbelieving? Let
us take the history of any great move
ment for the betterment of humanity
and note the struggles through which
it passes before it comes to a definite
ness that arrests the attention of the
best thinkers and workers of the
world. Take our own organization,
the Woman's Christian Temperance
union, what length of time it has taken
to change the thought and set the
gray matter of humanity evoluting
toward a higher plane. In 1873 a
handful of women filed out of that
little church in Ohio to kneel in streets
in front of the saloons of Hillsboro.
Most of you know the story of our
infancy; q few desperately interested
women setting aside social law for the
sake of a principle that would elevate
humanity and protect the home. The
leaven of that days sacrifice began
working. fed by prayer and interest,
until an organized effort gave us our
name.'