THE COURIER. heading bis energies eitber to help King or to binder him but it was Uways King that was under discus sion Men who had been considered exactly honest and excep tionally intelligent were rallying with King, whose campaign was evi dently a network of intrigue, and many of whose henchmen were brand ed as venal and notoriously corrupt. . . . King looked like the fore man of a ditch gang in Sunday tog gery." King inquires of Myton, the hero of the story, if be has "lit yet," mean ing, of course, if he has decided to which candidate he will give his sup port. "For King as chairman of the State Central Committee, Myton had the utmost respect. For King, if he had chosen to become warden of the state penitentiary. Myton would have worked with etlicient enthusiasm. But for King in the United States' senate, Myton felt an irritating moral revulsion which he could not define, and which was put in the shadow by the disquieting sense that it would be impracticable to an important degree to make an enemy of King. King needs the 'Ladies' Auxiliary' and offers to make Myton a congressman if in return he will convince the com position of the Ladies' Auxiliary that he, King is impeccable. Myton told the -alumni' that King was a good fellow and a friend of his but no more tit to represent that state in the ssnate 'than Captain Kidd is to act as recording angel'." "The effect of Myton's rebuff of King was not perceptible on the sur face. Yet King felt that Myton had hurt him. A political boss is a hyp notist. He holds his power by a con stant repetition, in a thousand ways, of the declaration that his power exists. Every denial of this direct suggestion weakens his influence. Sam King was not a psychologist; but he knew human nature which a mounts to the same thing in the long ran. He ielt in his bones that My ton's action would cripple him. He knew instinctivelv, that if one man could rebuke him publicly, others might cease to fear him. That night tlie rumor gained some corridor cre dence that King had lost two votes whose they were the rumor did not specify. The rumor was really the premonitory sign of the decay of King's prestige. A man had insulted the bass-wood joss. The man still lived. Was the joss a joss, or only a basswood image? Thus worked the logic of the crowd in the hotel lobby." O0000O0MMO0OOOOOC000000OO I I. M00OM0000000aO0009009C Several of the Nebraska clubs have sent copies of their year books to this office. We would be glad to receive year books from the other clubs in the state. New ideas of value to each club may be gained from familiarity with the work of other clubs, and for this reason we would be pleased to print in this depart ment an outline of the season's work of every club in the state federation. President's Address. In the history of the Nebraska Fed eration of Women's Clubs this is the beventh chapter, and to me is given the privilege of enumerating the distinctive features which have marked this year's administration, and, might I add, a few stray suggestions for the future The leaflet sentach club last March contained the same hopes and ambitions. Tbe Courier's EaBter edition reiterated them, but eucb is tbe faith within me, I am pleased once more to have the op portunity of presenting thsm to you. For the benefit of the many clubs that have since entered our fold, you will pardoQ a little retrospection. Seven years ago this coming December the Omaha Woman's club, through the state chairman of correspondence, issued invitations to every club then ex isting in the state to attend the conven tion to be held in Omaha for the pur pose of organizing a state federation to b3 auxiliary to the general federation. Thirty-six delegates, representing as many clubs, responded. At this meet ing a letter urging a federation was read from Mrs. Henrotin. An encouraging talk was given by Mrs. Scammon, pres ident of the Kansas and Missouri feder ation. After listening to three ad dresses. "State Fedeiation as an Educa tional Factor," "The Moral Utility of Federation." "Benefit of Federation to Isolated Clubs;" the enthusiasm could no longer he restrained the motion prevailed "that we proaeed to organize." Ten clubs became charter members. Our year look furnishes the names of the officers elected, as well as those of each succeeding year, who have assisted in IayiDg the substantial foundation upon which we now are building. The records of the intervening years show a gradual advancement, until now we find ourselves requiring the services of eight standing and four special committees. Taere is yet a much-needed civic section for the purpose of improving and beau tifying our towns, and for the purpose of public sanitation and municipal legis lation, to improve the physical and moral condition of the community. All committees are now prepared to report; you may judge of their activity. ..Io anticipating the report of the spe cial library committee which you autho rized at your last meeting, I would say that the Nebraska club women have reason to feel exultant, not alone over their successes, that their introduction to legislation was in the interest of two such magnificent measures as the trav eling library and compulsory education bills. But thirty school days have elapsed since the latter went into effect, and already we are hearing of its bene ficial results. Our work on the new school law is by no means completed. We can assist by reporting to the truant officers all cases that come under our observation, also by having a watchful eye that the law is wisely and judic iously enforced. In our efforts to develop better citi zenship, I wish the federation might ex press its sentiment on the subject of manual training for both boys and girls in the public schools. Professor Beard shear, president of the National Edu cational Association, had this to say to the women of Iowa last May: "Chil dren's intellectual imagination is ap pealed to over and over in booki and elementary sciences, but the construct ive imagination is too largely ignored. This does not mean that the youth must make perfect products. It is remark able what a vast amount of strength and utility will come out of an uncouth structure and mechanism. The contriv ing and constructive abilities of a pupil are the most valuable to himself and, therefore, to civilization. The sweetest whistle a boy ever blew is that made by his own knife; the keenest joy a man ever experiences in material af fairs is that arising from the creation of his own hand. Both boy and girl should have a greater interchange of education in the elementary stages of a manual training. The girl can do much of ele mentary work in wood, and the boy would be better off to know more of the elementary work in domestic science, not including that of cooking." With this all must agree, and much more might be added. Last July for the first time in its history the American Library Associ ation formally recognized the value of women's clubs, and Nebraska was hon ored by having a representative in its nations', program. They appreciated this