THE COURIER.
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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-
