Women's Web
stories actions

womensweb.com.au

wmnsweb@iprimus.com.au

 

PREJUDICE and REASON
some Australian Women's responses to war


 
From 1909 to now, including
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 123 to 126 Women Opposing WW1 PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE

WOMEN’S POLITICAL ASSOCIATION 1918

WPA - Press, Pulpit and Purse - Referendum Results

Woman Voter 17 January 1918:
Conscription Referendum - The voting on the Conscription Referendum was declared on the 10th inst., ...

It is interesting to note that, so far as the votes have been counted, the “Yes” vote has decreased by 74,196 compared with that recorded in 1916, while the “No” vote has increased by 18,223 votes ...

Large as is the majority against conscription, it is not nearly so large as it would have been had the Government not resorted to such devious ways of preventing the “No” citizens from voting - the sudden closing of the rolls, the disenfranchisement of Australian-born citizens whose father was German-born, the holding of the referendum on a full working day instead of the half-day, Saturday, which is also the statutory day for holding elections and referenda, the tricky form of the question. Faced with such serious disadvantages, and with the seemingly colossal power of “Press, Pulpit and Purse” against the anti-conscriptionists, the wonder is that conscription did not win.

Woman Voter
17 January 1918:
The Women’s Peace Army held a fine rally at the Yarra Bank the Sunday following the Referendum ...

The following resolution was carried unanimously - That this mass meeting expresses deep gratitude for the result of the Conscription Referendum. Believing that a great victory means a great responsibility, the Australian Women’s Peace Army calls upon Australian citizens to demand that negotiations for a Constructive Peace that will sow no seeds of bitterness and revenge be begun immediately, and to ask that the Peace Conference shall consent to an International Agreement being signed to permit Australia to develop as an Unarmed Nation, settling its national and international difficulties by negotiation instead of conflict.

WPA - The “Shirker” Class


Woman Voter
17 January 1918:
The “Shirker” Class - The “Age”, in its Ambrosial Prattle, refers frequently to the “shirker class”. Which is the “shirker class”?

The “working class”? Certainly not, with its huge percentage of volunteers, out of all proportion to the contribution by any other class to the European holocaust.

The “Age” Prattle must have reference to the “last shilling” class, which has not yet had the “opportunity”, as Sir William Irvine would say, “of combing out” either superfluous members of superfluous shillings.

WPA - It is with Great Regret

Woman Voter
6 June 1918:
It is with great regret we have to announce that after this issue the ‘Woman Voter’ will be published fortnightly until - when? That is for our subscribers and readers to decide.

WPA - WPA Protest against Profiteering

Woman Voter 20 June 1918:
At a meeting of the WPA held on the 10th inst., addressed by Mr Howey of the Consumers’ League... the following resolution was carried unanimously -

That this meeting resolves to ask the Acting Prime Minister to receive a deputation of women, who will give him concrete evidence of the heavy burden being placed on the workers of Australia, especially on the women workers, by the prevailing profiteering in food and other household commodities.

Mr Howey said the profiteering question had become a great national question; it concerned the social, every-day life of the community, for it affected everyone who had a fixed wage. Profiteers taunted the workers with being disloyal, and asked why recruits were not forthcoming.

The profiteers were the disloyalists, and no more recruits would be forthcoming as long as the profiteers persisted in their disloyal actions.

Woman Voter
20 June 1918:
Women in the Presbyterian Church - The General Assembly of the Vic. Presbyterian Church has at last officially admitted the existence of women - except as a “bazaarist” - by decreeing that women shall have the church franchise, right of election to church bodies, and association with church sessions - for consultative purposes only!

WPA - President Wilson’s Speech

Woman Voter
10 October 1918:
Though no one will agree with all he has to say, the speech of President Wilson in New York on 27th ult. is of immense importance in making clear to the Allies America’s irreducible minimum in the way of peace terms, and in proving to the world that he has statesmanlike qualities of vision that have been sadly lacking in Governments during the past decade, qualities that enable him to see that those who created the war, and accepted the war, are having it completely taken out of their hands by the people, who, having had to bear the full burden of fighting the war, and who will have to bear the full burden of paying for it, are determined that they alone shall decide the basic principles of a constructive peace.

Woman Voter
10 October 1918:
The WPA has received an invitation from the Returned Soldiers National Party to send two delegates to a conference to consider after-the-war problems.

WPA - The Dawn of Peace

Woman Voter
7 November 1918:
Peace is dawning more brightly day by day, but the greatest mental alertness is required to distinguish even dimly between the true and the false propositions for a constructive peace. The false clamours so loudly that the still, small voice of Truth and Justice is apt to be unheard or unheeded, and the only certain outcome of peace discussions will be an outcome that those who accepted the war did not foresee, and do not want. Man proposes, but a higher power disposes - and the world wonders why its schemes fail.

May we venture to prophesy? Democracy, of a kind, will triumph, but it will be of such a form that those who called most loudly for democracy will prefer before it the autocracy they seek, and seek rightly, to dethrone. We use the word “rightly” to designate the aim of their endeavours, not the method. Because the method was wrong, though they knew none better, they will not reap what they expected to reap. The belligerents, one and all, have believed in Might, rather than in Right; therefore, they have failed. To them, the 6th Commandment was an unobeyable Commandment - for nations.

They have not glimpsed the fact that its demands are as exact, as inexorable, as the demands of mathematics. Thou shalt make two and two four. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image that sayeth two and two are five; if thou wouldst get the correct answer to thy problems, thou shalt know that two and two are four.

So, if we would solve the problems that arise between nations, we must obey the Commandment “Thou shalt not kill”. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are “the way” for nations, as for individuals.

Therefore, walk ye in it, Bolsheviks as well as Capitalists - or else, Failure.

PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT PAGE