desire for absolute accuracy and perfection.

This is invaluable in many ways, but in organizing on a big scale
may be a serious fault. There must, of course, be method, order
and accuracy, but the great essential to secure in big things is
harmonious working--not to insist on a rigid sameness but to allow for
widely divergent views and attitudes and ways of doing things so long
as the essential rules are observed. We should not insist too much
on identity in the way of work of different places and districts.
In essentials--unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things,
charity--that might well be the wise organizer's motto.

The supplementing of governmental organization by national voluntary
organization is a great piece of work and in the beginning of the war,
and still, many of our organizations, voluntary or semi-official in
character, were of great service. The work of the Soldiers and Sailors
Families' Association is an example. The S. and S.F.A. had been
created in the South African War and in peace time and war time looked
after the dependants of the soldier and sailor. Its committees were
composed of men and women--and it administered voluntary funds and
later grants from the National Relief Fund, raised at the outbreak of
war.

When war broke out, all the Reservists were called up and our men
volunteered in tens of thousands. The pay offices of the army, being
small like everything else in our army, could not cope quickly with
the numbers of claims for allowances pouring in, but the S. and S.F.A.
stepped into the breach and looked after the dependants. It secured
vast numbers more of women in every town and village who visited every
dependant and looked after them. They advanced the allowances which