THE COURIER
walls, there are certain people and cer
tain characters in a book that we rec
ognize as conventional. We have seen
hem in other books and we will see
'.hem in many more. Mrs. Zelotes is
1 50 comnimi. j ..,. ........ mcv "ci
B ruewhere in literature. For this power
of original ureauuu, ui lamer recog-
mtion and preservation of distinctly
human and common types there is no
Ameiican novelist to compare with
Miss Wilkins, and abroad there is only
Hardy, he of "The Laodiceans," "Far
from the Madding Crowd" and "Tess of
the DTrbervilles."
Only frequent quotations from "The
Portion of Labor" can give any idea
of its great excellences and its grap
'pling power. It is, I think, the most
significant of any book yet written by
Miss Wilkins. And she has written the
most significant stories of any con-
temporary American.
She does not sacrifice her story to
ucialism or to a disapproval which she
may hold of the wage system, for when
h heroine and her hero meet to talk
t.gether, but mostly to be together,
th'y do not use the sociological termin
ology, but they talk about themselves
and of each other in the old fashion of
Ioiers, to whom everyone else and ev
erything else are tiresome. The por
tion of labor is to "Live joyfully with
the wife whom thou lovest all the days
of the life of thy vanity which He
hath given thee under the sun, all the
Jays of thy vanity; for that Is thy por
tion In this life, and in thy labor which
thou takest under the sun." The mean
ing of the book is that the reward of
labor is love for them who will take it
and be content with the permanent,
natural, wholesome affections.
CLUB NOTES
THE WEEK'S REVIEW
JAPANESE LULLABY.
Sleep, little pigeon,
and fold your wings.
Little blue pigeon;
with velvet eyes;
Sleep to the singing of
mother bird swinging
Swinging the nest where
her little one lies.
Away out yonder
" I see a star
Silvery Star with
a tinkling song;
To the soft Uew falling
I hear It calling
Calling and tinkling
the night long.
In through the window
a moonbeam comes
Little gold moonbeams
with misty wings;
All silently creeping. It asks:
"Is he sleeping
Sleeping and creaming
while mother sings?"
But sleep, little pigeon.
and fold your wings
Little blue pigeon,
with mournful eyes;
Am I not singing? see,
I am swinging
Swinging the nest
where my darling lies.
Eugene Field.
A VICTIM OF PHILANTHROPY.
A meditative kitten looked
exceedingly distraught.
Across her lurry, furrowed brow
....were lines of deepest thought.
"w .shall I best Improve my lives?
.... heard her, musing, say:
ive only nine to live I must
not fritter them away.
It..',s apa'ling when I think
It Is appalling when I think
-las spent eight lives already.
u a,Jd not one of them spent well!
tfut I shall plan mine carefully,
and make them all sublime.
Ana so leave noble paw-prints
on the shining sands of Time.
"I'm such a little kitten.
the first life of them all
1 11 only chase my tall around.
and play with baby's ball,
ine second, I'll be older
and I think it would be nice
entirely to devote my second life
in catching mice.
And then the next one let me see
p.s', am sure the third
v-oum be employed with profit
earning how to catch a bird,
ine fourth I'll roll In catnip,
rh oh-, won't that be immense!
ne fifth, I think I'll vowl away
on the back garden fence.
But no these are my pleasures,
i i,?ml ll ,sn,t richt a bit
Know I ought to live my lives
r- others' benefit.
riHre J ouht to try the
PMIanthropic dodge and that
Js awful hard for such a small
and Ignorant little cat.
'These questions overwhelm me!"
..,.ihe, drew a shuddering sigh.
'? "fed of living mv nine lives.
Ai th,Ink x w'ant to die!"
na with a sad. despairing moan,
the kitten, then and there.
,.ae UP nine ghosts. And once
"Bam a cat was killed by care."
-Carolyn Wells, In Life
One of the marked results of club
work for women Is the increasing abil
ity to look at both sides of a question.
To consider a subject from all points of
view, to comprehend not only its iso
lated significance, but its relations to
other subjects and conditions. Is un
mistakable evidence of broadening
mental power. The intelligent and ani
mated discussions which are prominent
features of all club meetings, radical
differences of opinion freely ex
pressed without feelings of personal in
jury, whatever the decision, are an
advancement over the conditions of
twenty-five years ago. Club women be
come less selfish and self-centred with
every year of organized activity. Con
certed effort Is the enemy of littleness.
