Talk:Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire

Modern Era

There's no mention of the Daughters of the Empire after World War II, does the organization still exist? And what is it's current goals? Is it still female only in this day and age? 173.209.103.239 (talk) 20:03, 20 March 2016 (UTC)

Delete Inaccurate Statement and add the Objects of the Corporation

The entire Imperialism and race statements are FAULTS and was not written by an IODE member or anyone we contracted.  This author took an abstract approach writing damaging inaccurate accounts.  We want the entire Imperialism and race section DELETED. 

We the following statement is Board of Directors approve, that we request to be posted.

When IODE was formed in 1900 women were not considered persons under Canadian law.  It was formed for the purpose of supporting the Canadians involved in the Boer War and their families in Canada.  The women of the organization were part of society and represented the full spectrum of societal norms.  Support for the British Empire took the form of support for the system of governance.  Women of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire worked quietly and persistently to have women recognized as persons and to earn the right to vote. They weren’t blindly following all the positions of the time.  They managed to get their organization incorporated despite systemic obstacles.

Following the first World War IODE stressed the development of school libraries and awarded history prizes on the presumption that by studying history people would not repeat the mistakes that had led to the war.  Following the Second World War IODE women responded to Princess Elizabeth’s call for service. After her coronation she promoted the Commonwealth; IODE encouraged the study of the Commonwealth, but continued its activities in support of all the other objects of the corporation.

In 1968 when IODE was incorporated under new legislation the objects were:

The Objects of the Corporation shall be,

a)   to promote education of all kinds, and particularly the study of history and current questions, and to advance and assist such study by the preservation of tangible reminders of the course of history;

b)   to care for widows, orphans and dependents of Canadian and Commonwealth soldiers, sailors and airmen during war, in time of peace or under sickness, accident or reverses of fortune;

c)   to forward all such good work as may be for the relief of those in poverty or distress irrespective of race, colour, creed or sex;

d)   to assist in the progress of the arts;

e)   to give donations for charitable purposes.

By 1975 IODE women were no longer referring to the organization by its legal name, Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, and agreed, by formal motion at an annual meeting, to refer to the organization by its initials. Recently it was decided that when asked about the initials we would say they stand for Inclusive, Organized, Dedicated and Enthusiastic.

Our Mission statement is “IODE Canada is a national women’s charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals through education support, community service and citizenship programs.” IODE member (talk) 16:06, 15 November 2022 (UTC)

IODE member (talk) 15:56, 15 November 2022 (UTC)

@IODE member:  Not done. Wikipedia will not allow an organization to, forgive the term, whitewash its article and conceal its history, especially when said history is supported by three scholarly sources. —C.Fred (talk) 16:40, 15 November 2022 (UTC)

However, if there is a reliable published source for the disuse of the full name, we can certainly add that as a response the history of the organization. The "By 1975..." sentence, if supported, is suitable for addition to the article. —C.Fred (talk) 16:44, 15 November 2022 (UTC)

Greetings, C.Fred.

I've been reading up on IODE while researching imperialist ideologies. I came across a book published in 2002 by the UK's Manchester University Press — they have a long-running series on the many aspects of imperialism — that looks promising: Female imperialism and national identity: Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire. The JSTOR preview of its Introduction providentially covers the name issue — see

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt155jbzq?turn_away=true

and scroll down to Introduction:

"In 1978 the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, an organization of Canadian women founded in 1900 and still in existence, changed its name to ‘just IODE’, an often used informal abbreviation. As one member put it: ‘IODE really doesn’t stand for anything.’¹ That was the hope of publicity officers at national headquarters in Toronto, who initiated the name change keen to overcome what they perceived to be the unwelcome connotations of ‘empire’. The now peculiar and elusive name conjures up faint memories and suspected intrigue, with little actually known of the IODE and its vital place in twentieth-century imperial..."

I'll see if I can access the full text via scholarly portals and work up a potential reference for the disuse of the full name.

