THE COURIER
y-
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h
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exert themselves to see that others shall
enjoy the same privileges and advan
tages as them elves. No colored wo
man's club of Illinois has made applica
tion to join the General Federation.
App'ication was made bv one of the
should have more control of
work.
Wisconsin needs
schools for district
the school Judge now."
Nothing that could add to the coir
country training fort, convenience and pleasure of the
school teachers, delegates was wanting. From the maps
Wisconsin also ueeds legislation to pro- of the city to the printed schedules of
vide schools in the rural districts, of a
clubs of colored women in this city to higher grade than the district school,
join the state federation, but the mem- Iowa, she declared, needed, above all,
bers were asked to withdraw the appli- compulsory education laws and more
cation, as it was feared it would make state normal schools. Departing from
trouble on the color line, especially as whet was needed in the way of legisla-
Mrs. Lowe was to be the guest at the tion, the speaker said that the erection
state federation, which was held in Chi- of school buildings should be in the
cago. There are five clubs among the care of a competent commission; that
colored women of Chicago, the first of free text books should be provided and
which I founded, and the others since a law compelling children to have a cer-
have been established by members of tain amount of education, rather than
the original one. There are not enough to go to school a cerain number of years,
colored clubs in the state to form a state Mrs. Robert J. Burdette of California,
body." was greeted with applause when she
The women who think of the deeper arose to say that California needed wo-
problems are annoyed that so trivial a men on the school boards. She told a
matter as the color question should en- story of how one school board woman, 0f Email clubs was defeated by a vote
gr.oss the attention of thoughtful women, wnom the men tried to humiliate, out- of 2SG for, to 431 against Tnis was a
But the southern women do not look at witted them by doing her duty so well glorious victory for the principle of jus
it in that light. 'I he decision of the that they were ashamed of themselves, tice and courtesy,
convention is of grave import to them. Mrs. Craze of Minnesota, president of The color question camo up in the
It means that they can stay in the con- the Minneapolis Echool board, spoke in board meeting ani was downed not for
vention or that they must secede. favor of compulsory education, but Bug- good, but at least for this convention,
"Admitting everything that is ad- gested that instead of a time limit there so that no one now expects the broach
vanced on ethical grounds by northern should be a grade limit; that is, that all that was threatened. The New Era
women, the fact remains that if the con- scholars should be required to attain a club will not be admitted, the southern
federation admits colored clubs, or col- certain amount of information. Shede- clubs will rot secede and everything
plored the practice of excusing poor
children from attending school.
Mia. Wilmarth of Illinois took the
place of Mrs. Fenoyer L. Sherman
social entertainments provided for vis
itors to the ample provisions made for
the receiving of credentials they had
nothing but words of praise.
The burning question before the con
vention was on reorganization, although
the question of the admission of col
ored women's clubs for a while seemed
to threaten a storm. The report of the
chairman of the reorganizatiou commit
tee was the signal for each and every
member of that large body to be on the
alert. The debate was opened by Mrs.
Shattock and closed by Mrs. Brock.
It ran a lively course during three ses
sions. But the minority report of the
committee, which was for the exclusion
ored women for that matter, we must
withdraw," said one of the moat promi
nent of the southern contingent. "It is
a condition that confronts us, and not
in
will be patched up for the sake nf har
mony and peace. On that meeting of
the boards hangs a story that cou.es
vouched for by high authority. It was
a theory, down where we live. I could addressing the delegates on "Co-opera- originally set for live o'clock in the af-
not look my kinfolk in the face if I re
mained in an organization which admit
mitted colored women on an equality
with white women. This may be la
mentable, but it is a fact just the same."
tion of Home and School in School
Board and State Offices." She main
tained thet it was the duty of the leis
ure class to serve the public, and inas
much as women were predominant in
ternoon, and was so announced in the
morning, but at the close of yesterday
morning's session Mrs. Lowe instructed
Mrs. Kendrick, the secretary, U call it
at one o'clock, a better hour, because it
When the women are not talking the leisure class they should predomi- would give those attending it a chance
"colonsm" today they are worrying over Dae 'n education
reorganization, frowning at the showers
and wondering why they are so tired.
