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THE COURIER.
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In addition to other subjects, Ihe Bos
ton and Detroit branches have taken up
domestic science, the Milwaukee branch
has instituted a traveling library, the
New York branch has given assistance
to a needy student, and two or three
others have been active in social settle
ment and college settlement work.
Nearly every branch has a committee
on legislation whose duty is to inquire
into the school laws and their enforce
raent, and where ever possible to secure
improvements in the laws.
Whether this organization vith its
Bister, the general Woman's club is the
fad of the day merely, and will give
place to some other fad, remains to be
seen. It has not yet turned its atten
tion in the spirit of inauiry to a subject
that is not of the utmost importance.
The success already attained in certain
directions, and the influence exerted for
pood promise a long and useful career.
It is to be hoped at least, that a body of
such intense earnestness and high
ideals, with so large a field for service,
will be displaced only by a more efficient
force. Mary Tremaine, President Ne
braska State University Chapter.
Mrs. Laura M. Woodford of Weeping
Water, is responsible for the excellent
euggeetior of a special program com
memorating the life of King Alfred the
Great, to be given by the clubs through
out the state simultaneously some day
in November. Much has been recorded
in history concerning the greatness of
King Alfred of his advanced ideas in
the face of little encouragement, and it
will be a gratfiul acknowledgement of
his contributions to the world'6 progress
to unite with England on the thous
andth anniversary of his death.
Mrs.Apperson of Tecumseh, chair
man of the committee on education of
the N. F. W. C, writes this department
in regard to the Wayne educational pro
gram that it wil! be of exceptional value
to mothers and teachers. Mrs. Apper
son has furnished study outlines
throughout the year to those clubs
which have applied for them. A num
ber of these letters have requested out
lines ob child study. The efforts of the
educational committee were of great in
fluence in securing the passage of the
compulsory education law through both
houses of the legislature. Mrs. Apper
son is anxious that the clubs of the
state should know tnat the education
committee is ready and anxious to as
sist in making up club outlines or to
furnish any information in regard to the
construction of club outlines.
The Zetetie club during the present
year is deriving much benefit from the
study of the History of English Liteia
ture. In returning to the curriculum
of their school days, the Zetetics find
themselves in touch with their sons and
daughters of the high school. In the
Chaucerian period the zest of study was
increased by finding that the children
were also excavating in the same region.
The Canterbury Tales, when the "big"
boy was also reading them from his
school text book, was far more interest
ing and also increased the sympathy
between mother and child. Every
mother who has freshened her memory
by this study will findherself in better
condition tn assist and sympathize with
her child as he ventures along new
piths. The Literature of the Restora
tion and the eighteenth century ten
dencies in literature were discussed in
the club with great freedom, every
one being privileged to participate, the
leader asking just enough questions to
keep the interest from flagging. At an
early date the club will consider where
woman first begins to be of importance
as a writer. When Mies Barney, Jane
AwateB, Hannah More and others are
analysed; the male writers who have so
long held the attention of the club will
for the time be relegated to the back
ground. A recent pleasant affair of the
club was a five o'clock tea in honor of a
former member who was in Weeping
Water visiting among old friends, who
was also the wife of a former pastor of
the Congregetional church, Reverend
George Hindley, now of Elk Kiver, Minnesota.
College and Club
The college woman needs the club and
the club needs the college woman.
When a woman leaves the scholastic
atmosphere, she finds herself confronted
with new, strange conditions. The
world, society, life and life's duties all
conspire to tempt her from scholarly
things. 'Tie here that the club per
forms its greatest service. It is the
graduate school for the busy housewife
whose college diploma is forgotten but
whos9 intellectual life goes on broaden
ing and deepening in the inspiring,
stimulating atmosphere of club life.
Then the college woman does not
prepare superficial papers for her club;
or if by chance she should do such a
thing it is a reflection upon her college
training and not the fault of the club.
There are many papers and discussions
prepared for clubs that, while not so
technical or intensive as a college thesis
yet they represent as much labor and
investigation.
