THE COURIER
numbers would continuo about tho eamo,
11. Failuro of club members to realize
aims, benefits, dutios and possibilities of
club movomont, over organization, if uny
dangor, rests with wotuon, centering in
fiolf, ovor-dolnp, satioty, tendency to
nogloot otlior dutioB, too many clubs,
superficiality, diffusonosB.ovor doing tho
woman question.
12. Yob as crystallizing poriod is at
band, if reaction comoB at all it will
come soon, questions havo boon accumu
lating which must bo solvod, no moro
reuson to oxpoct crisis than in past ilvo
years, yoB, federation idon dovoloped ox
cofisivoly. Hosides tho regular mombors of tho
club and tho president of tho N. F. W.
0., Mrs. Field, presidont of tho Wom
an's club of Lincoln, Mrs. Archibald
Scott and Mrs. D. L. Brace, ono of tho
charter mombors of Soroeis, woro pres
ont. Mrs. Fiold's remarks about tho
duties of all club mombors to tho worn
an'fl club produced a noticeable effect.
Mrp. Fiold is ono of tho fow who prac
tices tho fedorution motto: Each for all
and ull for ouch.
MrB. N. Z. Snoll will bo tho leador of
the next mooting, which will moot with
Mrs. Miller. Her subject is Proposed
Bunking Reforms.
is in consonanco with action taken by
about 1'2T of our higher institutions of
loarning which huvo pledged thouiBolves
to givo froo instruction to Buch young
CubanB ub aro sont thorn. Ono proviso
only id mudo. Tho young men when
oducuted must return to their own coun
try and givo to tboir nutivo land tho
bonolit of thoeo advantages which they
huvo enioyod among ub. Tho young
CubanB who ofTor themselves as candi
dates must of necessity havo had a
preparatory courso, and thoy must plcdgo
thomeolveB to remain until tboir col lego
courso is ondod. Two porsons, not rela
tives, must attest to thoir good moral
character. Though their tuition and
thoir lodgings aro to bo given thorn,
thoso students must each possesB at
loaBt $12 a month for food. Tho little
touch of independence given by an abil
ity to pay one's board must bo dear to
thoir hearts, as independence is dear to
tho hearts of oron thoso who are full to
tho brim of giatitudo.
Tho household economics dopartment
of tho Woman's club closed its year's
work with a banquot at Union college
last week. This popular department has
been under tho efficient management of
Mrs. Milton Scott, whose happy thought
it wub to merge tho "annual meeting"
into one of social pleasure as well as
business. Hot ween sixty and seventy
members wont out on tho electric cars to
this noon banquot, which was promised
to bo u practical demonstration of fari
naceous foods. The dining room had
boon especially prepared for the guests
who were seated at tables largo enough
to accommodate eight persons. Bright
eyed waitresses in bluo frocks and white
aprons and caps deftly served tho ex
pectant guests to a sumptuous banquet
which included neither meat or fish.
Tho menu was us follows:
Fruit or Tomato Soup.
Wuolo Wheat Wafers. Roast Turkey
(of vegetables.)
Greon Pees. Lima Boane.
Mashed Potatoes.
Cranberries. Cream Finger Rolls.
Pumpkin Pie. Oranges.
Coroal Coffee.
Aftur tho banquot many ladies availed
themselves of tho opportunity of boiug
shown over tho building, showing espe
cial interest in the health fcod and
kitchoa departments. The business part
of this meeting was hold immediately
utter tho banquet in the gymnasium, at
which Mrs. John A, Ames wbb elected
leador for tho coming year.
Miss Mary T. Mason, tho newly ap
pointed mombor of the Philadelphia
Board of Education, is a progrt&sivo
woman, a mombor of the civic club, aud
a graduato of Bryn Muwr col'ege. Since
tho closo of her school days she has do
voted hor time to questions pertaining to
oJucation and is said to bo thoroughly
compotent to till the part to which she
has boon appointed.
Tho department of parliamentary
practice of tho Woman's club bold tb.9
laBt meeting of the club year laBt Tues
day afternoon. The chief business was
the election of officers for the coming
year, which resulted in the re election of
Mrs. Nellie M Richardson us leader,
and Mrs. F. H. Harrison re secretary.
The appointment of an executive board
was deferred until tho first meeting in
the fall.
