The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-11
Canada's First Lady
 Tells Woman's s Duty
By LADY BYNG
By LADY BYNU Wife of Governor General Julian H.. ID. G. BynE of Canada


 Wife of Governor General Julian H.
 ID. G. Bynx of Canada
 Copyright, 1923. United States ana
 Canada, Great Britain and South
 America, by Women's News ser
 vice, Inc. Released exclusively
 through North American Newspa-
 per Alliance for The Age-Herald.
 All rights reserved)
 Editors note: Lady Byng, as wife of Governor General Julian H. D. 6. Byng of Canada, ranks as the first lady" of the Dominion. Her work among the poorer people of the coun- try and her constructive interest in the returned soldiers have made her one of the best loved women in Canada. She recently made per sonal tour through the section which has been turned over to the farmer soldiers for cultivation, completely winning the affection and confidence of those men by her infallibility in picking out the best team of Horses. In addition to her public welfare work, Lady Byng has won recogni- tion as an author. She has had a novel published, Ann of the Marsh lands"
 Lady Byng comes of one of the finest Canadian families. Her maid en name was Mary Evelyn Moreton. She was the daughter of Sir Rich ard Moreton. She married Governor General Byng in 1902.
 Once upon a time all that was ex- pected of official ladies was to have them make a gracious appearance at n1,h fr P1,n quest. That time has passed. Wives of public leaders are becoming con- scious of the fact that they have almost as great a responsibility to the country as their husbands. They realize they are not Keeping faith" If they are content to be figure heads.
 There arc numerous feminine prob- lens waiting and crying for such attention as the wife of a public leader Is able to give. There is much to be done to make things easier fer the young girls who are the prospective mothers of the next gen. eratlon. There is even more to be done to make sure that the children of the next generation will be of fin CT caliber than those of the previ- ous one.
 In my work as q poor law guar dian I came into close contact with hundreds of mothers and prospective mothers. What mortified me was the discovery that 90 per cent of the illegitimate children were chill dren of mental detectives.
 country Is only as strong as it's weakest spot. Mental deficiency is one of its greatest dangers. Doctors In England have told me that this terrible menace could be stamped out In 25 years if it were properly seg- regated. But if ignored, it spreads so quickly that within a few genera tions whole communities are stulti- fled by it. It is like a contagious disease-only worse. It strikes but | It does not kill It takes an insidious hold, spreading gradually but sure ly until the moral. mental and physi- cal tone of an entire country is low 1 cred.
 Men do not always realize the se- rlousness Of such things. But wom- en are always mothers at heart, con cerned In having their children grow up into the best men and women possible. That Is why I believe the country needs active attention and help from its women. There should be women holding the relns of the government as we'll as men. Women have the vote, and with it have the power to influence the government | indirectly to a certain extent-Iust IS they influence their husbands. Rut until they form an integral part of the government, they cannot achieve | the full height If their nomar