Townswomen’s Guilds Movement Catching On

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7282, 9 October 1933, Page 2

Townswomen’s Guilds Movement Catching On

While still young, and still in a more or less experimental stage, the Townswomen’s Guild movement in Great Britain is “ catching on,” states an overseas writer.

Formed four years ago as an offshoot of the Hational Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship, the guilds threw, off the guiding hand of the older society early in 1932, and commenced an independent existence, forming their own organisation —the national Union of Guilds for Citizenship. This year the new National Union held its first annual conference, under the presidency of Airs Corbett Ashby, and reported growth in every direction. Guilds have been formed in 157 urban areas, and, covering the country from Scotland to Devon, liavc been busy in educating the women of the towns in ways of clear-sighted citizenship, much as ‘tho Women’s Institutes and tho Women’s Rural Institutes of England and Scotland arc busy in educating the women of tho country districts. Tho members have been instructed in wavs of good homo management; in matters of local administration —housing, education, local surveys and the like; in matters of county folk-lore and beauty preservation; in matters of national government; in matters of Empire development and international economics. Moreover, they have been given tho opportunity of applying themselves to handcrafts, to folk dancing, to physical culture, to the practice of public speaking and the ordering of public meetings. But as with the Women-s Institutes, so with the Townswomen’s Guilds, activity is not confined merely to the process‘of “getting.” There is a large share of “giving” wherever giving is needed.

In one area the members launched a guild public library; in another they made proposals'—which were accepted —for the interior building of new council houses; in another, it was at their request that a seaside shelter was erected; in many centres they have achieved the co-option of their members to the local town council; in many more they have thrown in their lot with the central authorities of their towns in promoting schemes for the aid of the unemployed, “Tho greatest need of the moment,” said Mrs Corbett Ashby, in addressing the women at their conference, “is for thought.” Women, she said, must learn to grasp the meaning of national and international problems, and must train themselves to think such problems out to their logical conclusion.

It is interesting to note that this movement has found its way into New Zealand, guilds having been formed in Napier and Hastings.