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Noocmber, 1 9 1 9
THE LANDSW0\1AN
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Dr.AR GtkL~.-of couTh.e, ''o aro all thinking thi~
moot h of u. hat i, to happ<:n at tho <•nd of it, and it
make u s cm a Jittl<• ~ad. But. if we think about
1t a Jittl(• hit, I am sure \\C ~haJI feel so proud of tlw
fact that the Ln.nd Army has succcodod in making a
pcrmnrwut place for women in agriculture, that \H'
.. hall for,gct all n.bout our sadn(•:;,, and make our-
dve roapccinlly tho~e wonderful
vilJng<' women who from tho ago of 14 to 84 hav<'
1\lwav,; ..,upplied the farmer with all the scn~onabl('
help· hfl required. But the war brought along
thou:iand'l of inexperienced woroon to t&ke up thi~
\\ Ork,and thuy hl\vo done it so well that they have
overcomt· thP projudi~o against which they had to
tight in th o boginmng, 8 0 that on all sides we have
1 h£· fa rtn(·N saying-a~ one 111 Yorkshire told a
}'ressman thf· other day- ' ' I should be ~ >-orry to
part \\ith my girlt- a,.q th<'y would be to go. " Thank,;
to th~> gt1t and fine courago of these Laud Army
JJiOnt'ors. whole tinH' work on the land has bocom<' a
p0~siblo and dignified NU'N•r for a. woman. and those
n ho in futuro yt•tu-:i take up this~ ozk and find their
,,ath 1\D (•a.sy on,., '"'ill haYo to thank the Land Ann)
f!irls, who have smoothed away all th<' difficultic:;,
and raisc•fl agricultural work for \\-Omt'n to the high
ptl;,ition wh1ch it now hold~.
But to most of you '" ho arc in permanent work
clcmohilisation will ~imply mean the loss of your
'ery good frit'nds at tho County offic<', and it will
also moo.n, of coun.<', thn.t you will now have to buy
your own uniform. Home of yo\1 will bo fc(•hng very
lonely and hclples!l about ii all, b('cnwc you will mis.q
that comfortable 'lOOSe of support which the Land
Army organi~a.tion hns giv-<'n you Now I "ant ~·ou
to understand that. you al'<' not to worry.
on 't
wten(l you to feel nil alon(•, and that is why wo are
formin~ our big A'i!lO<.·iation of Landsworocn, which
hall s till eontinu<' to bind us all tog('ther and giv(' us
that happy family feeling whic b wo haw had as
JHI•rnbcra of tho Luncl .Army. And I think we shall
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h vo thnt d('lightful sc•ns(• of holonging to soroo-
t htng ov( u moro in t ho futuro than in t ho past,
l,ccau c no~, in,.roncl of having nil the organisation
provit1t d for us, "''' haY<' Q;ot to providt• 1t for our-
h• • un d. \\hat is mfm•. pny Cor it out of our own
pocknts. I think nw~t of u .. ,d)J he proud to do
1 hat : cert.ni nl_y nil th<' J.,nud gil'ls I know will be.
our vory O\\ n .~\.~ 3oc• intion .tn(l gov<•rn('(l by our-
dv,.. -ourselvf' btnHlNI 1ogt·tlwr for our mutual
h nr fit. And not oul.v our Land Army l'h'('!'!.
J:\•er.v \\Ornan iutcrost~ cl in t\Q;ric'ulturl' will }~c invit<-d
fi •)mn . I bl'!i(IVO it i gomg to h<' ono of tlw biggt•'~t
tfung thnt. bn111 ''v<•r heon a.ttcmptocl in connection
\\ith th" lund, und will help to do more for rural
1'1 ('.nn truc:ion thnn !" groat dt>nl of loit<•nng )(•gi ....
