NEW HORIZONS 



DISCUSSED BY ASSOCIATED WOMEN OF AFBF 



/yT ET us plan to take our share of re- 



I sponsibility in this speeded up, 

 changed, contracted world in which 

 we must live." 



Thus did Mrs. Elsie D. Mies, Urbana, 

 Champaign county, president of the As- 

 sociated Women of the American Farm 

 Bureau Federation, in her annual ad- 

 dress focus attention on the convention 

 theme of "New Horizons" as women 

 from 43 states and Puerto Rico gathered 

 for a two-day meeting, Dec. 5 and 6, in 

 Chicago. 



"We'll agree," Mrs. Mies said, "first 

 of all that we are wives aiid mothers 

 — interested in the welfare of our 

 families, in what we shall eat and how 

 much money we can have to buy the 

 food and comforts that our family needs. 

 Then our interests must extend around 

 the world because what goes on the 

 world affects our food, our comforts and 

 our pocketbooks. To accomplish all 

 these adjustments which we can glimpse 

 on the horizon, let us utilize the op- 

 portunities of organization to help us." 



Mrs. Mies further pointed out that 

 "with our husbands, we must take on 

 interest in civic • affairs — taking ad- 

 vantage of the privilege of voting which 

 men of the country gave us after the 

 other war. If we are negligent of study in 



becoming informed and do not indi- 

 vidually arrive at our decisions, then we 

 have been given a privilege which we 

 did not deserve." 



This emphasis on the responsibility 

 of women in shaping the affairs of com- 

 munity, state, and nation was reflected 

 by other speakers. Mrs. W. D. Mc- 

 Leod, Jackson, Tenn., winner of southern 

 region speaking contest for women, said 

 she believed that "one problem facing 

 the American family is that of adjusting 

 itself to changing conditions both within 

 and without the home so as to make 

 available the richest possible life for all 

 its njemb|rs." 



Said R. B. Corbett, new secretary of the 

 American 'i»^^m Bureau Federation, "The 

 key to postwar period maintenance is 

 the keeping of normalcy in farm homes." 



In their convention resolutions, the 

 Associated Women declared that "a 

 woman ^ith children at home can render 

 the greatest contribution to her nation 

 by making the care of her family and 

 home her primary responsibility." 



Strengthening of the rural church was 

 cited as the responsibility of rural women, 

 and it was also recommended that farm 

 women study their local school problems 

 to the end that state and national legisla- 



OiHcers and directors of the Associated 

 Women oi the AFBF. left to right, are Mrs. 

 Charles W. Sewell, administrative director; 

 Mrs. Raymond Soyre, Iowa, director. Mid- 

 west region; Mrs. Florence Bovett, Nevada, 

 director. Western region; Mrs. Paul Palmer. 



Missouri, secretary; Mrs. Elsie D. Mies. Il- 

 linois, president; Mrs. R. C. F. Weagly, 

 Maryland, vice-president; Mrs. D. W. Bond, 

 Tennessee, director. Southern region, and 

 Miss Elizabeth MacDonald, Nevr York, di- 

 rector. Northeastern region. 



Sister Elizabeth Kenny 



tion may be supported for maintaining 

 and extending a more effective school 

 system. These stalwart institutions of 

 community life, together with neighbor- 

 hood meftings, were cited as means of 

 making better citizens of adults and 

 youths. The foundation of good citizen- 

 ship, and the primary means for thwart- 

 ing juvenile delinquency, however, lies 

 in the home, the resolutions stated. 



The Associated Women also went on 

 record as favoring "an intensive attack 

 on the problems of better medical care 

 for all groups, particularly in rural 

 areas." The resolution on health read fn 

 part, "In general we favor action on this 

 problem by the voluntary organization of 

 cooperative health and hospital associ- 

 ations, which have already proved their 

 value. . . We are opposed to legislation 

 designed to provide compulsory medical 

 care and hospitalization. We recommend 

 full cooperation of rural with our es- 

 tablished health units and existing health 

 programs, including immunization, clin- 

 ics, preventive medicine, nutrition courses 

 and home nursing." 



In looking to the job of food produc- 

 tion in 1944, the Associated Women de- 

 clared, "In order to accomplish maximum 

 production of food in the coming sea- 

 son it will be necessary to employ urban 

 youth and women in many localities. 

 Farm women may well promote health- 

 ful living arrangements, recreational op- 

 portunities and working conditions for 

 these co-workers from town and city. 

 Such a program can well constitute a long 

 step in the direction of improved public 

 relations through mutual understanding." 



On winning the peace, an adopted 

 resolution warned, "If we are to achieve 

 a just and durable peace, we shall have 

 to make sacrifices for it as we have had 

 to make sacrifices in war. . .We urge 

 that women be represented in all phases 

 of policy making for post-war planning 

 and readjustment, both foreign and 



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L A. A. RECORD 



