Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-01-23
WOMAN'S AUXILIARY
Mrs. Mnry I. Wood brings Inspiring
Message to Members

their meeting held in the roof garden
OF the Hotel Vermont Thursday AFTER
noon, Our hearts were filled with rore-
boding and we wondered how much long
err we must bear the buEden and worry OF
the great world struggle. The months
wore by one by one, and finally on NO
vember II the good news came, tnat the
armistice was signed, and we come mere
to-day with our hearts full OF gratitude
that the slaughter at least. Is over we
are Justly proud of the task our boys have
performed and of their deeds of almost
superhuman valor on land. on the sea, and
in the air. A great many will return to
US sound in body and mind, some will
come back broken in mind and body. and
still others lie on the fields of France.
There is nothing, after what they have
done, that should be too big for us to
do for them
"Our war activities during the pc
Rod of war have kept us strong and
have taught us a great many things that
should make us better women. One i'm
portant point u.s. that no organization can
get along without good leadership and
that the rest of the organization should
obey the orders given them If results are
to be attained. But more than that we
have learned that there are no class
lines in America. We have learned that
in our work with the women of our coun
try.
Now that the armstice is signed. we
are apt to feel that all of our work is
done. This is not true. America never
faced such grave problems as she faces
to-day and she needs the energy and
minds of all her women to solve them.
They must work together, forgetting all
differences because sound Judgment and
common sense are the things most need
cd just now. Now is the time when on
one should refuse to work and all should
remember the only people who will not
work are the deserters." Mrs. Bickford
said she wished to leave watchword
with the auxiliary for the coming year
and that is Service" and with that ever
before them the women could not help
but do their utmost in the work Of re-
construction.
At the conclusion of Mrs. Bickford's
talk, Miss Fannie Martin, Of Plainfeld.
gave reading ION Christmas Day in
the Morning. which was well received.
Mrs. Mary l. Wood. of Portsmouth, N.
H.. chairman of the woman's committee
| of the Council of National Defense.
brought an inspiring message TO members
| of the auxiliary. Mrs. Wood explained
| that she was a Vermonter herself and
| said that she had found that same warm
| reception every time she entered YER
mont that she found on that. her first ar
| rival in the State. In speaking of the
! work she had been doing during the war,
she said she took it up for three reasons
and the first was because she was wom-
| an. I'm all wars" she said women
have been called upon to do the acts of
mercy, but in no war in history has wom-
an been called upon~.to work shoulder
| to shoulder with the men as she has
| in this war. This is not true of the wom-
en- of America alone but of all the wom-
en- of the allied countries. And woman's
work has been recognized the world over
One sign of recognition is that they are
now being treated as people. Another is
that they are being extended the right
Of suffrage. No matter what they have
done before that might have been fool
ish. they have proven beyond the shadow
of doubt that they could meet the test
( and that fact Is being recognized in many
countries. perhaps the most notable being
that Of England and Canada"
Another reason Mrs Wood gave for
going into war work was that the fight
was for right against might and so Of
course no American could help but go
into 1t. up to 1917 democracy had never
been tried but then the test came. l re-
member when the first food pledge cards
| came. They seemed foolish to all of us
for we felt We were already conserving
all that we could, but Mr.. Hoover ex-
planned their use and since then all has
been clear He said that the signing of
these pledge cards would demonstrate
whether democracy In time Of war was
a failure. If the women refused to sign
| rIS h,,t -, ,ia 4
voluntarily backed up the government
then democracy was a success. And
America did make good when all the
eyes of the world were upon her and now
every one knows democracy is a workable
institution" Mrs. Wood told of three
times when America saved the day when
defeat seemed imminent.
AS her third reason for doing war work
Mrs. Wood gave the fact that she was an
American woman. mo woman of any
country in the world" she said, has the
the opportunities the women of this coun-
try have, unless 1t is the women Of Eng
land Think of the privileges American
children have of every opportunity in life
and think what it means to bring chill.
dren up in such a country"
And" she said. II am so glad thai
America got to France in time. The
French believed we would come and we
did not disappoint them" Mrs Woo
described the kind of service General Per
shing promised Lafayette when he wen,
, to his tomb and said. Lafayette, we are
here" 1t was not the service of the sol
diers alone but Of the whole country ant
the whole-hearted work and suppor
!, which the women of America afterward,
gave.
Now that the armstice is signed, tn,
men must go back to their business tina
the work Of the world may go on so tn,
burden OF reconstruction rests upon tn,
women and they have been fitted to d,
, this work. There are four things which
must be considered during the period o
, reconstruction. They are food, Ameri
canization, child welfare and thrift. w,
are quite in the habit of saving food I,
win the war and to feed the boys fl
France. so 1t should be no effeort to saw
1t FOR the people of Europe. We must re
member in considering them that not onl,
Is there no food. but also no farm imple
ments and not even tillable land. Then
100 the men are weary with fighting an,
! the women with carrying on the burde,
OF the work at home" She told of tn
, hve groups which must be fed and O
now much was expected Of the Unite,
States in each case
In speaking OF Americanization. Mrs
, wood said that America is 25 years be
hind time In her ideas on Americaniza
, ton We welcome people to come an,
I'VE with us and when they get here w,
don't make them happy They do no
come here 30 much because thew wan
10 make money as because they believ,