PREJUDICE and REASON
some Australian Women's responses to war
two women, two organisations, two journals during WWI
FRONT PAGE - Index
11-13 PREQUEL
11. Two Women, Two Organisations
13. Our Herstory Before WWI
17-18 INTRODUCTION PART 1
WOMEN SUPPORTING WWI
18. The British Empire on Trial
19-20 THE AUSTRALIAN
WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE
19. AWNL - Federal Platform
20. Do Not Seek Place or Power
21-22 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S
NATIONALLEAGE 1914
21. The Empire on Its Trial
23-28 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE 1915
23. World Domination
23. The British Empire on Trial
24. Patriotic Meetings
26. Fight or Work Campaign
26. Patriotic Resolutions
27. What the AWNL has Done
27. Enemy Within the Camp
28. Christmas of Faith and Hope
29-39 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE 1916
29. Appalled
Tades Hall Council
30. Appeal to the Women
30. The Striker and the Shirker
31. I Didn’t Raise My Musket
32. The Prime Minister in England
32. Australia’s Honour at Stake
33. Strikes are Rife in Australia
33. Empire Day Demonstrationl
34. Petition for Conscription
35. 22,000 Signatures Five Days
36. Australia or Germany
36. League Appeal to Women
38. Defend the Empire’s Trade
39. Woman’s Influence
40-43 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE 1917
40. War Savings Patritic Scheme
41. The War Drum of Unionism
41. Australia Finances Two Wars
42. Suggestive Thoughts on Thrift
43. 1917 Petition for Conscription
44-50 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE 1918
44. A Magnificent Demonstration
45. Women’s Vote Responsible?
45. Falling Birth Rate – Nat. Peril
46. Disloyal Utterances
46. Parents’ Consent
46. A War-Time Election
47. The Red Flag
48. Trade Vigilance Committee
48. The Power Behind the Throne
49. The Armistice – and After
51-54 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE 1919
51. Thankfulness to God
51. Madness that is Bolshevism
52. Those Who Will Never Return
52. Peace Terms
- Versailles
55-56 INTRODUCTION PART 2 - WOMEN OPPOSING WWI
56. War is Women’s Business
57 PART 2: THE WOMEN’S
POLITICAL ASSOCIATION
57.