We hear bo much juBt now of Joseph
iloJges Choato, our now minister to tho
court of St. James that I feel tompted to
repeat a bright little repartee ho made
when a friond asked him: "If you were
not JoBeph Choato whom would you
rather be?-' "Mrs. Choate's second hus
band," was the quick response. The
tribute thus paid Mrs. Choato is in
wide contrast with the following from
Francis Bacon written some three hun
dred years ago: "He that bath wife and
children hath given hostages of fortune,
for they are impediments to great enter
prises, eithor or virtue or mischiof." Did
Sir Francis livo in this generation ho
would tlnd that the world mov b in
moro sonBo than ono, for most of the
noted men of today gladly testify that
they aro indebted for their success in a
large degree to the sympathy and in
telligent co-operation of thoir wives.
visit schools. In this report Bomo things
were commended. Many, many things
wore criticised and not always fairly.
Among tho objections, I recall tho fol
lowing: Rooms dusty, much too warm,
punils restless, teacher norvoue. Why
should she not be if sho appreciated tho
mission of hor visiters? All interference
of this character will only add to tho
burdon of an already overtaxed teacher.
Not one error will probably bo corrected
whoro much good was meant. Now thut
the timo of year is so near when pro
grams and year books are arranged is it
not well to plan for this work in a sys
tematic manner. Tho aim nf tho club
through its comtnittoo iB to be helpful,
Being exceedingly interested in school
work bb well bb in tho club I will sug
gest ono or two things that may bo help
ful in arranging work for tho coming
year.
If tho high school were asked to fur
nish one number per week, or per month,
upon the literary program of the club,
there would be something to add to tho
interest of this line of work in tbo high
school. This may be a recitation, an
essay or a book teview or a ehort dobato
upon a curront subject. I once found
this of gieat valuo, ub the entiro class
competing put forth its best effort, each
ono hoping to bo selected. Tho selec
tion was made by a vote of tho class.
Tho school board is composed of men
absorbed in their own business. It iB
accustomed to have each new teacher
ask for changes. Let the women's clubs
look after these mutters and a change
will Boon bo produced. Closets will be
properly located and cared for; grounds
will be improved; shade trees planted;
disfigured dirty walls purified and then
there will come a chanco for art decora
tion. If the clubB in the smaller towns
could carry out ono or both of these
BUggestionB I am sure they will feel that
the result is satisfactory.
Ellen M. Austin,
Principal Pender Public Schools.
Tho Century club was entertained l.nst
Tuesday afternoon at the homo of Mrs
M. H. Garten. Roll call was responded
to by curront events from clubdom.
There was n general discussion upon
club lifo and its influences, led by Mrs.
I . X. Baker, which wub very animated
und interesting. Some of the questions
under consideration wore: Is the club
movomont on the increase? What is its
offoct on church lifo on homo lifo? and
on tho individual? ThiB discussion wub
followed by un interesting pupor of Co
lumbiu college, read by MrB. Powell, and
Mrs. Polk reud u carefully prepared
paper on W. D. HowoIIb.
The Woman's club of Chicago inaug
urated a pleasing innovation last Sat
urday afternoon in form of a recoption
in honor of its ex-proBidonts. There
were fiftoon ladies--and these did not
include some who havo moved from tho
city who stool in lino with tho present
president, Mrs. Ponoyor L. Sherman.
Thoto womon stand for the progressive
work of women in Chicago for tho past
quarter of a century.
Progression was tho koynoto of all tho
discuBsiona at tho recont convention of
tbo National Department of Superin
tendents held at Columbus, Ohio. One
recommondation wbb tbo introduction of
Spanish in tho high schools, thut thoso
of our youth who try their luck in our
new WoBt I n diu possessions may not bo
handicapped with an ignoranco of tho
languago of that country. This move
THK WOMEN'S CI.UIJS AND THE SCHOOLS.
I beliovo thut it is in tho true spirit of
helpfulness that the clubB attempt to do
something each your for tho betterment
oftheschcols. Tbo fact that eo far in
most cases tho effort baB beon barron of
results is no reaBon why the attempt
should bo abandoned. It is a reason
why a plan should be adopted and some
definite idou of what is to bo accom
plished understood beforo enguging in it
in a haphazard way. Tho writer re
cently listened to a report given by the
chairman of a committee appointod by
the woman'e club of a certain town to
"will not deter thorn from ma ) ) p
vigorous effort in favor of this reform.1'
The Stato Federation of Alabama is
working to securo a stato reformatory
for boys; Mississippi womon are work
ing for tho samo thing, und in Arkansas
tho fedoration has undertaken to so
euro school suffrage, tho appointment
of a woman physician for tho women
patients in tho insano asylum, and a
reform school.
