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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1898)
THE COURIER p r i. . ttte?roee9TOTOeefe9sttTOec9?9?9 X L eLHBS- p & I i i SSAAAA at t3 Annie L. Millkc, Editor. Officers of the State Federation of Woman's Clubs. President, Mrs. B. M. Stoutenborough, Plattsmouth. Vice-president, Mrs. E. M. Cobb, Yoik. Secretary, Mrs. Henrietta Smicb, Omiba. Treasurer, Mn. M. V. Nichol, Beatrice. Auditor, Mrs.-Ella S. Lirsh, Nebraska City. Librarian, Mrs. G. M. Lambertson, Lincoln. The following report of the Denver Biennial is reprinted from the Bazar: Perhaps it is because Denver is a city of superlatives, possessing the hottest sun and the coolest, driest nir, the biggest mountains, the .Inest fruits and vegetables, the most ur bane and approachnble of governors, and absolutely the most hospitable of women, that one can only speak of this fourth Biennial in the same degree. It is pronounced on all sides now that it is over, to have been the most successful eer known in. the history of the general federation. Some obvious cautes account for this the fact that the preliminary years of organization are finished, and that Mrs. Henrotin's grasp of the helm has been forcible and developing; but over and above all this is un doubtedly the fact that the place where it was held is responsible in a large measure for the supreme suc cess of the meeting. "Everybody who had never been there wanted to go to Denver, and apparently everybody who had ever been there wanted to go back. Hence a large and enthusiasm tic attendance. The atmosphere of interest and expectation began in the various federation trains as they crossed the plains on the last stage of the Rockies. It was a moment to be remembered in every car when from the hot treeless levels of Nebraska and Kansas a view in the distance was caught of snow-capped nioun ' tains. " The travellers knew then that they were close under the shadow of Tikes Teak, and that anticipation had at last given place to reality. The Omaha prelude was a delightr fill and suggestive overture to the great symphony played later at Den ver. More than a taste a good strong draught of western hospitality was taken at the Nebraska city, where the incoming guests were met at every train by the most cordial of women, who looked quickly and capably after their comfort and happiness from the moment of arrival. At the beautiful exposition, which is a whole story by itself and is not to-be told here, the visitors were happily entertained on Saturday afternoon, June 18. There was a most interesting meeting in the big auditorium, at which Mrs. Henro tin, en route to Denver, and Mrs Breed, the vice-president of the feder ation, were both present. Women's work at the Omaha, expo sition is largely on educational lines. They have assumed the care of all educational and religious congresses which are to meet there during the five months of the fair's progress and of which the federated club women's meeting was the first. A program devoted to the consideration of educational topics was presented. Mrs. Draper Smith, president of the Omaha Woman's club, delivered an address of welcome, to which Mrs. Hearotin in her response made the good point that the history of the General Federation of Women's clubs was that of expositions; its inspira tion was found in the Chicago fair, and now Omaha marked another epoch of its growth and development. Mrs. Mary K. Mumford of Philadel phia. Mi-h. Hermann Hall of Chicago, Mrs. Kate Tannett Woods of Salem, Mass., and Mrs. Ellen A. Richardson of Boston made up the list of force ful speakers of the afternoon, each voicing her special phase of educa tional work. An afternoon tea in ther reception rooms of the educational bureau of the exposition followed the program, and in the evening a large and brilliant reception was held in the mining building, in the beautiful rooms of the entertainment commit tee of the exposition a committee whose rooms and personnel and work are going to have a story in Harper's Bazar all by itself. On Sunday at Omaha various pulpits were filled by visiting women. Rev. Celia Parker Woolley of Chicago, attracting a large congregation at the Church of Chris tian Unity. Most of the officials left for Denver on Sunday night, dele gates not needed at the convention until its actual opening loitering, however, at Omaha until Monday and Tuesday. The opening scene at Denver on Wednesday morning, June 22, in the Broadway theatre, was something not soon to be forgotten by those who witnessed it. The large auditorium was beautifully trimmed with potted plants and flags, the stage banked with green, and the great audience room packed from pit to dome with interested women. The tiers of boxes were reserved for the president's guests, and for honary members and distinguished visitors. On the stage were the officers of the convention and speakers. After the opening in vocation Governor Adams of Colorado delivered an address of welcome that was most genial and sympathetic. There was not the slighest doubt that the state of Colorado, through its chief executive, welcomed the visit ing club women genuinely. Following him. Mayor McMurray of Denver added a greeting in the same- spirit, which was supplemented in the ab sence of Mrs. Thatcher, the president of the state federation, by Mrs. Gale, the vice-president, with equal cordial ity. Mrs. Piatt, as president of the great Woman's club of Denver, then gave the freedom of the Denver dub world io its visiting sisters with breezy spontaneity. The welcome from the audience to Mrs. Henrotin the presiding officer, when she rose io reply to this quartet of greetings, was a round of applause and the Chautauqua salute, the effect from the stage of this flutter of cambric being most striking. Following Mrs. Henrotin's address came four reports, which were models of excellence. It is rare that reports need a special comment, but these respectively that 'of the local Biennial committee, by Mrs. James B. Grant chairman; com mittee on credentials, by Mrs. Carrie O. Kistler, chairman; recording secre tary, Mrs. C. P. Barnes, and corre sponding secretary, Mrs. Philip N. Moore represented in their brie! comprehensiveness the ideal of what, such reports should be. A message of greeting and congratulation to the convention from Lady Aberdeen, from Ottawa, was read. With the close of the Wednesday morning's meeting, the Biennial was in full op eration. From that time through to the reception on Monday evening to the newly elected officers