Vida Goldstein
58-68 WOMEN’S POLITICAL
ASSOCIATION 1914
58. The Woman Voter
59. A Ministry of Peace
60. Settling Intrenational Disputes
61. Women Will Stand Together
61. Women of the World Unite!
62. Shall the Mothers Rejoice?
63. Women, Bethink Yourselves
64. Fighting for Civil Liberty
65. Women of the World are One
66. An Outrage on Civilisation
66. White Australia Policy Done
66. A Scheme Help Unemployed
67. War and the People’s Bread
68. Christmas Message All
69-89 WOMEN’S POLITICAL
ASSOCIATION 1915
69. No Secret Imperial Policy
69. W.P.A. Women’s Bureau
70. Women Seeking Work
70. Proposals for Work
71. The Unemployment Bureau
71. Women’s Farm
72. A Farm Has Been Taken
72. Labour Bureau New Office
73. Women’s Conference Hague
74. A Free Press
75. Women’s Labour Bureau
75. Attempt to Annihilate Bureau
76. Defence of Their Own Rights
76. Cost of Living Deputation
77. Parliamentary Rebuff
78. Members Frightened of Us?
79. Deputation Minister Defence
79. Form a Women’s Peace Army
82. Congress of Women - Hague
83. Mothers Fight
84. Necessitous Women
85. WPA
Requests Prime Minister
86. Asiatic Deprived of Work
86. Tabloid Philosophy - Patriotism
87. Venereal Disease
87. I Didn’t Raise My Son Soldier
88. Peace Mandate
89. Our Bureau at Christmas Time
89. Women Continue to Sing It
90-115 WOMEN’S POLITICAL
ASSOCIATION 1916
90. Soldiers Attack Mr Katz
90. Who Loses the War?
91. War and Rights of Citizens
92. Mr Hughes Incites to Murder
93. Condemns Authorities
93. WPA and the Prime Minister
97. The Little Nations
97. War Profits, Food Prices
97. Not Breeding Machines
98. The Children’s Peace Army
98. Almost Without Bread
98. Peace Proposals
99. Conscription by Proclamation
100. Justice Blind in One Eye
100. Women's Farm
100. Unemployed Women
101. Letter from a Prisoner of War
101. Yarra Bank Meeting
104. Who Profits War? Mining
104. Distress Amongst Women
105. Social Evil Convention
106. Women’s National League
106. Church and Social Questions
106. Women Belligerent Countries
107. State Govt. Compels Women
107. So Mr Hughes Hopes
108. Opposing Conscription
108. Peace Army Leaflets
110. Child Labour
111. Manifesto Peace Army
112. New Premises
113. Colours
114. 6,000 Processionists
114. Persia - New Agreement
114.
Secret Mission to London
115. Proclamation Annulled!
115.
Women for Permanent Peace
116-122 WOMEN’S POLITICAL
ASSOCIATION 1917
116. Women’s Terms of Peace
117. WPA and
Russian Revolution
118. War is Out of Date
119. Workers Never Wavered
120. Raid on Parliament
120. The Strike
121. WPA Established a Commune
122. We Lead - Conscription No!
122. Hugely Successful Meetings
123-126 WOMEN’S POLITICAL
ASSOCIATION 1918
123. Press, Pulpit Purse
124. It is with Great Regret
124. The ‘Shirker’ Class
124. Meeting Guild Hall
124. Protest against Profiteering
125. President Wilson’s Speech
125. The Dawn of Peace
127-140 WOMEN’S POLITICAL
ASSOCIATION 1919
127. WPA Peace Buttons
127. Women’s Peace Congress
127. Delegation to Europe
129. Starving Babies of Germany
130.
Peace Congress Zurich
131. Rule of Force and Spoilation
131. Old Order is Not Changed
132. Peace - Unspeakable
134. Hatred Treaty of Versailles
134. Colour Caste’s a Lie
134. Pagan Rites Ended
135. It is War, It is War
135. Congress Deep Regret
136. Zurich and Versailles
137. Old-Time Despotism
138. Order Out of Chaos
139. The World is Sick unto Death
139. Misunderstanding and Hate
140. Not Enough Return Passage
140. This Publication Ceases
141-143 INTRODUCTION to
PART 3
144-148 SEQUEL
144
Women in Black
145 Beyond the Garden Gate
149-177 APPENDICES - 1 to 9
178-180 INDEX
Pages 40 to 43 Women Supporting WW1 PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE 1917
AWNL - War Savings Patriotic Scheme
The Woman 2 July 1917:
“We would strongly urge members of our great organisation to co-operate whole-heartedly in the carrying out of this (War Savings) patriotic scheme. It may be justly claimed by the organisers of the Inaugural Thrift Campaign Week, 9th to 15th June, that their work has acted as Pioneer in this scheme for National Thrift, and that it will still continue to do so. It has caused the word Thrift to be heard in the press, the pulpit, in general conversation in trams and trains.
A great sense and some non-sense has been uttered on the subject, but the movement has emphasised the truth that Thrift is not parsimony or the lessening of employment, but the best use of national and private resources and the restriction of selfish spending on the “unconsidered trifles”, with the motive of having to spare for patriotic efforts. And what could be more patriotic than by this means to convert money thus saved into capital lent to the Government to carry the war to a triumphant end, and to form a nest-egg when the “Dove of Peace” has again settled on the earth, which will enable new industries to be started and the old ones to thrive? ...
We would again ask the question often pressed in the past by the AWN League, “Has not the time come when National Service of men and women should be the law of the land?”We would again renew the offer made by members of the AWN League in April 1915 to step forward and fill the ranks of labour which will of necessity be depleted while our men are at the front! - Great Britain, France, Canada, and America point the way. Why should Australia not fall in line?”