Then the college woman needs the
club because here she meets women
without such special training and dis
covers that everything is not learned
from books. She discovers that strength
of intellect, clearness of expression,
ability to think and reason are quite as
likely to belong to the club woman
without special training as to the col
lege bred woman. This is very bene
ficial to the woman who might be in
clined to feel the superiority of her
advantages but! who discovers that she
must earn her laurels in the club and
cannot rest upon the magic letters that
appear after her name in the college
catalogue. This may be rather humil
iating at times but on the whole it is
beneficial and wholesome.
Then the college woman especially
needs the social side of club life. The
tendency of the very intellectual woman
is to become self centered and absorbed
in the atmosphere of books and learn
ing. She needs then the social atmos
phere of the club and the altruistic
tendency of its present development to
correct this tendency and to bring her
into broader, fuller touch with life and
the world.
Then the club needs the college wo
man because she can bring to its mu
tual councils the trained mind, the
sane judgment, the wisdom of books
that should be her inheritance from her
college training. We do not say that
the college woman invariably possesses
these requirements but it is safe to say
that if her training is such as it should
have been she will not be found want
ing in breadth of judgment, strength of
intellect and a mental poise that will be
helpful in club councils and make her a
useful member in the development of
club life. Mrs. H. H. Wilson.
The Church and the Club.
The gladness and beauty of Easter
arise from a spiritual source. The
World (spelled with a capital W) laughs
over Easter bonnets and gowns, and
even our Easter music, but in the pres
ence of a bereaved mother's sorrow, or a
child's pure faith, or of the mighty in
spiration of a Phillips Brooks, the
World suddenly quiets, and within its
own heart feels stirring a sudden hope
and love. At such a moment the
church may come before our eyes again
in her ideal grace and strength, and we
may feel the charm and the force of her
demand for batter service. Through
the centuries she has been the society
and the club for all kinds and condi
tions of men. By her constitution she
is not to be an exclusive club, but her
doora are open to the rich and the poor,
to hearts ove. flowing with gladness and
thanksgiving and to hearts that are sad
and are longing for some hope; the gen
erous and the needy, the strong and the
weak, the lonely and the friendly, all
meet within her walls. By the consti
tution of this club the universal spirit
of membership is one of mutual
helpfulness. "Loving and being loved,
serving and being served,'' her most
loyal members have always felt that
neither in time nor in eternity could any
other club give equal opportunities or
right to service. What other club gives
so warm a welcome to the stranger and
to the friendless? What other club
shows such sympathy and kindness
towards the sick and the suffering, and
towards those who are struggling with
poverty? What other club offers so
many avenues for the exercise of every
gift and talent that any one may pos
sess? What other club sets apart a
leader who has the privilege of entering
into the deepest sorrows and the sweet
est joys of its members? What other
club gives the same opportunity for in
spiring and uplifting human lives in
tellectually, morally and spiritually?
Life draws its nourishment through
two great roots the love of self and the
love of others. Each kind of love at its
wisest and best is constantly passing
over into the other. Our smaller clubs
and our social circles are delightful
ways in which we look out for the good
of ourselves, but is there any crganizv
zation in the world which offers an
equal opportunity of helping others?
Every church has set before it the pos
sibility of being the centre of the in
terests and forces that uplift a com
munity. For this purpose it needs a
circle of men and women who give 'their
chief thought and care to the welfare of
their church. Such a body guard is
needed even more by the down town
city church than by any other, for its
members are scattered over a wide area
and are never brought together in any
large number except through the
church. Such a church must have
constant supporters of every line of its
work who have the power unitedly to
attract into the channels of the church
the right share of the spiritual earnest
ness, moral force, intellectual, financial
and social support of all those who meet
within its walls.
We are sometimes told that the wom
en's clubs are drawing away from the
church those who would otherwise be
devoting their gifts to the church. If
.this is true, a double harm is being
done. And yet the club is certairly
not a bad thing, and the church is not
a bad thing. The clash comes because
the two interests are not considered in
their relations with one another. There
is no clear general public opinion of the
pi ice which each ought to hold with
reference to the other. But let any one
dwell on the immense influence of the
church through the past centuries, and
gain some insight into its possession of
yet greater power for the progress of the
human race in the centuries to come,
and he must wish that the church
might receive more help from every
source.
