The first convention of Lithuanian women in America, with delegates from all the principal Lithuanian colonies, took place in Brooklyn last month. The delegates were sent to the convention in answer to "An Appeal to Lithuanian Women," which was published in most of the Lithuanian newspapers. Apparently, the convention was called for the purpose of enlisting Lithuanian-American women in the world-wide feminine movement for the advancement and emancipation of women.

According to newspaper reports, the convention was quite stormy, with heated discussions and debates on important questions. Mr. Zvalgas, in an article in the June 26th issue of the Lietuva, states that a decision was made at the convention to form a nation-wide organization of Lithuanian-American women. However, the delegates were unable to agree for some time concerning the basic principles and aims of the new organization.

Some advocated a political organization, others pleaded that it should be formed only along educational lines. The latter group finally gained the upper hand, and it was decided to form an educational organization.

However, when the platform and constitution of the new organization was written, it proved to be an almost word for word copy of the constitution of the Lithuanian Socialist League. This precipitated heated discussions and debates among the delegates. The question of whether to accept or reject the platform and constitution as it was written created such a furore that it was decided not to vote on the matter at the convention. It was decided to permit all interested Lithuanian women in America to vote on the matter by means of a referendum, and then abide by the results of their vote. A committee was elected for that purpose. Therefore, what will be the aims and nature of the new organization is still an unsolved mystery.

However, the greater majority of the delegates spoke for, and advocated a combined educational and political organization, with the former playing the leading role. Most delegates advanced the theory that the best interests of women lie in both the educational and political fields, and that one cannot be separated from the other.

In the July 10th issue of the Lietuva, one of the women, who represented the Lithuanian women of Brooklyn at the convention, explains in detail what is meant by the word "educational" as applied to an organization. The following is a quotation from her article:

"When we working women employ the word 'educational,' we do not have in mind the higher branches of learning, such as science, mathamatics, history, art, etc. Neither do we mean that it will be necessary to establish a university in each branch of the organization and undertake to explain how many millions of years were required for the earth to 4form, when certain animals became extinct, or the names and positions of the stars and planets. It is true that a knowledge of such matters is beneficial to mankind. However, there are many better places where such knowledge can be acquired than in an organization of working women. The kind of knowledge that is most beneficial to working women and men is an education pertaining to those matters which govern their daily life. It is a fact that economic conditions play the most important role in the daily life of working men and women. It is also a fact that economics is closely allied with government and politics. Therefore, if we wish to become acquainted with the fundamental principles which govern our daily lives, then we must necessarily be interested in an education in both the economic and political fields.

"If we women desire to lead more decent lives, and more properly fulfill our duties and obligations towards ourselves, our children, and society, then we must strive to obtain an economical and political education. We 5cannot satisfy ourselves merely with an idealistic education. When we are hungry and without food, when we have a lot of household work to perform after working hard all day in a factory, when we have no time to feed our children, no time to rear them properly, when our large families, together with roomers and boarders, are forced to crowd into three or four room apartments, and breathe foul air, then idealism, or an idealistic education, is of little help to us. Realism submerges our spirit into the sea of misery to such an extent that it is altogether impossible even to think of idealism. We cannot afford to divert our minds with idealism until we succeed in attaining a great improvement in our economic conditions. The fact that a spiritual or cultural uplift of the masses is impossible without a decent standard of living has been recognized not only by men of high learning, but also by a large percentage of Protestant ministers."

One of the main questions at the convention which precipitated wide discussions and debates was the question whether to establish relations 6with the Lithuanian Women's League in Lithuania, whose aims are purely educational and non-political. One of the delegates made the following remarks in regard to that question:

"We must vote against the establishment of any relations with the Lithuanian Women's League in Lithuania. If we would make such an alliance, then it would be necessary for the women in Lithuania to accept our program, or else we would be obliged to adopt their program. However, since our interests are different from the women in Lithuania, then an alliance with them would not be practical. Instead, it would be more practical and highly desirable to establish relations with the more progressive feminine organizations in the United States."

This delegate did not mention in what way, political or educational, the interests of Lithuanian women in Lithuania differ from the Lithuanian women in America. However, the important point is that a greater majority of the delegates voted against an alliance with the Lithuanian women in 7Lithuania. Therefore, our women will probably accept the program of American women, whose main interest is to wipe out all foreign language groups in this country by Americanizing them, or, more accurately speaking, by Anglo-Saxonizing them.Therefore, our feminine "educational" leaders aim to lead a battalion of uneducated and unsuspecting Lithuanian women into the sea of Americanism.

My advice to our feminine leaders who are interested in the Americanization of our women, and who are of the opinion that the educational interests of Lithuanian women in Lithuania differ from the Lithuanian women in America, is to take a much easier road to attain their goal. Why go through the trouble of forming a separate organization in order to study economics and politics, and to promote the program of Anglo-Saxon women in the Lithuanian language? In this manner, our women will always remain mere servants of the American or Anglo-Saxon women. Would it not be better to join the already existing organizations of American women directly, 8learn the English language, and in a generation become the equals of American women? It is advisable for such feminine leaders to take the latter step independently, without dragging with them a battalion of unsuspecting and uneducated Lithuanian women!

A majority of the women at the convention agreed that the principal aims of their organization are to be "educational." However, there appeared to be a great difference of opinion in regard to the meaning of the word "educational." Apparently, the leading members of the convention believe that education means to agitate, engage in politics, and take full advantage of the rights of citizenship. It is very clear, therefore, that the educational aims of the Lithuanian Women's League in Lithuania are more lofty and much broader in scope.

The fact that all discussions and decisions at the convention hinged around the words "economics and politics," makes it clear that the real purpose of the convention was to form a women's section of the Lithuanian 9Socialist League. The phrase "educational aims" was employed to becloud the real purpose, and in that way secure a greater following. We, Lithuanian women of America, must not permit ourselves to be fooled so easily. The sponsors of that convention had no right to speak in the name of all the Lithuanian women of America. They should take off their disguise of "educational aims" and put on the red cloak of Socialism, and win the support of the masses with deeds and accomplishments. It is unfair to entice Lithuanian women into the Socialist movement under the guise of "educational" aims - it is like angling for fish in muddy waters.

S. Aldona Rutkauskas