The book is itself cited as 'Further Reading' in an article in The Canadian Encyclopedia, authored by a qualified historian, that looks well balanced and RS-worthy:

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/imperial-order-daughters-of-the-empire

Protalina (talk) 23:42, 7 February 2024 (UTC)

I see the book is cited in the current text but not regarding the name-change? Protalina (talk) 23:55, 7 February 2024 (UTC)

Found at least one newspaper report of the name-change in May 1978 - adopted at the annual meeting. Calgary Herald, 31 May, p.D5, IODE Changes Name

Protalina (talk) 00:13, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

So, after searching on Newspapers.com:

• 1965: name change mooted, consultations begun: eg Ottawa Citizen, 13 March 1965, p.29, "IODE name change is being studied", https://www.newspapers.com/image/459230395/
• 1971: decided to stay as is: eg Expositer, 16 April 1971, p.17 col.3, "No Change For IODE", https://www.newspapers.com/image/733422509/
• 1978: decided to change: eg 1. Kitchener-Waterloo Region Record, 6 June 1978, p.41 "Just Talking" (a columnist providing context & history of debate), https://www.newspapers.com/image/992805116/ - eg 2. Toronto Star, 29 May 1978, p.A15 col.1, "IODE changes its name", https://www.newspapers.com/image/947874413/

Protalina (talk) 15:25, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

However, see the latest (2022) 'Registered charity information return':

https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/t3010/v26/t3010ovrvw

Protalina (talk) 16:53, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

Hmm, the Canada Revenue Agency may not allow deep-linking to that level. Anyway, the end-page (the standard report for 2022 sent in by IODE) gives the registered name, with a registration date of 1991-01-01, as IMPERIAL ORDER DAUGHTERS OF THE EMPIRE. Also, the field for "Names the charity is known by other than its registered name:" is blank.

Protalina (talk) 21:26, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

Can you please insert the following statement - before the Imperialism and race statements? statements

When IODE was formed in 1900 women were not considered persons under Canadian law.  It was formed for the purpose of supporting the Canadians involved in the Boer War and their families in Canada.  The women of the organization were part of society and represented the full spectrum of societal norms.  Support for the British Empire took the form of support for the system of governance.  Women of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire worked quietly and persistently to have women recognized as persons and to earn the right to vote. They weren’t blindly following all the positions of the time.  They managed to get their organization incorporated despite systemic obstacles.

Following the first World War IODE stressed the development of school libraries and awarded history prizes on the presumption that by studying history people would not repeat the mistakes that had led to the war.  Following the Second World War IODE women responded to Princess Elizabeth’s call for service. After her coronation she promoted the Commonwealth; IODE encouraged the study of the Commonwealth, but continued its activities in support of all the other objects of the corporation.

In 1968 when IODE was incorporated under new legislation the objects were:

The Objects of the Corporation shall be,

a)   to promote education of all kinds, and particularly the study of history and current questions, and to advance and assist such study by the preservation of tangible reminders of the course of history;

b)   to care for widows, orphans and dependents of Canadian and Commonwealth soldiers, sailors and airmen during war, in time of peace or under sickness, accident or reverses of fortune;

c)   to forward all such good work as may be for the relief of those in poverty or distress irrespective of race, colour, creed or sex;

d)   to assist in the progress of the arts;

e)   to give donations for charitable purposes.

By 1975 IODE women were no longer referring to the organization by its legal name, Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, and agreed, by formal motion at an annual meeting, to refer to the organization by its initials. Recently it was decided that when asked about the initials we would say they stand for Inclusive, Organized, Dedicated and Enthusiastic.

Our Mission statement is “IODE Canada is a national women’s charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals through education support, community service and citizenship programs.” IODE member (talk) 17:16, 15 November 2022 (UTC)

@IODE member: Maybe. We need reliable sources for the first two paragraphs. We don't include corporate objectives. I've addressed the "By 1975" paragraph already. And we generally exclude mission statements. —C.Fred (talk) 17:20, 15 November 2022 (UTC)