At the recent meeting In Springfield of
the Massachusetts State Federation,
one session was devoted to discussion
of "The Relation of Club Women
to the Public Schools." Of vital inter
est to all club women, this subject was
ably handled by Mrs. Ella F. Adams
and Miss Maria Baldwin, both of Cam
bridge. Said Mrs. Adams, speaking
from the mother's point of view: "Our
relation is of a twofold nature. First,
we have a duty to perform as citizens;
secondly, we have a personal duty,
owing to the fact that the schools are
carrying on the work which we have
begun in our homes. The mother re
luctantly faces the separation which
school involves, but finally throws too
much responsibility upon the teacher.
The mother needs to be vigilant, be
cause great evils may creep into the
schools.
"Many women hesitate to interest
themselves in the public schools lest it
should be called interference. But the
schools are the hope of our republic.
When they represent the best charac
ter of our people, they are adequate to
raise the unpromising material sent to
us from other lands.
"The mother helps by keeping In close
personal touch with the teacher. She
can open the eyes of the teacher to the
human needs of the child. She can
emphasize the value of ethical train
ing. As her work in the home is the
making of character, she can draw
the attention of teacher and school offi
cer to the frequent disregard of this
goal.
"The mother can be inlluential with
the school committee. That body gen
erally welcomes the Intelligent views of
the community. It recognizes the right
of the mother to make suggestions up
on broad lines.
"The work of the mother is especially
dwelt upon, but all women have a great
responsibility in the matter. Since
women have the school suffrage, they
may control the schools if they choose,
and that they do not largely avail
themselves of the right seems to show
a deficient civic sense, as well as an
Indifference to the welfare of the
children."
Said Miss Baldwin, speaking from the
standpoint of the teacher: "There is
at present among those who are con
cerned with public school educa
tion a conviction that the school and
the community should be brought to
gether in more intelligent and helpful
relation. A superintendent in a town
near Boston directed his work chiefly
to the end of bringing the best people
of the town to appreciate and advance
the aims of the schools. A large
teachers' association in Boston has for
its expressed purpose the acquaintance
of parents with teachers and their
work. Each of these movements ex
presses the dependence of school edu
cation upon an Intelligent public in
terest. Undoubtedly this dependence
is today greater than it has been in
the past. The public school is not now
the guardian of the intellectual inter
ests only. Gradually there have been
laid upon It many of the schemes of
social reforms. Temperance, floral cul
ture, manual training, love of the beau
tiful, humane feeling for animals each
of these asks the school to work out
Its great results. One need not seek
farther for reasons why the communi
ty and the school should co-operate.
He has only to realize how surely the
social functions are being passed over
to the schools.
"No part of the public has recognized
this obligation more than women's
clubs. Their Interest has been ex
pressed In hundreds of helpful ways.
In many a small town they have been
to the teachers an inspiring influence.
It Is of course inevitable that as women
draw near to the schools they should
recognize how great are the opportuni
ties to use what power the school suf
frage confers. For though they may
be disposed to grumble at the meagre
ness of the grant, the quality of It does,
in some measure, atone. It at least
permits women to work where well
directed effort yields large re'turns.
One earnest, united effort can effective
ly rebuke unworthiness in public school
administration; can put in its place
pure motives and disinterested zeal;
and it surely Is no mean privilege to
uplift the character of educational
service."
Following these discussions Reverend
Charles F. Dole of Jamaica Plain ad
dressed the Federation on the subject
"What Good Can Women Do by the
Use of School Suffrage?" Among
other things he said: "It Is strange
how much more ready people are to
cry 'What is the use?' over good things
than over evil things. They do not say
'What Is the use?" before they drink
millions of dollars' worth of beer and
whisky. They do not say "What is the
use?' before they rush into war. But
they say 'What is the use?' about go
ing to church, or when you call a
meeting to start a boys" club, or ask
their interest for honest government In
their own- town. The friends of nearly
every good thing that has come into
the world have had to hear the cry,
What Is the use?' raised against it.
No one needs to waste time in prov
ing that it is of some use for women
to be public-spirited. You all agree
that it is well for women to have an
interest in the schools where your own
children are educated. The record of
your clubs proves the growth of pub
lic spirit among you. "You have fos
tered kindergartens, helped develop
manual training, hung pictures in the
schoolrooms, established lunch coun
ters In the high schools, looked after
the health conditions of schoolhouses,
besides many other things of public
service. But 'what is the use?' of vot
ing, many of you still ask. I could
recite plenty of objections. I will even
run a risk and go further than some of
the objectors and frankly tell you of
certain dangers which I see when wo
men vote. Is it not a fault in women
that they lack Intellectual modesty?