Mrs J. H. Hope
AWNL - The War Drum of Unionism
The Woman 1 September 1917:
Today!In Our Empire’s Hour of Supreme Trial – and our own hour of supreme trial – while our Australian men, our sons and brothers, are fighting to defend our frontiers (for Australia’s frontiers are in Middle Europe and on the seas, thousands of miles distant, thank God from even the coastline of Australia Felix).
Now, NOW – at this hour of supreme crises and world’s agony, and while the cream of our manhood is “playing the game” – the “man’s great game,” “the War Drum of Unionism” is being beaten to rally brother Australians to industrial war.’“Unionism is Threatened! What shall it profit the worker if he gain short and ever shortening hours, high and ever-rising wages, compulsory unionist comrades, factory laws, Compensation Acts, and Arbitration Courts – if he loses every cause for complaint, every peg on which to hang a strike – to become enslaved by the “tyranny of the card system”! Down with the tyranny of Governments! Up with the lawlessness of mob rule!
And on August 2nd, 1917, while more than a quarter of a million brave lads, sons of Australian mothers, are fighting day and night, seven days a week, to save this land of great possibilities from the grip of the brutal Hun – their fellow unionists and brother Australians declared Industrial War on the Mother State of Australia!
AWNL - Australia Finances Two Wars
The Woman 1 October 1917:
The Australian Commonwealth is financing two wars – one in distant Europe; the other within her own borders. In the midst of the world’s mammoth tragedy and trial we are carrying on civil war on our own highly favoured land.
The strike ... has swept from State to State like a mid-summer bushfire across a dry and well-grassed plain, and is now raging fiercely in our own State of Victoria …Militant pacifists and shrieking members of Peace Societies parade our city streets, assault the police, destroy ratepayers’ property, and shame the 99% of honest workers whose names they take in vain. Meanwhile the whole community (constituted mainly of women, innocent children, and men desirous of minding their own business and providing for their families) is suffering acutely.
(The objection 'Women are shrieking cockatoos' was made by a member of the Legislative Assembly ... When the pioneer suffragist Mrs Love pointed out that it was the male cockatoo who did the shrieking, we didn't hear any more of that particular argument'. Vida Goldstein, Pioneer Pathways, ed Isabel McCorkindale WCTU Melbourne 1948.)
AWNL - Suggestive Thoughts on Thrift
The Woman 1 November 1917:
‘A comparative definition of Thrift is “Economy manages, frugality saves, Providence plans. Thrift at once earns and saves, with a view to wholesome and profitable expenditure at a fitting time” …
The body is mortal, the spirit the mind immortal. Thrift then must imply, if it is putting first things first, training in the former to develop and strengthen the latter, something greater – grander than making twenty shillings do the work of twenty-five – though even that may be included in the thrift programme.Think of the awful tragedy that would have happened to our Empire had our mothers not been thrifty mothers, realising that when their boys heard the call of duty they must not say to them “Nay”...
And pity all those other weak, thriftless women, who shelter themselves behind a cry “I did not raise my son to be a soldier”.
Australian War Memorial call number: 2/1/1; RC00319 cas.awm.gov.au
Pro conscription Referendum leaflet targeting the female vote.
“BY VOTING ‘YES’ AUSTRALIA WILL RUB OUT THIS BLOT”AWNL - 1917 Petition for Conscription
The Woman 1 December 1917:
Australian Women’s National League Petition for Conscription -
To the Honourable the Speaker, and to the Honourable the Members of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Commonwealth in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of the undersigned Electors of the Commonwealth, resident in Victoria, respectfully showeth that -
1. In view of the extreme gravity of the situation regarding the War, and the turn that events have taken, consequent upon the downfall of Russia, we consider that the time has arrived when Australia can no longer remain the one volunteer nation fighting the war ... (see AWNL Petition Appendix 3)