They went to the Alhambra theater in
storm skirts this morning, they wore
dainty gowns this afternoon at the busi
ness session and on the two-hour drive
tnat loiiowed. rnis business session.
Then came the consideration of the
third general topic of the ses3ion sys
tematic moral instruction in the
schols.
The women of tha press bad their
session at the Davidson this morning.
It was all about press women, and no-
to go to the series of "at homes"
planned for the afternoon. This would
have satisfied every one, but some of
the directors claim that thoy had no
notice of the change in the hour, though
they were at their rooms in the hotel at
the time the meeting was held. At any
rate, the board met. The woman who
with its many wordH for and against re- b0(Jy but Press women did the talking, had been the moit outspoken champion
organization, was cut short at four
o'clock' by "The social committee tells
me the hour for the drive ha? come,"
from Mrs. Lowe, and there was a loud
cry of "Move we adjourn."
One of the questions to come up to
morrow rotates to sectarianism in club3.
"Will it affect the National Councilor
Jewish Women or the Catholic Women's
league?" was asked. "It is a question
of race in our organization, and our
membership is founded on that," said
Miss Sadie American of the Jewish
council, Chicago. "A, balief in catho
licity as a universal brotherhood is what
we require," said Mrs. J. C. Robinson
of the Catholic Woman's league.
The applause iu the reorganization
discussion showed that the clubs pre
fer to go on with their present form of
rep eaejtatiOD, that is, through indi
vidual clubs and state federations in
stead of by federations exclusively.
"Keep it as it is." said Mrs. Tod Hel
muth of New York.
"We must have reorganization," said
Mrs. Robert Parson of Illinois, state
president.
Mrs. Mary . LiOCKwooJ was ccairman. 0j the New Era club's cause was not
present. Te application of the club
was taken from the table, where it was
placed by a vote on Monday, the pro
tests from both sides read, and then the
Report of the Biennial from
Mrs. Louisa L. Ricketts.
With the fall of the gavel, accompa- application returned to the table, where
nied by the words, "By the authority it now remains. So long as it remains
vpsted in my office this biennial is now there the New Era club will not be a
declared closed," President Rebecca D. member of the federation, and Mrs.
Lowe brought to an end the fifth bien- Josephine Kuflin will not be recognized
nial meeting of the General Federation as the representative.
of Women's clubs. In other words, the
"greater" biennial is a thing of the past.
There 020 delegates at Milwaukee, as
compared 094 at Denver; hence we feel
warranted in the advance of one degree
in the adjective which has gone down
in history as expressive of the Denver
biennial.
The state delegation from Nebraska
arrived in Milwaukee June 3J and
found that plenty of club women had
already preceded them. By Monday
the lobbies of the hotels Flankinton
and Pfister, where the credentials and
other committees were caring for the
large throng, resounded with woman's president, but we did not ssek it.
laughter and woman's chatter, the fra- day, Colorado feels that she has
The work in tb.9 nominating commit
tee room was as quiet and calm as a
sunny exercise. Dr. Kate Reynolds
Lobinger of Denver put Mr?. Lowe in
nomination with a few well chosen
words, which should be representative
of the spirit actuating all club work.
She said:
"At the last biennial Colorado would
not accept a nomination for the presi
dency because we felt that our state
was the hostess and it would be estab
lishing an unwise precedent for us to
take the fi.st honors under such condi
tions. We accepted the office of vice
To-bad
"If the organization is too large we grance of violets and lavender was honors erough. I have been instructed
must grow to manage it," said Mrs. Co- wafted above the odor of tobacco smoke by my delegation to say that Colorado
rinne Brown of Chicago. "Don't build
a fence around ourselves and attend to
the little inside of it. If we shut out
others, we shut in ourselves."
