“Would you take $2?” Haggling over price is part of the fun at garage sales. The owner wanted $3 for an autobiography by Nellie McClung, one of five women who pushed for the 1929 legal definition acknowledging that women are persons. I argued that the cover was faded and got a treasure for a toonie.
I knew that Nellie McClung had worked to obtain voting rights for women and was elected as an MLA in Alberta, but I wanted to read her own words. McClung, born in Ontario in 1873, was a feisty woman who was offended by injustice. The Depression of the 1930s affected her deeply. In her book THE STREAM RUNS FAST she describes “the tired rebellious faces of the bewildered farm boys who drifted from place to place, not wanted anywhere. Their hands were full of strength, they were willing to do anything, but it seemed there was no place for them.” McClung believed that change was possible and she was tireless in her demands. “There is a new world to be built and it must come in the hearts of the people.”
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McClung discovered her skills as a public speaker when she became involved in the temperance movement. She thought it was futile to “tell them how many loaves of bread a man could buy if he never drank beer.” Her approach was to appeal for resources previously spent on liquor to be used for “recreation grounds, games, handicrafts, orchestras, folk dances, better houses, better farms; new hope for a new world.” She travelled extensively, speaking frequently and unsettling the male dominance of the day.
In McClung’s world women had little power outside of their homes. When the premier of Manitoba, Sir Rodmond Roblin, told her “Nice women don’t want the vote” she increased her crusade. Many women worked long hours in the Winnipeg garment industry for small wages. McClung and another woman insisted that the stuffy premier accompany them on a tour of the factories. He had no idea of the hardship women workers experienced in distressing working conditions.
McClung believed that the root cause of injustice is “the absence of an idea.” An idea followed by action can result in significant change. Cynthia Patterson co-founded Rural Dignity from her kitchen table in the Gaspé Peninsula, Que. When the federal government began to close rural post offices across Canada, Patterson spearheaded a grassroots fight-back campaign with mass letter writing, spirited press conferences and special events. Politicians got the message that the post office is more than a place to collect mail. They are centres of communication which build community relationships.
The speaker at a Grandmothers for Grandmothers dinner challenged us to do more for grandmothers in Africa who are raising children whose parents have died of AIDS. She said, “It matters. People have the power to make a difference.” A recent immigrant from Africa said, “What you are doing is building solidarity with people in Africa. They feel that somebody cares for them.”
You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes, from the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams; our women see visions, our men clear their eyes, with bold new decisions your people arise. (From the hymn “Spirit of Gentleness”)
Suggested Scripture: Psalm 82, Micah 6:6-8
Rod Andrews is a retired Anglican bishop. He lives in Saskatoon.