The cluls are certainly able to help
the churches very greatly. They de
velope in their members readiness in
writing and speaking. They give the
timid confidence. They draw out the
recluse They give women practice in
organizing, and they combine social
pleasure with other interests. What
ever the church needs to have done can
be done all the better for the training of
the clubs. The church naturally looks
to the club women for much of its ser
vice, and the woman who can give some
share of her time to both has more than
double the reward.
Many of the club women of Lincoln
are giving largely of themselves to the
churches of the city. With a little
forethought in planning the year this
number might become much larger.
Here lies an Easter opportunity that
will last the year, an opportunity for
the resurection into power of the better
part of our own lives, and an opportu
nity of sharing Easter message with
others. Alice Hamlin Hinman.
The Lincoln Woman's club met Mon
day afternoon with a good attendance.
The program was a musicals and the
numbers chosen were particularly ap
propriate to the warm afternoon, to the
revival of spring life and spring sounds
that are evident now in the out-of-door
atmosphere. The program was as
follows:
"Daffodils" King Hall
Mrs. E-S.Williams, Mrs. II.P Eitnes,
Miss Hammond
Ballade No. 3. op. 47 Chopin
Mrs. Fisher
(a) "I Envy the Bird'(from the Sere
nade; Victor Herbert
(b) "A Nymph and a Shepherd" Purcell
(c) "Tell Me, Pray'from the Ameer
Victor Herbert
Mrs. Mark Woods
Theme and Variations Kollinson
Mr. Weho
"Lullaby" (from a "Midsummer
Night's Dream' Act.Il)Mende's3ohn
Meedames Eames, Williams, Fisher,
Easterduy. Lucas; Misses Ham
mond, Young. Kettering and
Lally
The first number, "Daffodils" sung by
a trio was much appreciated as also the
chorus in the Midsummer Night's
Dream. The choice of seloists, Mrs.
Woods, Mrs. Fisher and Mr. Wehn, was
fortunate as each is known for charm
and individuality of work.
A business meeting preluded the mu
sical program. The plan of nominating
officers by informal ballot has been
found to be too awkward for use and in
consequence the previous method of
receiving nominations from the floor
was adopted. The secretary wes in
structed to prepare a ticket to be bal
loted upon at the next meeting, April
22nd, from the following nominations:
President, Mrs. H. M. Bushnell; first
vice pres., Mrs. M. D. Welch; second
vice pres., Mrs. Mary Phillips; rec. sec ,
Mrs. W. H. Bagoell; corr. sec, Mrs. Ar
thur Jackson; treas., Miss Jeannette
Green and Mrs. H. P. Eames; auditor,
Mrs. W. C. Henry.
All of the present officers with the
exception of second vice president and
treasurer whose terms have expired,
were renominated.
The following ladies were named dele
gates to the state federation meeting to
be held at Wayne, Nebraska, in October
with the understanding if they were
unable to attend, they should notify the
secretary in time to procure substitutes
before the election: Mea James F. E.
Lahr, A. A. Scott, S. H. Atwood, C. F.
Harpham, A. B. Pirie, F. P. Laurence,
Piper aud Callen Thompson.
CALENDAR OF NEBRASKA CLUBS
April
15. Ws.c Art Onuh
15, History k Art c. Hook Kevlew i-e.ir
15, Monday c Mtrabeau a
15, V's.c Natural Growth Norf-
16,Sorosls, Tru-t Problems r.Inn-1
16, Century c. Egypt Line"
I6,YV"s.c. Art Wakell-
17, Ws.a, Elizabethan Ase Dunif-
IT, Ws. c , Annual Meeting A-hlai
l'.XewBook Kevlew Line
18, Lotos c. Liiu1"'
19, Self Culture c Our Collcre St. 1.
20,W's.c. Economic Xortu lln
20, Ts. c. Miscellaneous Frernt'"
10, Round Table. Browning Crrf
20, Fin de Siecle c Miscellaneous Sewai.t
The Boys' History Club of Plattsmouth.
The Bovb' History club of Platts
mouth is one of unique organization and
unusual individuality. It has now be
come a permanent institution having
been organized six years ago. The club
life has been so closely connected with
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