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Show 0 SECTION FOUR W V " W- - THE DESERET NEWS, SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1923 pTU YU ir a in CO THIS IS THE PLACE 99 4 ifi&fii t V ROM its earliest settlement this section of the West has been in the vanguard of those that have reoi ognized womans place and usefulness in civic and community work. For example, the first woman to cast a vote with full suffrage in any public election in the United S tates, was a U tah woman-,- Miss Seraph Young, a niece of President Brigham Young. Miss Young happened to be the first woman at the polls in the Salt Lake City municipal electionof Feb. 2J, 1870.The women of Salt Lake all were permitted to vote in that election. The women, of Utah, as a whole, cast their ballots in the general territorial election in September, 1 870. Wyoming passed the womans suffrage bill Dec. 10,1869, butrdid not hold an election until November, 1870. The first woman state senator in the United States of Utah, who was electwas Dr. Martha Hughes-Canno- n ed to the state legislature in 1896 and served two terms. In that same session of the legislature Mrs. LeBarthe was a member of the lower house. The first woman mayor in the United States was Mrs. Mary Woolley Chamberlain, of Kanab, Utah. She, with a council of four women, was elected to administer the municipal affairs of Kanab from 1910 to 1913. The first woman to attend officially a national political convention was Mrs. Elizabeth Cohen of Utah, who . was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Kansas City, in 1900. There have been women in the state legislature of Utah every session since" statehood. The foregoing are a few typical instances cf Utahs recognition of women in civic life. PflTi HE Relief Society is this week celebrating the not the beginning of this noted society; it was organized originally in Nauvoo, March 17, 1842. It was designed as a charitable organization 2nd in this commendable labor it has gone forward continuously since the day it was established In addition to its moral and ethical influence on the community it has collected and disbursed millions of dollars in pure charity, with no overhead expenses, since all the work connected with the society is entirely voluntary. It would be impossible to overestimate the value and helpfulness of the great work done by the faithful women of the Relief Society. Not only have they dispensed charity to the poor and needy, but they have visited the sick, comforted the sorrowing, encouraged the disheartened, bound up broken hearts and put new life into the weary and discouraged. In many helpful ways they have been ministering angels to their fellow men. As an example of the practical results of Relief Society work, in some of its larger aspects, one thinks immediately of its activity in the storing of wheat Back in pioneer days, by counsel of their leader, Brigham Young, the Relief Society women started the practice of saving each season enough wheat to keep their community with food for at least a year ahead, as a safeguard against crop failure or famine conditions from whatever cause. As a result of this custom the Relief Society has been able to send carloads of wheat to sufferers in the Mississippi floods, the San Francisco fire, and other disasters. Also during the World War, when food supplies were badly needed, the Relief Society was able to turn over to the government 200,000 bushels of wheat. Interest on the Relief Society fund is put to practical use, such as maternity and baby welfare work, hospitals, free clinics, etc., etc. In all these enterprises the women contribute their efforts without remuneration; it is with them a labor of love and fellowship, an effort to advance the Brotherhood of Man as well as the Fatherhood of God in the world. --was I , rf 4 tt If yoa are not a subscriber to THE DESERET NEWS, join with us now and help boost Utah and her wonderful resources and adanlages. iV . -'- . rA 3v I ni.3May . 1 I --I Readers. are you DOING YOUR SHARE in this "worthy enterprise? How are you showing jour Read these pages and know why THIS IS THE PLACE." I yl I 1. This is the 203d page in the series which, with a supplementary editorial, is devoted weekly by The Deseret News to advancing the interests and welfare of Utah and the Tnlermountain West." --- 7 V 1 I.,' . I BM ty f i . The Deseret News indorsesaridcommends the good work of the Relief Society arid all other womens organizations, of whatever class or creed, in which service to humanity jsjhe guiding aim. These noble women of Utah and the Intermountain West by their efforts are not only helping to spread cotrifort, cheer and happiness, but they are contributing in a large measure to the progress and success of our community life. Theyare undoubtedly among the leaders of those who are making literal the prophetic words of the great Pioneer when he declared: This Is the Place. 1 ! . , TWW .. t . - |