Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-05-27
Mrs. f. E. Whitley and the Misses
Leona and Myra Call Attend
National Gathering at
Washington.
PROUD OF IOWA ORGANIZATION
Prominent Women From Forty States
are Present-AlsO Meeting ut
Philadelphia.

Webster City has the notable dis
tinction of having three of her prom
inent women as members Of the Iowa
delegation in attendance at the tirst
annual meeting of the Woman's Com
mittee of the Council of National De-
tense at Washington, D. c. They in.
cluded Mrs. F. E. Whitley, chairman
for Iowa, and the Misses Leona and
Myra Call, who have just returned
from Washington and Philadelphia
At the latter place, they attended the
conference of the League to Enforce
Permanent Peace, of which EXPIRES
ident William Howard Taft is presi-
dent.
Prominent women of forty states
were in attendance at this very re-
markable meeting. Their ranks in
cluded q luca'tors from the leading
women's colleges and women promi-
nent in every phase of national life.
The three days of the conference
headquarters were busy ones for the
delegates, who took notes from the
reports Of the state chairmen. The
volume and Importance of the work
revealed in these reports was a sur
prise, even to those who had known
it best.
Iowa Best Organized.
Mrs. Whitley's report for Iowa was
given among these. 1t was great
pleasure to the five or six women
who represented the state to find
that Iowa is one of the best organized
states in the union. 1t has a chair
man in every one of its ninety-nine
counties and the counties have rep
resentatives in every township in
most cases. A leader in every school
district is reported in large proper
ton of their number. In addition,
Iowa has the honor of being the first
state to secure home demonstration
for each county. Plans for the, con-
duct of the children's year campaign
in the state have also been particu-
larly commended by the heads of this
department
Reception at White House.
Two social affairs of the conference
were particularly delightful. The
first of these was a reception given
in the palatial home of Mrs. Stanley
Mccormack. The second was an &C.
casion very unusual in Washington
this year-a reception at the white
house, where the delegates were pre-
sented to President Wilson and his
wife. National officers were much
gratified that, during season when
the President and Mrs. Wilson are
very largely eliminating the recep-
tioho dhu HOoI ooCldl lcdtuIcS III tlc
white house, exception was made in
the case of the meeting of the nat
ional organization. President Wilson
and his wife were most gracious and
the president had some kind thing to
say to the representative of each
state. Mrs. Wilson was most at
tractive, being very becomingly gown
ed and looking very like her pictures
smiling and wearing her favorite
orchids.
Address by Secretary Baker.
The most notable session of the
conference was that held as an open
meeting in the beautiful d. A. r.
Continental hall, which was address,
ed by Secretary of War Baker, who
gave an account of his recent trip
to France, also by the secretary of
the French legation, and by repre-
sentative from Belgium. Mrs. Baker,
wife of the secretary, who ranks
high as soloist, led the singing and
the famous United States Marine
Band played. The president and his
wife and members of the cabinet with
their wives occupied boxes on this
occasion.
%, Many other notable speakers ad-
dressed the convention, including
Secretary Wilson, Herbert Hoover,
food administrator, and others. The
delegates visited the food administra-
ton headquarters. President Wilbur
told the assembly that Iowa stood in
the front ranks in the patriotic spirit
in which the people responded to the
food dictates.