THE COURIER.
3
Tho travelling libraries of Nebraska
will ever be a beautiful memorial of a
tt ell-spent life, of a life that went out
on the very clay the library bill passed
the house.
To all who have so cordially aided
me in this work of library extension, I
wish to express my thanks, especially
to the club women of Nebraska, who
were not slow to realize that the op
portunity was here to do a beautiful
service.
Belle M. Stoutenborough,
Chairman Literary Extension.
Reciprocity Bureau.
(By Mrs. Archibald A.Scott, Chairman
Reciprocity Bureau )
The Reciprocity Bureau of the N.
F. W. C, which was organized two
years ago for the purpose of exchang
ing papers and the interchange of
ideas by means of lectures, has per
ceptibly enlarged its capabilities by
an increase of manuscripts and an in
creased number of lecturers. The
manuscript department has added
thirty new papers since last October,
having now 123 manuscripts ready for
exchange. In the lecture department
there are now nineteen club women
who are willing to give their services
in this behalf, som for their expenses,
others for a small compensation. The
business of the bureau for the past
year is as follows: Manuscripts
loaned, 49; speakers requested, 64; let
ters received, 81; letters written, 78.
The bureau charges no fee whatever,
except for postage. During the past
year it has been entirely self-supporting,
except for 45 cents. All clubs are
urged to make free use of this bureau
and thus to enjoy the full significance
of the word reciprocity which always
consists in giving something for something.
Art Department.
Owing to the fact that there is no
official organ by which the chairmen
of the standing committees of the
federation can reach the several clubs
of the state, the are committee has
not been able to send out any sug
gestions or helps. The burden of en
tering into correspondence with S3
clubs is too great for the committee
to assume.
However, the committee has been of
service to those clubs that nave asked
for suggestions and stands ready to
assist in every way it can to build up
an interest in this department.
We urge that every club in the fed
eration take up some phase of art
study if it be for not more than one
meeting a year.
We would be glad to correspond
with those clubs that are contemplat
ing taking up the study next year.
Will you not write us? Sincerely,
Mrs. P. M. Hall, Chairman,
1040 D Street, Lincoln.
Mrs. S. C. Lang worthy,
Mrs. Anna Alorey.
Report of the Chairman of the
Constitutional Committee.
The rapid growth of the Nebraska
state federation has necessitated a re
vision of the entire constitution which
will place us in the ranks with states
most progressive in club work.
Perhaps the most important of
these changes is the addition of six
vice presidents to the officers hereto
fore elected, giving one vice president
to each congressional district, whose
duty it will be to supervise the clubs
in their respective districts; to encour
age the extension of club work and the
organization of local or district feder
ation wherever possible.
It has been thought best to limit office-holding
to two consecutive years,
but that any one may be eligible for
re-election to an office after the inter
val of one year from the time when
she last held it. and further that no
person shall hold more than one ollice
at a time. By thus distributing the of
fices, it is hoped to extend the interest
in the work of the federation.
The committee has aimed to be most
explicit in regard to dues, which must
be sent to the treasurer by September
13 of each year in order to entitle a
club to representation, however, (a
club) may be restored to membership
upon payment of all dues.
Another change is the addition of
one by-law to those we already have,
making the executive board and chair
man of committees appointed to report
at any annual meeting, members of the
meeting with the right to introduce
motions and vote.
The advantage as well as justice of
this by-law Is apparent. No one is
better qualified to discuss. Introduce
motions and vote upon a matter than
a chairman who has given her time
and attention to a subject for weeks
or perhaps months.
Lillien Cox (Jault.
Wayne.
lE. Cunningham, Chairman l'r esB Com )
As the annual meeting of the state
federation of clubs takes place In
Wayne, it is well perhaps to give the
club women of the state a little
glimpse of that city. This gem city of
northeastern Nebraska is situated 110
miles north of Omaha on the C, St. P.,
M. & O. R. R., In the Logan valley,
and is the county seat of the same
named county with a population of 2,
200 inhabitants. Wayne lies in the
midst of the richest and most fertile
agricultural lands in Nebraska and
the farm homes surrounding it are of
the highest order. The town is nicely
built; many elegant residences that
would do credit to a city having been
erected, and a number more are in the
process of construction. Religious de
nominations are well represented,
there being six churches. The Presby
terian church, which is especially fine,
has been secured for the sessions oi the
coming annual meeting of the state
federation. A new Methodist church
is being erected at a cost of $13,000,
which will be completed in October.
