Property of U.P.E.l. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Founding of the Women’s Institutes 
     
    
   
   
    
     , —But let us dream on—have visions and act accordingly— 
     
     for “When there is no vision the people perish.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     Ill * * * * 
     
    
   
   
    
     - Despite the severely cold weather on February 12, 1897, a 
     
     meeting of all the citizens of Stoney Creek was held in Squire’s Hall, 
     
     which was heated by a crackling wood fire and lighted by lanterns 
     
    

    
     "hung from the rafters. 
     
    

    
     Mr. Erland Lee acted as chairman and opened what was to 
     
     be the most outstanding meeting the Farmer’s Institute of South 
     
     Wentworth County had ever known and which would completely 
     
     revolutionize their way of life. 
     
    

    
     When Mr. Lee introduc‘ed Mrs. John Hoodless of Hamilton as 
     
     guest speaker to the thirty-five women, they were deeply concerned 
     
     as she told of the death of her eighteen months old son, and of her 
     
     ‘terrible'sorrow when she realized that he had died from drinking 
     
     , impure milk; his death could have been prevented if she had known 
     
    

    
     etter. 
     
     ., 'Already she had done a great deal. Headed a campaign for 
     
     'clean milk in her city. She began with classes in the Y.W.C.A. and 
     
     succeeded in developing these into a HOUSEHOLD SCIENCE 
     
     SCHOOL (1895). She had been instrumental in starting the first 
     
     Public School classes in Household Science in Ontario —— the first in 
     
     Canada. 
     
    

    
     The thirty-five women who were present agreed to come 
     
     again on the 19th when Mrs. Hoodless would again speak. On that 
     
     night 101 women and one man, Mr. Lee, braved another stormy 
     
     night to attend the meeting in Squire’s Hall. Mrs. Hoodless pointed 
     
     out that if the men felt the need of an organization, and it enabled 
     
     them to grow better crops and produce better live stock, then an 
     
     Institute for the women would be equally beneficial. She declared 
     
     that it was much more important than that of the men, since it 
     
     concerned the home and the care of loved ones. 
     
    

    
     ' These women sensed the importance and responsibility of 
     
     ‘their duty as homemakers. They decided to organize a Department 
     
     of Domestic Economy in affiliation with the Farmer’s Institute of 
     
     South Wentworth. This name was changed to STONEY CREEK 
     
     Women’s Institute when other groups were organized in the town~ 
     
     ship. 
     
     ' Through their new organization the members hoped to im- 
     
     prove conditions in the home from the physical, intellectual and 
     
     cultural standpoints. The real purpose or object of the first Institute 
     
     was to raise the standard of homemaking. Proof of this is recorded 
     
     in the early minutes, “A nation cannot rise above the level of its 
     
     homes, therefore we women must work and study together to raise 
     
     the standards of our homes to the highest possible level.” And from 
     
    
   
   
    
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