Jatlnn . \\ o ha,.u prulf'Cl oursclvo:c. haven ' t \\<'. on
U}1holding the honour of tbt• Land Army ? Ho·w
'""('cl
2,6
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mudl protldH \\O xhnll ho that in our indh id 1
hnnd::, will re t tlw honour o.f t~iti gt"t'at As~odati:::,
of Land:-.wom<'n-an A~soctnhon \\hH h w 1 ·11 c filii·
pwse ov<'r,v sort of \\Oman land\\Ot'kn. th 0 ,, 0 1(<·
osu·nt'rs. the .o.; mallhold(•J-s, the wonwn farnwrA tl .
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d
. h
, l(
f n.rnH'rs WJ\(':'I,an cvcry,,om::u11nt <'<'otmtry~J
take~ nn intt•n• .. t in" ork on the land. .\u Asl)oettHio';;
of \\Olll<'ll who may y<'t lmng to tlw villagN• th , 1
t-pirit of joyful youth \\-hieh \\Ould Acom to ha~
o<'s<'rted them. What if we can mako our ~chom:•
IHlC h a l>UCCCA~ that w_e s~?ll, as .A. E. say~:~ in bu~
book The Nat101~al Be1ng,. J...cad humanity back to
~ature, to sunhght, starlight, <•arth-b1-eath. S\\Ct·t
atr, beauty. gaiety, and health t
" Is it impot\siul<' now to move humanity bv grcnt
idca.c:;. as )fnhom<'t fif('d hi~> dark hos ts to forg('tful.
m•ss of lifl', as Peter t~c Her~it a:waJccnod EurOJ>('
to a frenzy, t-o that 1t hurned zts hot chhaln
acrof'~ a contint'nt to tho Holy Land !
"Is not tll<' earth mother of us all? Are not our
bptrits clothed round with the substance of earth!
lR it not from Nature wo draw life ? Do wo not
perish without s unlight and frc:;h air? . . .
"Yes, but men say there is no intellectual lif<•
working on the land. No intellectual life when man
i!i surroundt•d by mystery and miracle I When the
my~:~torioul) forces which bring to birth and life are
y<'t undiscovcl'('d ; when the earth is teeming with
lift•, nod tho dumb brown lips of tho ridges an·
breathing my~tc ry! Is not the growth of a. tn•c
from a. tiny cell hidden m the earth as provocath ('
of thought as the things mon learn at the schools !
1 ~ not thought on these things more intoresting thnn
tlw sophistries of the newspapers ? It is only in
Nature. and by thought on the problems of Nature.
that our int.ellect grows to any real huth and drM\"
n<'ar to the :\1ighty )find which laid the foundatiom;
of the ''orld. "
Remero her too, the words of the Prime Minit>ter
in his speech to the farmers on Odo her 21st : " Get
the people hack to the land- t<> the re'lurreefon of
that life. You will find the country not a place of
pictul'('sque dc,..olat:on; but England will be rca.liJ
a garden rin~i ng with cheerful and contented life."
'!'his is a ~n·a.t tas k w lric h we are settiug ou r::•<•l u.,..,
and we must bring to it all our fighting powet"' ~md
all our loving po'"crs too, for we shall n<'<'d not only
<'nthusaasm \\-}rich shall set all tho country ... Hlt•
a.hlaz<·, but that ('Oduranco and pt•rs<•vcranco wb~<·h
only great low of our work and our idea e~n ~i \ ,.,
\\t• can do it 1£ W(' likl•.
Look nt the thing-. \\('
hat't done in the Land .\rmy. Look at our D .S.B.' ·
'h must put all our D.S.B. capabilities. which \H' nil
po~s<'ss only wo havt'n 't had a chanee to ~"~!lO\\ tl~c·m
off, into forming this A~sociation. Thon• 1s no tun~'
to lo~e . it mu:;:t bo tionc at once. Now tho fir~>t
thing to be dono is to g<'t <·Yeryouo to. join. 0~
eouf:"t-, cv-<•ry Lnnd .Army girl who 1s Rtay'ng ~n tlu
land will brromo a member-let th~"t't' he no mud .lkt
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