THE COURIER. tullllHMMMMHIMMHIIIIMM LliBS- LOUIflA L KI0KKTT8. IMMMMMUMMMMMimilll Tho following are tho officers of tho Gonoral Fedoration of Women's clubs: President Mrs. Rebecca D. Lowo Atlanta, Ga. Vico President Mrs. Sarah S. Piatt, Donvor, Colo. Recording Secretary Mrs. Emma A. Fox, Detroit, Mich. Corresponding Secretary Mrs.Goorgo W. Kendrick, Philadelphia, Pa. TreaBuror, Mrs. Phillip N. Mooro, St. Lou it?, Mo. Auditor Mrs. C. P. Barnes, Louis ville, Ky. Stnto Chairman Mrs. LouiBa L. Rick etle, Lincoln, Nebr. Officers of the State Federation of Women's clubB; President Mrs. S. C. Langworthy, Seward. Vico President Mrs. Anna L. Apppr son, Tecumsoh. Recording Secretary Mrs.F. H. Sack ott, Weeping Water. Corresponding Socrotary Mrs D. G. McKillip, Seward. Troasurdr Mrs. H. F. Doano, Crete, Librarian Mrs. G. M. Lambertson, Lincoln. Mrs. A. B. Fuller, Auditor, Ashland. THE TREND OP THE CLUU MOVFMENT. A good many straws may be gathered this spring as indicative of a tendency, says Harper's Ba'.ar, on tho part of club women to pause and reflect upon the best developement now possible to this great movement. Glancing over the exchangee that come to the desk of the writer, it is noticeable that in those received in one week no lees than seven clubp are reported as having been con sidering the question of the value of the - movement. A Nebraska club assigned a list of topics, which included the fol lowing: What is the weakness of the club movement? What its greatest strength? What its social influence? Other clubs have studied tho movement in its influence upon home life, looking at it on both sides. These are only a few of the very latest evidences that go to show the present reflective and con Bel vative attitude of the more thought ful club women. It does not mean in any way that the movement has loBt its strength or value; on the contrary, it means that its real force iB to be crystallized and applied as never before. The wealth of op portunity for individual development and public good offered to club women today is overwhelming. That they will pause and cultivate the art of selection, making a choice of the avenue of effort and benefit which seems to them the most suitable, is an evidence uot of dis trust or indifference, but rather of appreciation and earnestness. Women -4 are learning their limitations as well as thoir capacities. Choice of pursuit is now necessary. This will mean con centration of effort that will be more impressive than tho d. (fusion of enercy that is now largely tho rule in the club world. The club referred to aB sitting down to take stock of the movement and if poHsible to analyse its strength and foresee in what direction club women Bhall exart their own to secure per manent benefit, is the Lincoln Sorosis. Ed. Courior. Cozy Club of Tecumseh met with Mrs Barton, May 17. This was one of the most delightful meetings of the year The parlors were beautifully decorated with lilacs.enow balls.and bridal wreath, tho arrangment and color effect being most artistic. Lesson: "Reigns of Isa bella II, and Alfonso XII; 18:31874, Spanish history becomes more and more interesting as tho year's work draws to a close, and wo study Spain as it is in tho ninoteonth century. A paper "Holidays in Spain," by Mrs. Headrick, was both inBtructivo and ontortaining, portraying many Spanish characteristics as shown in tho celebration of their holidays and festivals. AT THE KANSAS FEDERATION. "There was a woman so wondrous wise That nothing took her by surprise; She was so wise, no use. she saw, In striving 'gainst fate's ruthless law, She found no sense in human grief, And laughter bro't her no relief. She was so wise the neighbors said. The woman might just as well be dead. "An exporionccd club woman said to mo at Oenvor: 'In your clubs you havo few nnd short papers, many carefully prepared talks and discussions by all the members of the club,' and in reply to my question about parliamentary usugo she said: 'Do notsaoriflco tho vivacity and sprigbtliness of your club to parliament ary usage. Thoro is such a thing as bo ing over zealous in that direction and all lifo and enthusiasm dying out of your cluh work.' "Wo often boast that our club is ex clusive. Lot us remember that tho smaller tho man and woman, tho more dwarfod and dwindling their natures, tho more thoy prido themselves upon their uxclusivonesp. "Anyone can be exclusive. It comes easy. It tHkes and it signifies a largo nature to bo universal to bo inclusive. Only the woman of a small perbonal self-centered nature never