fact, that the great impulses given to tbe libraries in their extended useful ness came from the club movement. All clubs are asked to interest themselves, this coming year, in the pure food law. Every woman should Bee to it that tho provisions of this law are extended and made more effective by providing better means of enforcement. Now from the State Charities and Corrections' Association comes the re quest for assistance in bringing about the passage of a juvenile court law to supplement the provision of the new compuUory school law for parental schools. We are asked to investigate the workings of a similar one in Chicago and elsewhere. After our children's bodies have been provided for, their hand and their mieds properly trained, we may turn our attention to women's welfare and use our influence to tbe end that at the next session cf the legisla ture there shall be passed a women's rights law. Tbe Courier's Easter edition, of which a copy waa sent to every club president, contained a report of the Louisiana Purchase conference held in Kansas City last January. This report included fifteen proposed projects for the perma nent momorial to be erected by the wo men of the general federation. An ex pression upon a suitable memorial, and the amount of Nebraska's contribution to the same, can only be determined by the clubs. I trust each president has came authorized to speak definitely on both questions. The Mothers' Congress 83ked our moral and financial support in the education of one southern woman to fit herself for the position of a kinder garten teacher for colored children in the south. The good this will accom plish you will hear about later, as all of these subjects will be discussed during this session. For four successive years the invita tion of a state teachers' association to hold a joint session during the holiday has been accepted, until last winter, when, through a misunderstanding, the meeting waa omitted. In consequence the executive board unanimously ex pressed its approval of each club hold ing at least one patrons' meeting during the year to which patrons, school board and teachers should be invited. The wide-spread influence of this you will readily see. You are familiar with the story of the board's struggle with the question of finance and to them the very satisfac tory solution of the same, Club Exten sion. Your last president, foreseeing the helpfulness of such a committee, accordingly formed one, appointing one member from each judicial district. Reports received from the various dis tricts were identical "No money with which to conduct campaign." This year the omission of the manual gave us the necessary funds to start the work, and now the further responsibility rests with you. Two items of information I confidently expect to hear repeated ofttimes tomorrow, and then not become monotonous: namely, that each club has reserved on its program this coming year one meeting to be devoted entirely to state federation interests, and the appointment by each club of a live ex tension committee. If I am not to be disappointed in this, the question of our future is answered. I beg to acknowledge my grateful ap preciation of the efficient corps of work ers with which you surrounded me. In their selection not once did your judg ment err. Each an expert in her par ticular field, your best interests have been hers. In addition to the duties for which they were elected, graciously have they performed arduous labor upon important committees;, To your treaa urer's gentle but effective solicitation you are indebted for the fund which m ikes possible this mooting. I should be re niins in my duty if I did not mako mention of tho program committee, whoce good work must be apparent. All committees have been zealous in tho pursuance of their special lines. These annual meetings are tho time keepers of our federations. They record our advance or our retrogression. In our general summary of the year jubt closing wo consider the growth most satisfactory, both in membership and achievements. The federation now numbers 107 clubs, aggregating IS.tJOO members. All must recognizo in tbe program the enlarged scope of our work, and we hope every woman presont may be moved to greater effort in her own and the state's advancement. At this session the constitution ccm mittee will ask you to consider several radical changes, tbe most important, perhaps, will be the election of a vice president from each congressional dis trict, and the holding of biennial meet ings. The combination will give a larger working force and materially re duce expenses. The convention and the printing of tho manual coming only once in two years, will allow the neces cary means for committee work. Let terr, no matter how explicit, aro unsatis factory messengers and not until tho exocutivo board and the chairman of committees can meet at least annually to consider matters of importance, can anything like gratifying results bo ob tained. The forming of district feder ations would result in a friendly rivalry which gives irdpetus to auy movement and inspiration to higher and nobler endeavor. To recapitulate: We have gleaned subjects for consideration for our "State Day" program: The Constitutional Amendments. How to Create Interest in Our New Traveling Library. Southern Kindergartens. Manual Training in Our Public Schools. Holding of a Patrons' Meeting. A Juvenile Court Law. A Woman's Property Rights Luw. Quite enough material for one meet ing, you will agree with me. That experience may count. 1 would ask the retiring officers and chairmen of committees to formulate for their successors such suggestions as would facilitate the work in the future. We come together today with feelings of mingled joy and sorrow. Important to our progress as are the subjects re ferred to, eaca and every one binks into insignificance in comparison with wo man's responsibility in connection with the great tragedy for which a whole na tion is humiliated and mourns. Three yeare ago the 12th day of the month President McKinley was the guest of this organization. In a few choice words to over three thousand women he extended greetings and good wishes to our continued success. Today the flow ers are yet fresh on the casket which contains his mortal remains, slain by the hand of a warped, misguided being, wholly lost in his infancy to every noble impulse. In President McKinley's death wo manhood has sustained an irreparable loss. His life an example of equal stan dard of virtue, his death a monument to woman's strongest weapons purity of home, law and order. Let this common eorrow bind us closer together, and out of the gloom come a unification nt high purpose. To me the chief tribute we can pay to his memory is to dedicate ourselves to renewed vigor in the gravest responsibility which rests upon us: the intelligent understanding of child nature and their early mental and moral train ing. This is the mission of women's clubs. Believing that the object of edu cation is the foundation of character, we gay with Reverend Charles Parkhurst It 9'