Mrs. Anna B. Howe of Marshalltcwn,
Iowa, then spoke of the "Needs of the
Public Schools of the West." Illinois,
she Eaid, needed a law permitting school
boards to transport children to and from
school, and a Email tax to be used for
and the menv relegated to distant cor- wishes for nothing, and
ners looked meekly on and speculated disapprove the action
among themselves as to the inner
meaning of a "biennial."
The general officers were all enthusi
astic in predicting a most successful
convention, and Mrs. Platt-Decker, after
making a tour of the hotels and thea
ters, where the sessions were to be held,
that we should
of any woman
from our state who would accept an
office at this time. 1 have been asked
the question many times: 'Are not the
women of Colorado loyal to Mrs. Deck
er?' I answer that we are loyal to her
in every possible way, but our idea of
loyalty ie different from that generally
said: "It's as much ahead of Denver as accepted. Mrs. Decker v-ishes to see a
school libraries. Washington and Ne- day is ahead cf night. Talk about Den- self sacriQng club spirit prevail in the
braska also needed libraries. Indiana, ver having Eet the pace for biennials, federation and she desires that her own
she said needed a longer term of service It is Milwaukee's record that will be state set an example to be proud of in
for school and city superintendents, quoted to biennial boards after this. It the future."
Michigan needed the latter, and that it is absolutely perfect eo far as one can There was absolutely no contest and
the nomination was promptly endorsed.
Jt took some time to arrive at a satis
factory distribution of the other offices,
but this was Anally secured to every
one's satisfaction. It was the general
desire of the committee to give some
thing to Milwaukee as the entertaining
state, and Mrs. Noyea name for the
office of auditor was unanimously en
dorsed. The tickot makes a number of changes
in the complexion of the board. Mrs.
Moore of Missouri, the treasurer, and
Mrs. Barnes of Kentcky, were retired
and tho directorships are given to sev
eral new states. Mrs. Lowe, Mrs. Fox
and Mrs. Kendrick are tho only officers
renominated, and Mrs. Buchwalter and
Mrs. Lockwood are the only directors
naiqed for a return. Indiana gets a
directorship, which will placate the feel
ings of the club women of that state
who did not wish the Indiana Federa
tion recognized. Massachusetts is given
a place on the board to square up ac
counts aud the West is remembered by
offices going to South Dakota and Mon
tana. The general and local art committees
joined in arranging an exhibit of arts
and crafts, which was one of the most
striking and entertaining features of
the whole convention. The exhibit
filled the big art gallery of tho mag
nificent library building on Grand ave
nue. It consisted of rare and beautiful
things, almost all the work of womon
artists and crattswomen. There was
one hall hung with pictures and another
draped in rare textiles. There were
cases of costly laces, beautiful jewels,
old and modern silver, copper and gold,
exhibits of leather work, wood carving,
embroideries, specimens of all kinds of
glass, faience and china. Every night
the art committee was "at home" in tho
gallery, serving ices and regaling the
guests with eweet music, and every af
ternoon Eome one gave a talk on art
subjects.
Under the chairmanship of Miss L. E.
Stearns of Milwaukee, a bureau of
library information was established in u
room at the public library directly oppo
site the art room, where the arts and
crafts exhibit was held, and Miss
Stearns' committee, which was made
up of club women and librarians from
all parts of the country, united in ir
ceiving guests at the formal opening of
the two exhibitions. The exhibit dealt
with the practical side of library work
and arranged to give the greatest possi
ble information to club women interest
ed in both the traveling and the free
public library movement.
The bugbear of unwieldiness was not
sufficient to frighten away invitations
for the next federation meeting. Five
invitations were extended, viz: Butf tlo,
Chatauqua, Boston, Atlantic City and
Los Angeles.
The Denver delegates conceded that
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No. 1, board of Trade,
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