"TO THE WOMEN OF THE EMPIRE.

Nelson's words to his men before battle have rung down the ages, still waking an answer in every Englishman's heart. The present national crisis has a similar message for women—a message which will never be uttered with deeper and more serious intent—the Empire expects every woman to do her duty.

The great rally to voluntary service on the part of women throughout the country is sufficient evidence that women are will- ing and eager to answer the call. What they have not perhaps wholly realized is, that work is not the only interpretation of the word duty. The influence a woman exerts is far greater by virtue of her personality than of her work, and it is given to every one of us to exercise an influence by personal example.

Let us then examine what we conceive to be a woman's duty at this time of national crisis. It is not for ns to fight a temporal foe—woman's duty and woman's work consist in fighting the armies of disorder, want, impurity and vice, and it is to this end that our spiritual forces must be directed. Lord Kitchener's admonition to the Army on the eve of war evokes a feeling of gratitude in every mother, that so high a standard of English manhood should have been set before our men.

The duties there enjoined are doubly strong in their appeal to women, for it is by our personal example that we can help the men to live up to the required standard. By living purely and temperately at home, we can set a fine example of duty and self- control to those whom we ask to respect women in other lands. The present crisis is revealing conditions of demoralization and drink in some parts of England, among men and women, which lead us to the conclusion that the great part which women can and should play in this war, has not yet been fully understood by all. k The miserable consequences caused by alcoholic excess and sexual irregularities should be explained to young women, and older women could, by kindly and sympathetic teaching, help many girls to realize that vices not only mean disease in those who are guilty of them, but that they bequeath a terrible legacy of blind- ness, deafness, insanity and death to the innocent children who are born as a result of irregular unions.

Knowing as we do from the evidence recently given before the Royal Commission that all attempts at regulation and revival of the Contagious Diseases Acts would not only be morally wrong, but also medically valueless, we beg to record a very strong pro- test against any attempts at regulation.

Never was a supply of healthy, vigorous children more necessary to our nation. We are suffering to-day from the effects of a birth-rate which has fallen rapidly we are also suffering from the ill-health and feeble-mindedness of many children who are the innocent victims of their parents' sins.

Will the women of England unite in a great movement towards a finer and higher ideal of national duty ?

This is the moment to begin. We are called upon to help our to fight the enemies of demoralization and drink at home,. we are called upon to crush these enemies in our own lives and homes, and we are called upon so to live as to bequeath a heritage of health and happiness to the children we shall eventually give- to the nation.

We shall be happy to give advice and to assist any women who feel that they can help in these directions, and we would draw their attention to a Mass Meeting of Women which it is proposed to hold in the Guildhall on Thursday, November 19th, at 3 p.m.,. under the presidency of Lady Jellicoe. Copies of this Manifesto, and tickets of admission can be obtained on application to Rev. James Merchant, National Council of Public Morals for the Promotion of Race Regeneration, 42 Great Russell Street, W.C.

ADELINE M. BEDFORD.

CONSUEL 0 MARLBOROUGH.

HARIOT DUFFERIN AND A VA.

A. CHICHESTER.

CONSTANCE SHAFTESBURY.

ROSA LIND CARLISLE.

MARIE WILLOUGHBY DE BROKE.

EL NON° RA FRENCH.

GWENDOL I NE JELLICOE.

FRANCES BALFOUR.

MARGOT ASQUITH.

A. H. BARLOW.

JULIET M. GODLEE.

GERTRUDE E MOTT.

H. M. PROCTER.

ANNIE BUTLIN.

MARY SCHARLIEB.

BEATRICE WEBB (Mrs. Sidney

Webb).

ATH EL H. DAVIDSON. E. B. HUNTER.

HELEN BURNS.

ELIE. M. CADBURY, EL ALA R. PAGET.

H. MARY MOU LE.

FLORENCE WILLEY.

FLORENCE BOOTH.

IRENE VA NB RUGH.

MARY SPENDER.

MABEL HOPE.

MARGARET G. BONDFIELD.

ALICE K. RurrEa.

E. C. MORGAN.

Ross F. HERTZ.

THERESE GOLLANCZ., MARIANNE DALE.

MARGARET ASHTON.

MARY HIGGS.

J. E. MEYER.

NORAH HALL.

LILY H. MONTAGU."