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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 1898)
THE COURIER. interest, bringing out many practical 8UggeetionB. This year the State Fe deration has charge of one program which will be given in the University chapel Tuesday afternoon, December 27th. There will be papers by Mrs. Towne of Omaha and Miss Austin of Pender. Much interest will bo centered around a debate upon the question Re solved: "That the public schools af ford a natural and adequate preparation for citizenship." There will be two ladies speak on each side of tho ques tion after which it will be open to the house. There has been much discussion of this subject already and club women are anticipating a spirited debate. There will be music also and a moat enjoyable afternoon can be assured all visitors. On Monday afternoon the annual musicaleof the Woman's club was given to a moderate but enthusiastic audience at the club rooms in the Salisbury block. Miss Maud Risser arranged the pro gram, departing somewhat from the tra ditions of ladies clubs in going ouiside of the club for numbers on the program, even invading the realm of masculinity and'eecuring Mr. Earle Wehn for a cor net solo number which was thoroughly enjoyed by all present. Miss R sser took part of the program under her care and with Miss Lucy Haywoad did excellent service at the piano. Vocal work was done by Mrs. J. M. O'Neal, Miss Dora Holmes, Miss Eleanor Raymond and Mrs. Mark Wood". All of the perform ers received the hearty commendation of the audience, which was made small by the mountainlike weather which pre vailed throughout the afternoon. The York Amateur Musical club met Monday afternoon in the club rooms at the usual time. The history lesson on the beginning of opera and oratorio was led by Mrs. McConaughy, after which the following program from American composers was given: Florence Waltz Llebling Mrs Sedgwick. a. H I Were a Bee Gaynor b. Sleep Song ) Miss Allen. a. Elf Dance Tapper b. Fairy Fingers Mllls Edith Lang (Student. Clover Blossoms Rogers Mrs. Maud Woods. Die Lorelei E.B.Perry Miss Cobb. a. Protestations (violin ob.) Norris b. Rosary Xevin Mrs.Zulia Bell. O, Let Night Speak ol Me. . . .Chadwick Mrs Sedgwick. a. Allegro Pathetique Sherwood b. Spring Song Liebling Miss Carscaddeu. Last Tuesday afternoon Mrs. E. L. Holyoke entertained Sorofis and a few invited guests in a very pleasant way It is the custom in this club for each member in turn to furnish the pro-ram. Mrs. Holyoke's turn coming at a time when she was too busy get ting settled in her pretty new home to prepare a topic, she was fortunate enough to secure for the entertainment of hr friends the reading of Browning s Colombe by Mrs. Manning. By intel ligently leaving out certain parts, Mrs. Manning was able to bring tte reading of this pretty little play within the hour and a half limit and still not mar its coherency. Chocolate and wafers were served at the close of this enjoyable afternoon. Newspaper reporters do not occupy a very enviable position. No matter bow far they may be from their own convic tions, they must report those that please the public, else, with all possible grace, step down and out, to make room for a more tactful successor. While we may c'eplore this state of facte, yet we must recoguize its existence. The very na tural result, from the bread and butter standpoint, is that tho reporter must make careful study of what to say and what not to say. The reaction from tbis system of repression and supression is strikingly illustrated in a paper read before the recent convention of tho Ohio State Federation by Josephine Wood ward of the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. Iter paper on "Womans Clubs from a Reporter's Point of View" is printed in The Club Wotnam. In the opening sentences she congratulates her self upon the piospectof being "permit ted to speak the truth for twenty min utes," and n tho following breath, as sures her audience that "malice has no place in her heart." It is difficult to ac cept this last statement, as we read on and on, and tind the scathing, bitter, almost vicious denunciations tumbling over each other for utterance as she warms to her subject of arraigning worn ens' clubs. She says, "once a long time ago, before club women taught me how to lie cheerfully and glibly, and before I taught myself the value of silence, I undertook to give in print my honest opinion of some club proceedings, or other. I have never tried it since. Tho truth crushed to earth that day. now rises for the tirst time." She adds, "since that tragic day I have made it my practice in reporting club proceed ings to find out what the president of the club or the chairman of the de partment would like to have eaid, and then say it." "If the lady who reads the paper for the day has an account of it already pre pared for publication, I gladly accept her contribution to club literature. It usually reads something after this fash ion: Mrs. B's review of Tolstoi and his works was tha most brilliantly compre hensive essay it has been our good for tune to hear in many a day. Thisgifted woman is probably better quilitied to speak of the great RcEsian author and what he hae written, than any other critic in this vicinity, since she has the most beautiful silver samovar in town, and invariably takes lemon in her tea, even when she is alone'." In the same acrid strain she shows how women en courage club sisters "who need encour agement; for instance, Mrs. C- delivers a paper. The encourager says, 'Poor Mrs. C! So unfortunate you know; just look at her clothes! I'm going to encourage her.' So without the form ality of an introduction, she pats poor Mrs. C. on the back saying, 'Good for you, I'm glad you belong to our club; I'm glad I know you. I'm coming to cal on you.'" Miss Woodward scores another against clubs by declaring there are not "very many poor little Mrs. C's. in the club. They can't get in." Our repoiter here shows her ignorance of the democratic influence of womens' clubs, especially of the western clubs of whom we can speak intelligently, and we have reasons to believe that the same influence prevails among eastern clubs. They are not aristocratic in their ten dencies and they have been the greatest lovelers and most broadening influence among women of the past decade. Mrs. Woodward's experience must have been unfortunate when she imagines that "the average club woman goes into a club for the sole purpose of keeping 6ome one else out;" that clubs claim to be democratic but have built up aris tocracies; that they pose before the world as seeking the accomplishment of great gooJ, and when they see them selves in print they are willing to be lieve that the good has been accomplish ed. She finally refers to womens clubs as "a body of women banded together for the purposa of meeting together." It is not necessary to quote farther from this unique paper to convince you of its lack of appreciation of womens clubs, and the benefits derived therefrom, on the part of its author and also to raise ? j l 4 -a 9 4 4 4 : l & 9 i ; a p : - - gr 0 g t g3 s 4h 4h J 33 $ Fitzgerald Dry Qoods Go. 10S3.1020 O St. Lincoln, Nebr. H fc v v Lincoln's Emporium For the Holiday Shoppers. Truly such a display of holiday goods is seldom found in the west as may be seen at our store. The Christmas shopper will certainly have no difficulty in choosing- presents from the stock, as every depart ment in the store is crowded with innumerable arti cles which may be purchased for a remarkably smal outlay. Undoubtedly in some instances things may be found at other Glaces that are just as good, but in no in stance are they better. Kindly remember that. There is not much time left to complete your shop ping, so do not delay longer in completing your purchases. 1 1 14 fr v im w M JJw 7ft v 7ft 7 7 T6. 1M at 1 l - ? - , r i . . . i - ) ,ltr 5J ir o 1 ' r -ti t t " t &- the question of the lack of good taste on the part of any one invited to ad dress an assembly who makes it the occasion of indulging in criticism of so acrimonious a character that the chance cf doing the good that might have been accomplished by giving a criticism in the proper spirit is lost. Just and pro per criticism should always be invited, but it is rare tha any real good is ac complished by sinister criticism. It was a great innovation of the cus toms of the past for the empress dow ager of China to receive the wives of the foreign ambassadors and ministers of Peking. It was necessary to overcome numerous difficulties before this audi ence could be granted. That it was granted at all shows the long distance the Chinese nation has come toward modern civilization the last few years. Ten years ago it was considered a great victory in the line of the emancipation and elevation of women for a missionary woman to be admitted to their homes only as a physician. Now, we are told Continued on page 8.J M ; v