Welsh Journals

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Women's Institutes in Wales. By Lily Lumley. rrHE Women's Institute Movement started on its wondertul career in this country T about seven years ago, and it is to the little village in Anglesea with that delight- fully long name — Llanlairpwilgwyngyll, that the honour belongs of being the first established. We have had many an instance showing, that we should be careful not to despise the day of small things," and so it has been in the history of this movement, for it has been growing steadily and strongly, so that now in the whole of England and Wales the Institutes number 2,560. In Wales itself the growth has been somewhat slow, but slow and sure is not always a bad motto. The 145 Institutes that we have now in our little country are well established and doing exceedingly good work; in fact, they have come to stay. Besides, there are several villages intending this winter to join our ranks, now that they have heard and seen how village life is thereby brightened. There were in Wales, at the time we started, many other organisations, so that the initial work for us has been pretty up-hill. But this Institute Movement has one distinctive feature that should greatly tell in its favour-it is absolutely non- political and non-sectarian. The aim of a well- run Institute always is to bring all the women in a village together at least once a month, with the one idea of helping each other by discussing such matters as are of interest to all of them. When we say all we mean it in the fullest sense, for this is proved by the following facts — There is no class distinction-all members pay the same subscription of two shillings a year, purposely fixed low to suit all; they all share in the work- ing of the Institute and are responsible for its success, the procedure being as follows A local committee is elected by the members and they appoint a president, treasurer and secretary. At the end of each year reports of the work done are given, also a balance sheet is prepared, then the members elect their next year's committee and officers by ballot. This being so, each member is given the same opportunity to elect the best committee possible, but having elected the com- mittee, the responsibility rests on each member to help this committee in every way she can. Each Institute' has its monthly meeting on a fixed day and at a fixed time, both day and time being chosen by the members themselves. Again the members are quite free to state what they want at these meetings. Nothing is thrust upon them, and as our members represent different classes, and are different in their creeds and in their political views, naturally our programmes are as varied as possible, the wishes of all being considered and catered for. These programmes include talks on agricul- tural subjects, such as gardening, bee-keeping, poultry-rearing, etc. also on music, interesting place-names, loreign travel, the existing cost of living, nursing and child welfare, Welsh novelists, Welsh fairy tales, and other features in Welsh folk lore; and in some cases Shakespeare and his works. Demonstrations are given in cookery, laundry, home-dyeing, the curing of rabbit skins, glove making, hat trimming, bottling of fruit, and the making of jam, etc. Now and then we have an interesting change by having competitions in bread and cake making, different ways of cooking potatoes, darning and re-footing stockings, starching of collars, etc., and in making something useful out of what some people would look upon as waste. And what wonderful things we see very often made out of this waste, which proves that our country folk do a lot of practical thinking. Another very interesting item at each monthly meeting is the tea." Sometimes this is done by a few of the members, sometimes by a tea committee, and, again, sometimes co-operatively, each member bringing her contribution and all being pooled. I find that this co-operative tea is most popular and never becomes a burden, and as many of our members walk three or four miles to attend the meeting this tea is greatly appre- ciated, and, more than this, it greatly helps to make everyone more sociable. Those who know rural life well-how dull and lonely it is at times, how hard working our country women are, will agree with me that this social side of our meetings is as much needed as the educational. During the winter months, in addition to the monthly meetings, weekly or fortnightly classes are held in various handicrafts, such as dress- making, glove making, art needlework, leather work, rug making, upholstery, basket making, lace making, etc. also courses in nursing and cookery, cheese and butter making. In many cases the classes are recognised by local educa- tion authorities. As a result of these classes, exhibitions of work done are held, sometimes by a group of institutes or by a county, and by this means members of the various institutes are enabled to see the work done by each other, and it creates a healthy competitive spirit and an interest out- side their own village, and encourages the members to send in only the very best. During the summer months, picnics, garden fetes and outings often take the place of the regular meetings, and these are thoroughly enjoyed. Some members do possess motor cars, others have never even sat in a car; to some, therefore, a char-a-banc outing is a bit of a trial, to others quite a joy; but all, however, on such an outing travel together either by train or by char-a-banc.