COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE LEAGUE FOE EDUCATED WOMEN.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.1
Sin,—We should like to remind your readers of a letter written last May by the Colonial Intelligence League on the Subject of careers for Educated Women in the more distant parts of the Empire. Since that time great progress has been made by the Society, and the Committee has been greatly strengthened by the appointment of six members of the In- corporated Association of Head-mistresses of Public Secondary Schools. So much has been written of late about the want of women in distant parts of our Empire, as well as the need for wider opportunities for educated women here, that we feel the moment has come to outline more definitely the work which our Society proposes to do. This Committee feels that the first and most imperative need is the procuring of definite in- formation about (a) the openings for women in the various Overseas Dominions, (b) the conditions of life in these new and often partially-settled countries, and considers that, for this purpose, expert and salaried agents are indispensable. They propose to establish at once in the Colonies responsible paid agents, who will report constantly to the Office in London on all matters connected with women of the educated class. The first of these will be established next month in British Columbia. The question of efficiency is, however, so bound up with the success of the work, that this Society does not undertake responsibility for any candidate who cannot satisfy the Com- mittee that she has received definite training for the post to which they are recommending her, or for the work which sbe desires to take up. Loans for training and passage-money are granted by the Society. The work already done by the Colonial Intelligence League has brought out very clearly the necessity for some kind of receiving and distributing centres in those sparsely populated countries. At well-chosen spots we want to establish settlements, which would be such centres, whence women can be distributed over the country districts. At those settlements, which ought, after a few years, to be self-supporting, a training in horticulture and domestic training of all kinds should be given. Later on in the year, after the chairman's return from Canada, the Com- mittee hope to have a definite scheme to lay before the public. For the moment, all we desire to do is to call attention to the fact that we are most actively endeavouring to frame such a scheme, and to induce all those who feel as we do the great pecessity of helping the educated women of this country in such a way as to benefit permanently both them and the Empire, to give us their sympathy and support.—Wo are, Sir, &c., CAROLINE GROSVENOR, Chairman.
FLORENCE GADEBDEN, Vice-President of Incorporated Association of Head Mistresses of Public Secondary Schools. RETA OLDHAM, A. L. VERNON.
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