is. "In literature, art, and history our clubs have found pleasure and strength. "But hotter than those are the sympa thetic relations that come from the handclasp, the personal contact and the looking into the eyes at these weekly club meetings in our study clubs. We gain the knowledge and courage which we take into our active working lifo. Wise to teach because more wibo to learn. "In literature, 'You have seen tbo world, tho beauty, and tho wonder and the power.' Our earnest women's clubs give experience and tac, and this feder ation, a union of clubs, bringB to each a knowledge of the beat achievement of all, and a consciousness of solidarity and strength is forceful. "The only reason for the existence of the federation 1b that with one hand it can lift up the humblest member of its weakest club, and with the other it can grasp issues beyond the reach of individ ual effort. "I have no patience with the mere or ganization of women for its own sake, the purposeless addition of new activi ties to lives already burdened with the infinite duties of womanhood, and in my eyes the federation finds a sacred right to bring in its splendid possibilities for usefulness in the development of a model existence. "Comfort one another, For the way is often dreary, And the feet are often weary, And the heart is very sad) And there is heavy burden bearing, When it seems that none is caring And one-half forget that ever we were glad. Comfort one another, With the hand clasp close and tender, And the looks of friendly eye Do not wait with grace unspoken While life's daily bread is broken. Though in tbo ceaseless round of life's duties the body may ofton bo woary, still, work is the salt which preserves the sweetness of life, and the world would be much happier, and a pleasan ter place in which to live if every person had some appointed work to do and would diligently do it, two results would be effected the accomplishment nf the work, and leaving others time and op portunity to do theirs. Under such a regime moro and bottor things would bo accomplished; thoro would bo no occasion for misanthropy and fault finding anil tho inovitablo result would bo a brighter and bettor world Nothing will so quickly ovorcomo tho disagfooablo habit of complaining nnd faultfinding as plonty of work, something with which to occupy tho hands and thohoad. Pooplo with noth ing to do aro, ns a rulo, tho greatest com plainors, nnd a genuine nuisanco to thoir fiiondB und acquaintances, nnd thoy fre quently dovclop into misanthropes or pessimists. If for nohijhorraotlvo than to provont boing disagreeable to oneb frionds, the habit of complaining should bo guarded agaiust as ono would guard against small-pox. This habit persisted in will in timo not only alienate ones noarost friends but oxorciso a baleful in fluonco upon portunal charactor. If work, as wo bollovo, is a panacea for such an undesirable condition it is a romody that is always at hand. At tbo risk of loosing a profitable patient a physician once said, "Madam, a broom briskly wiolded for an hour oaih day will do moro for you than I can." Tbo physi cian was dismissed, but lot us hopo that upon sober second thought tho lady acted upon his valuable ndvico. Thoro aro many ways of working, and tbo most valuable !b to work honestly, fully ap preciating that whilo wo aro not respon sible for another's work wo aro for our own, and that complaining or faultfind ing is not conducive to right thinking and broad living. Nebraska club women have reason to be proud of Mrs. M. A. McKoever, of Stromsburg, whoso little book of poems, entitled "Gulden Rod and Dialect Poems" is quite well known. Mrs. Mc Keover haB been invited to fill a place on the program of the Western Writers As sociation which meets at Warsaw', Ind., every Jane. Last June she read her poom "Nebraska" at tbo annual meeting and made a decided hit. Evon tho most ardont club woman must now and then falter in her belief that clubs are of any direct palpable, dibtinct benefit to those who are in most need of actual mental and spiritual help. It 1b therefore with gratification, says Mrs. Peattie in Self Culture, that ono notes invitations extended by the most popular literary club of a certain great Western city, to the women of a poor and congented neighborhood, and the cordial acceptance or. that invitation by the women, who, p few years boforo, know of litt'.e save the burdens of womanhood and the heavy round of poor women's tasks. These women have been reached through settlement work, formed into a club with a president