An obsorving woman onco paid there
was always something about which the
neatest housekeopor wbb slaik, and
sonio other something about which tho
slackest housewife was particular.
Whether it is truo of housekeeping or
not, it is certainly so of conservatism.
The radical woman has her conserva
tive streak, and the most tradition
bound has some one lino along which
sho is iu advance of the van. Roger
Williams and Cotton Mather might bo
taken aB typeB of the radicals and con
servatives of their timo; yet tho broad
minded Williams set tho whole town of
Salem by the ears because he insieted
that women ought to be compelled to
wear veils in church, and tho narrow
Cotton Mather calmly proposed to havo
his oldest duughter study medicine, and
probably tho first primitivo brand ever
thrown on this continent was hurlod
through his bedroom window when he
sought to introduce vaccination into
plague-stricken Boston.
Perhaps the word "conservative'' is
not really the proper ono, for tho con
servative would preserve "in its present
stato." Wo should do bother to employ
"conservator,'' which means one who
holds, keeps and guards, preserves and
defonds. It seems to us these con
servative pouthorn women deserve to
be known rather as conservators.
Tho executive committee of the Con
gress of Mothers has decided that noxt
year's convention shall bo held at Dos
Moines, la., on invitation of tho Wom
an's club of that city. This is tho first
time tho congress has met outside of
Washington and it is expected that
much interest will bo evinced in this
movement in tbo western states.
We havo beon told for years that tho
abiding placo of conservatism was the
south and that no amount of clubbing
would ever render tho southern woman
anything but conservative. But there
are conservatives and conservators sayB
tho Westorn Club Woman, and tho
radical woman never errs more sadly
than when she imagines, as she ap
parently does now and then, that it is
because sho does all the thinking that
she haa arrived at certain conclusions.
Tho conservative siBtor thinks just bb
much, but arrives at opposite conclu
sions. Thoy should bo patient with
each other, for it is a common end thoy
desire, and the radical is roady to scut
tle back, the conservative to rush for
ward, tho moment either is convincod
that tho backward or forward move is
for tho bost. It is tho womon who don't
think at all who are content with mid
die ground.
Tho stato federations in tho south
aro doing a noblo work, and thoy aro
doing it in thoir own v ay. Tho con
servativo will say proudly You see
consorvativo women aro doing just as
much, aro just us anxiouB to do somo
thing for humanity as any of tho radi
cal womon. And tho rudicul cun uf.
ford to say nothing, for so long as tho
end is achieved for which sho hopeB
and prays that is enough.
Tho womon of Tennessee havo begun
a campaign to pluco womon on tho
school bourds, and "having no vote in
the mutter," says thoMomphisScimitor,
Mrs. H. H. Wilson, Dean of Women
at tho university, gave an instructive
parlor talk on social conventionalities
and usages to a largo number of young
ladies, at tho Y. W. C. A. rooms last
Saturday evening. A great number of
social conventionalities wore talked
about and tho young ladies invited to
ask any questions on social usages
which woro not clear to them. Mrs.
Wilson was followed by Miss Parker
who spoke on "The American Girl in
Purie." Miss Parker's romarks wero
fiom personal experience as sho has
spent somo timo in tho art sihoolB of
Paris, and sho utterly refuted tho idea
that an Amorican girl was not safe on
tho streets without n chaperon. She
claims that tho girl student is as eare
on tho streets of Paris as on tho streets
of Lincoln. Following these talks light
refreshments woro served and a pleas
ant social timo enjoyed.
Tho Consumers League of America
which heretofore has boon limited to a
fow of tho largo citios took a very im
portant Btep recently when they united
and organized a national fedoration.
Tho Leagues of Now York havo also
organized a Stato federation, auxiliary
to tho national. Tho national orgnniza
tion at present only represents four
Bta es-Now York, Pennsylvania, Mas
BachusottB and Illinois, with Colorado
Zj"Klaia proparing t0 oranlzo
Tho object of this movement is to
create a demand all over our country
or goods mado under good conditions
and appeals so directly to tho sympa-
lues and that underlying sonso of a
lovo for Just.ce that it muBt spread very
raidly all over our fair land. No moro
effective way to reach tho swoat-Bhop
Bystom and kindred ovils than by or
gun.zation. No moro effective way for
tho club womon of tho United States to
carry out tho policy adopted at tho
ofGT wn "I t0 briS B" th0 '
of C b . Wo. to improve the indua.
rml condition of womon and children,
than to join hands with the Consumers