the days were a whirl of delightful and inter esting events. It is not within the compass of this preliminary article on the Denver Bi ennial to give a detailed account of the various meetings of the conven tion. At this writing, with the echoes of the closing exercises not yet died away, and in the confusion and haste that still prevail, it is impossible to get a point of view for the detail of the work. It is only attempted to view it as a whole. One impression that was voiced on many sides, and which seemed to be almost the prev alent one, was the absence of a bitter or factional spirit in regard to the election of new officers to succeed those whose terms by the constitu tion had expired. From the very first Mrs. Piatt, the president of the Den ver Woman's club, was the majority choice of the delegates. It is probable that' no woman was ever urged to take an office so persistently and so enthusiastically and so generally as was Mrs. Piatt throughout the entire, duration of the convention.. Mrs. Piatt's objections to becoming a can didate did her great credit. She ob jected first because she felt it was a little unsuitable that Denver, which, was the hostess of the federation, should provide the new executive. She objected secondly, and with the frankness which is characteristic ot her, because, as she puts it, she felt that the federation was not ready for her. "I am a radical woman," she said. "I might try to curb, my own energies in certain directions, but I should find it very hard to hold my self within the conservative lines tat have so far controlled the federation." Mrs. Flatt is, of course, being a Colo rado woman, an 'equal-suffragist, and an anient one, and she referred in this remark to her attitude on that question. A third reason which Mrs. Piatt gave for declining the nomina tion was the fact that a western woman was retiring from the office and that another section of the coun try should now be represented. Mrs. Piatt evidently possesses that unusual quality of being able to stand off from herself and make a study of her fitness for an office, irrespective of her personal desire. She did not hesi tate to say that the temptation to take the place was a very strong one; it was an honor she would appreciate and which she coveted, but which she felt was not quite ready for her. Mrs.. Piatt deserves the more credit for this stand because there was little doubt that her consent to take the place was all that was needed to in sure her election. The large contin gent of western women present made that almost a certainty, and the fact too, that her personality won rapid ly upon many delegates from other sections. Mrs. Breed of Massachusetts, the vice-president of the federation, was the next strongest candidate in the field. Her friends were ardent and en thusiastic throughout, and felt sure, of her election so long as Mrs. Piatt remained firm in her decision not to accept.' Both she and Mrs. William B. Lowe, president of the state fed-" eration of Georgia, the third' candi date, won many friends during the progress of the meeting. There were many arguments in favor of Mrs. Breed's candidacy. Her service as vice president made her election to the chair of the chief executive a natural sequence. Her experience, too, as president of the Massachusetts state .federation, one of the largest and old est in the country, was strongly in her favor in a claim to the head of the national organization. Her dignified manner and bearing in the platform work which she was called upon to do at various times during the con vention produced a most favorable impression upon those who had not previously known her. The friends who pressed the claims of Mrs. Lowe, the successful candi date, did so under some protest from the lady herself. Mrs. Lowe felt that to accept the presidency would in volve a large sacrifice of personal in terest, but she was willing to do this if the situation demanded it. As some of the southern delegates aptly put it, "to give the presidency to .tie south is an altruistic work that is worthy of this federation. We need the impetus in club work which would p rraeate the south if a south ern woman were tthe head of this body. Later we shall not need it, for we are making great strides in our club work, but now we ask it as a most useful inspiration." Mrs. Lowe's executive ability has been shown in her splendid work at Atlanta in the organization of the woman's club there, which later became the source and inspirer of the state federation, also a well-equipped and rapidly de veloping society. A feature that impressed everybody throughout the convention was the absence in all this uncertainty of. can didacy of bitter factional feeling. While delegates mentioned the presi dency as they met, it was not -until close upon the critical Monday morn ing which saw the report of the nom inating committee and the elections that the feeling grew intense. If there was wire pulling done and there undoubtedly must have been, since every candidate had her most loyal friends and supporters it was done in a quiet and what might be called rational way. Certain it is that among the delegates in general there was a most noticeable absence of offensive partisanship. In this re spect the general federation gave an object-lesson to some of the 'other women's conventions of the country. To begin to sing the praise of the general features of the convention, so far as it concerns the ladies of Den ver, is to open a floodgate of lan guage. For over a year the local Biennial-board, under the chairmanship of Mrs. James B. Grant, has been in efficient executive working. Its re sults were' impressive throughout the five days at Denver. Everything had been thought of and arranged for. The places of meeting the Broadway theatre, Trinity and Unity churches were compressed in a single New York block. The various bureaus of information, credentials, registry, and so on through the list, were well pla carded and easily found. The pro gram, comprising a pamphlet of a dozen pages, was a model of complete information. Little girls from ten to twelve years of age, dressed in white, and with scarfs of blue ribbon let tered in gold across from shoulder to waist, acted as pages at all 'of the meetings. They were divided into re lays, serving at different times, and their efficiency was really remark able. Each girl carried a small pad and pencil, and it was easy to 8enci a line at a moment's otice to any part of the house, so intelligent and apt at their work did these little daughters