They tend to be self-assertive and
over-confident of their own opinions,
whereas modesty is always hospitable
and ready to learn, even of its oppo
nents. This intellectual immodesty
makes people Intolerant and arrogant.
Did I say that women had these
faults? No! They are human faults
whenever men or women enter upon a
new field of thought or action. They
are the faults of amateurs in public
affairs. I will therefore concede that
there is sure to be some friction when
women take a hand, even in school
politics. There will probably be needles
broken when you let a beginner run
your sewing machine!
"Why, then, do I advise women to
take a scrap of a ballot offered them
in school suffrage? First, because I
want their interest and co-operation In
behalf of the schools. Now the law of
human nature is that interest grows
In proportion as it expresses itself and
exercises power. I say give u noble
Interest every modi' of expression pos
sible and therefore give women the
power of the ballot.
"Secondly. I believe that In the long
run. If not at once, the growing Intel
ligence and conscientiousness of wo
men's vote will vastly strengthen the
good Influences which are working to
Improve the control of our schools.
"Thirdly, we do not believe In demo
cratic government merely to save
trouble, risk and expense. A despotism
might do this. We believe in our form
of government because It Is a constant
discipline of manhood and womanhood.
To accept responsibility, to take large
and generous views of public affairs,
to rule out favoritism and prejudice
and to decide questions with fairness,
good will and disinterestedness this
practice develops and ennobles men; It
makes a robust citizenship; It consti
tutes civilization. I believe that this
splendid training Is Just as good for
women as It Is for men. It Is needful,
also. In order that the woman shall be
man's true helpmeet."
Even young club women can remem
ber the time when the woman's club
was nothing If not literary; when the
work of the club was confined to the
writing of essays and the ransacking
of encyclopedias, and when such a
thought as public work never entereu
a club woman's head. It was In thesn
early days that the newspapers found
In woman's clubs admirable subject for
caricature. But, like many other move
ments, the woman's club has passed
the stage of caricature, and has
reached the point where It demands re
spectful and dignified consideration.
A record of woman's club work dur
ing the present year reads like a tale
of fairy godmothers vacation schools,
free kindergartens, curfew laws, mar
riage and divorce laws, women placed
on school boards, vacation play
grounds, traveling libraries, civil ser
vice reform, household science, village
improvement, mothers' meetings, hos
pitals, homes for children, social pur
ity work, free scholarships for poor
students. Industrial schools. Industrial
farms, public health, temperance. Jail
and hospital work what Is It that the
club woman is not Interested in and
working for?
It is noticeable that club work, as It
is understood now, says the Record
Herald, Includes every variety former
ly done by the much-reviled woman
"reformer" and the "short-haired wo
man suffragist." In ceasing to be pure
ly literary the club had to become
.something else, and such was and Is
the spirit of the time that it had to
become progressive. It is never likely
to be less progressive than It now Is,
and municipal and state governments
are likely to feel the power of organ
ized womanhood more and more as
woman herself realizes this power and
grows skilled in its use.
Last year the Indiana federation had
four bills In the legislature; Illinois and
Wisconsin federations were busy with
the legislature all winter; legislative
work Is a prominent feature with the
Alabama clubs; the New Orleans club
woman is a most adorable type of the
political worker; the Kentucky federa
tion Is interested in "Forestry." a sub
ject that carries with it opportunity for
much legislative work; and one of the
most conservative clubs In Kentucky
a club so conservative that it stays
out of the federation for fear of getting
too progressive and advanced recently
enlarged Its borders by petitioning the
town council to pass a stock law pro
hibiting stock from roaming the streets
and destroying the shrubbery. And
when one considers the comfort, safety
and beauty that would result from
such a law. It does seem that municipal
work like this is just as worthy the
attention of cultured women as the
writing of essays on the motives of a
Browning poem or an Ibsen drama.
51 -54 -Si
76 S TV
The Syracuse Woman's club gave a
reception In the public library rooms
on Monday evening. The guest of hon
or was Judge Joyce, founder of the li
brary, who has recently returned to
his old home. A program of music and
addresses was rendered.
fel
V
