858 Xatioxal Fedeeatiox of Women's Institutes. [Dec, 



THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF 

 WOMEN'S INSTITUTES. 



M. Feida Haetley. 



The Ministry of Agriculture has recently given to the National 

 Federation of Women's Institutes convincing evidence of the 

 support proDiised at the time of the severance of the latter from 

 the Women's Branch of the Ministry. A " School "* or fort- 

 night's free tuition, the first of its kind, has been provided, with 

 board and lodging, to 20 of the County Organisers whose names 

 had been submitted to the Ministry through the Local Federa- 

 tions. The tuition took the form of lectures and practical demon- 

 strations, at two centres, the first being held in the School of 

 Piural Economy. Oxford, and the second at the University of 

 Aberystw}i;h. The representatives of the County Federations 

 were unanimous in their appreciation of the way in which the 

 subjects chosen built upon their own established expeiience and 

 demonstrated the wide possibilities for stimulating village life. 



The first Women's Institute was formed in 1915, and from 

 that time onwards the movement has met a clearly defined need 

 and has had a clearly defined purpose. Throughout the latter 

 end of the 19th century the rural population in England 

 had been steadily diminishing. The industrial revolution 

 had turned the tide of interest to manufacture and trade, 

 and at the same time, owing to the influx of manufactured 

 goods, was robbing the badly paid labourer of the additional 

 earnings gained by such handicrafts as spinning and weaving, 

 lace making and basket-making. As the century wore 

 on and trades unions began to make their mark, wages had 

 increased somewhat and trade had begun to spread into the 

 country towns. Markets had begun to improve and were more 

 regularly attended, and roads were placed under the control of 

 Highway Boards. The Education Act of 1838 had relieved 

 children to a great extent from the martyi'dom endured during 

 the first period of the industrial revolution, and though the effects 

 of that almost incredible period were not to be wiped out in a 

 single generation, the Act was the dawn of a new era of civilisation. 

 At the beginning of the •20th century County Councils had been 

 provided with facilities for secondary or " technical " education, 

 but in the smaller villages at any rate the opportunities for fol- 

 lowing this out to a practical issue were small. Clubs and reading 

 rooms had been inaugurated, but attendance in many places was 