of their own choosing, and led, little by little, into the discussions of subjects calculated to coax their minde beyond the daily drudgery. At first thoy under stood slowly, but at length they came to have an appreciation even of abstract things, and to welcome, with especial cordiality, anyone who came to talk to them of poetry. They appeared to pre fer such a subject to ono more nearly bearing upon their own lives. It was really a groat achievement when, in course of time, tboy wero converted from heavy-featured, lacklustre creatures into alert women who wero not afraid to speak their own minds, who droBeod with some appreciation of their individ uality, and who bad become aware of the fact that they, along with the rest of the world, were ertitlcd to enjoyment. ablo bocnuso of tho attempt mado by liquor pipers to make him appear as a liquor advocato, by a misconstruction of his magnzino article upon Alaska. Prosi dont Jordan says: "Tho great Bourco of vico among young men is corrosion, tho association of tho clean with tho foul, un dor tho supposition that tho latter aro manly. For this reason tho saloon, which Is tho confer of tho vico of druk. onnoBB, is especially destructive to young mon. Whether or not tho community has tho right to rcgulnto tho bohavior of its individual mombors, thoro is no doubt of its right to abolish destructive nuit anccH. It has tho hiiiiio right (o prohibit saloons as it has to prohibit cesspools. It is eBsont'ol to tho prosponty of a uni versity town that it should oxorciso such u right." Tbo Czar and Czaiinn have givon their sanction to tho formation of "Tho Rus sian Woman's Mutual Help Socloty.'' Thoro ia little doubt that this will bo tho beginning of many woman's clubs in RuBsia. Tho world is expecting many innovations from tbo liberal and kindly policy of tho present Czar. Trailing skirts-trailing not only bo hind, but Bomo actually trailing in front aro Boon daily swooping tho dirty streets. Such a stato of affairs iB pit! ablo pitiuble, for in it you recognizo a foolish attempt to keop up with tho style. You recognizo a eacriflco of per sonal noatness, of tho laws of hygiono in an effort to keop abreast with that ficklo goddesB fashion. Why, for tho sako of a dirty trailing Bkirt a woman bhould disregard health and personal neatnosa is certainly beyond comprehension. Tho Inglosido litorary club of Ply. mouth Congregational church hold a plousant mooting Tuesday evening at tho home of Mrs. Harold Greon, 1815 Prospect street. A Bhort program of music and roadinga was givon by MIsscb Evolyn Hoogland, Colia LoomiB, Mc Graw, Anna Bothuiio, Clara Walton and a quartet of little girls. This boing tho last meeting of tho year officers for tho ensuing year were elected as follows: Prosidont, MIbb Anna Bethune; vice president, Mr. Harold Groon; secretary and treasurer, Mr. Joel Loomis. Ices and cake were served. On the 15th the Woman's club, an or ganization composed of prominent color ed women of the city, met at the home of Mrs. W. 0. Harding, East Lincoln, A very interesting setsion was hold. Among other things it was decided that the club take a course of household eco nomics and child study. The officers aro: President, J. W. Bedell; vice presi dent, Mrs. W. O. Harding; treasurer, Mrs. B. J. Crampton; secretary, Mrs. R. W. Mitchell; associate secretary, Mrs. T. Curtis; corresponding secretary, Miss A. R. Vandorzeo. We give below an extract from a let ter written by President David S. Jordan and published at Oakland, Cal in the Searchlight. The letter is a valuable contribution to the discussion of the prohibition question, particularly as re lating to college towns. It is also valu A woman's hotel has become an as sured success in Gotham It haB been a much mooted question for some timo, but an exchange says: The Woman's Hotel, bb proposed in New York, has received a great impetus during the past week. Over $125,000 worth of stock has boon taken by women. Capitalists, who formerly would not put a dollar Into the enterprise are now subscribing to tbo stock. The Woman's Hotel Company, to be incorporated at Albany, has issued a revised prospectus. The capital will be $100,0 0 divided into 4,000 shares. The object of the compauy is to provide one or more hotels for the exclusive use of self-supporting women, It is intend ed that the first boteleball be fire proof with a capacity of 500- guests, and the cost to be about $800,000, carrying a mortgage of $400,000. Stock amounting to $100,000 has been taken, largely by women, in the proposed hotel for busi-