Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-01-22
WOMEN'S AUXILIARY
Addresses and Election Of Officers at
Afternoon Meeting

The meeting of the Womens Auxiliary.
which was held at the roof garden of the
Hotel Vermont was we'll attended The
Van Ness orchestra gave a half hours
concert before the meeting and then Mrs.
+. H. Bickford, the retiring president,
who has served the auxiliary for the past
eight years. gave her greetings. She said
that she thought the war had given the
women of the world in particular
terrible jolt and. although after some
years the country would become read
justed. women probably would never re-
turn to her old position and habits. The
war" she said. has brought us to an
understanding OF the fact that we are
our brothers keeper. We women have got
to come out of our cubby holes and take
a part in world affairs. To be an Amerl-
can citizen we now realize is the greatest
thing in the world and believe we women
are going to try to be the best citizens.
Citizens. you know don't happen, they
are the products of training.
One Of the missions of women is to make
the world a better place for women and
children to live in. We women can get
along in some way but the world must be
made fit for children. and the children
must be made At too. There are between
three and five million of children in this
country who are underfed. It would pay
the government to feed them as they are
the future citizens. l believe that child
labor should be abolished in every State
in the Union. Every year there are be-
tween fifteen and sixteen thousand women
who die in childbirth; that means that
many mothers are lost OF the country. If
they had the proper care they would not
have died. When the war came we were
terribly surprised by the physical unfit
ness of our young men, and vet those
conditions could have been remedied in
childhood, Medical inspection, enforced
medical inspection. can help the men of
the future right now.
I'VE were amazed. too. at the illiteracy
shown. The salvation OF a child, almost,
depends on education. Then too the women
of the country handle 30 per cent of the
food and they should learn how to select
and cook it properly, so that their fam
lilies will be we'll nourished
| And how are we going to meet all
of these problems? | don't see why we
can't do this as we did our war work,
all working together for a definite OBJ
ject.
I'VE need now to be very sane and
very safe and not at all emotional
/
it was more of life to live than to
simply enjoy ourselves. We need al
this time loyal men and just as Loyal
women"
Mrs. Bickford then introduced Mrs
G. H. Smile of Montpelier, who told
something of tho new plans OF the
Vermont division OF the War Savings
committee. She said that we as a coun-
try should return to the idea that il
| is immoral to waste money. She ex-
planned how the present high cost OF
living was due to extravagant buying
and extraNagant tastes. She showed
how people should not buy things on
anticipated earnings and should try
now of all times, to save some money
regularly. Mrs. Smile said that it re-
quires about 25 years for the teachings
spread through the schools to take ef-
feet os thrift was being taught in the
schools in order that the children may
grow up with that idea inculcated in
them
Lieut.. Gov. Mason : Stone was the
speaker of the afternoon and he talk
ed on the country as the place OF
homes real homes where true men and
women may be raised. He said that
at the time of the revolutionary wal
"A new philosophy sprang up, that OF
doing away with class distinctions and
building up individuality. Because the
United States first introduced this
theory that the United States was re-
sponsible for the war.
He told of travelling through the diff
ferent countries, Alaska, Borneo, Cen
trail China, England and France, and OF
| the different homes there. In Alaska
he found a two-room house which was
very frugally furnished. but which a
woman with the true home spirit had
made into real home. In the south sea
islands and in Central China he found
no homes. In England there were homes
but they We're different. They were en-.
closed behind great high walls and in
France there was no true home life
The peasant spent her time at the COM
mon stream, washing, with her neigh
bors or In the cafes at night. and the
ways Of living were very medieval
France to-day he said, lis not any
more advanced in the ways of living thar
the United States was at the time of the
Revolutionary War"
But In America he said, the homes
are In the country. DO you know that
China was going to adopt our form OF
government and then she found that II
had failed in our cities? And why IL
that? The city Is the place where yor
can have dissipation without pleasure
acquaintances without friends. nearbys
without neighbors, and habitations with