As an educational center Wayne stands
first of any city of its size in the state,
having a fine public school which oc
cupies two buildings and employs
twelve teachers. Mr. U. S. Conn,
state president of the teachers' asso
ciation, being the superintendent, hav
ing acted in that capacity for the past
four years. Another educational in
stitution is situated here, the North
Nebraska Normal, which, under the
able management of Prof. J. M. Pile,
piepares a large class of excellent
teachers every year. The average at
tendance of this normal is 250 pupils.
coming from all over the west. Out f
these surroundings one naturally looks
for women's clubs, and not in vain, for
this little city is one of the "clubblest"
in the state, having seven clubs, viz:
The Acme, Monday. Minerva, U. I).,
Pyerian, Juvenile. History and Fort
nightly Musical. The Acme club
claims the proud distinction of being
the oldest club in the state and re
cently celebrated its sixteenth birth
day with a number of charter members
present. The Monday club was organ
ized soon after and all these years has
supported a library, it being the only
public library in the city. The five
last named clubs are of later organiza
tion, but are active and enthusiastic
In club work. The Lrst five are or
ganized in a city federation and are
at present bending their energies to
ward the procuring of a large public
library. Wayne feels the distinction
of having her invitation to the state
federation accepted, and is looking for
ward with great pleasure to the com
ing October that will bring representa
tives from the different clubs of the
state into conference. Local commit
tees have been appointed to act in con
junction with the state committees
and any communication directed to the
chairman of the following committees
will receive prompt attention: Mrs.
Dan Harrington, room and reception
committee; Mrs. F. Cunningham, press
committee; Mrs. F. W. Burdick, cor
responding secretary of the city feder
ation. It is hoped this October meet
ing of the state federation will prove
a success in point of numbers and the
club women of the state can rest as
sured that they will be well taken care
of, and be given a hearty welcome.
The church at Wayne, Nebraska, where the State Federation of Women's
Clubs will meet in October, 1901.
Reasons Against a Separate Woman's
Department at the St. Louis
World's Fair.
(By Florence W. Richanleon.)
A summary of reasons opposing a
woman's department at the coming
World's fair a summary rellecting
universal law and the relation of our
particular era to it, is found in tho
resolutions against such a department
recently formulated In the Wednes
day club of St. Louis. These resolu
tions were unanimously passed by the
Missouri federation of women's clubs
(a body of four thousand women), sent
to the world's fair legislative commit
tee in Washington, copied by many
press organs and are In process of gen
eral circulation throughout the coun
try. Students of religious, philosophi
cal, scientific, sociological and so
called practical phases of human na
ture, will each find something of his
own cult In this summary:
First The distinctive, characteris
tic work of woman as woman is of
such a nature that it cannot be pub
licly exhibited.
That part of the world's work which
is done by human agency may be di
v.ded into the work of men, the work
or women and the work of individuals.
Women have shown that as Individ
uals they can do almost any kind of
work, but as women, under the limita
tions set up by the term, their work Is
specialized by conditions which permit
a product appreciable, certainly, but
not necessarily material and in no
sense adapted to public representa
tion. Take as examples the daily,
hourly physical nurture of children
their constant ethical training, and all
the finer requirements of home-keeping
in contradistinction to housekeep
ing, -lere, as in all slow, unseen pro
cesses In which tireless, persistent
forces furnish impact upon impact,
working for far-reaching and perma
nent results, the relation between
cauFe and effect, between effort and
pioduct. Is often not obvious. It is
this lack of obviousness which has
obscured woman's work with a nebul
ous, indefinite misconception, marring
its noble proportion of one-half in the
work of the world. As the crude man
sees no difference between woman as
a subjective being and woman as a
subjected being, so even highly evolved
men (and women, too.) are slow in
properly appraising the more subtle
activities of the human spirit which
largely constitute woman's distinctive
work.
Second The work which woman
does, in common with man should be
exhibited under the same conditions
and judged by the same standards as
his.
There are times when womer. feI
the stirring of forces which are not
generated nor developed by special
conditions. Without renouncing their
order, woman, they become conscious
of their genus, human. They seek
forms of activity which are less par
ticular and more general they enter
upon lines of work which are common
to man and woman phases of general
human activity. This field of common
effort grows wider and wider as race
evolution progresses. Large areas of
it have, in the past, been confused with
man's special "sphere," but the debat
able land comes up less and less often
for debate as evolutionary experience
is more and more recognized as suffic
ient ground for any choice of occupa
tion a human being may make. This
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