THE COURIEE
At tlie regular meeting of the Auburn
Woman's club last Thursday the sub
ject discussed was "House Pants and
Their Culture." A valuable paper 0:1
"Hulbs for Winter Blooming" was read
by Mrs. W. H. Gardner: Mrs. M. S
Mclnlch read an excellent paper on
"The Arrangement of the Lawn," and
suggestions were given regarding tne
care of geraniums, begonias and ferns.
A discussion of the leading topics of
the day was led by Miss Alberta Camp
bell; a short talk on Gorky, the Russian
novelist, a review of the kidnaping of
Miss Stone and a report of the state
federation at Wayne were other feat
ures of the meeting. Music was fur
nished by Miss Lena Frerichs.
The Musical Culture club of Hastings
met in the public library on Monday
afternoon when the following program
was rendered: Piano duet, Militaiy
March, Miss Grace Noyes and Mrs. Lo
gan; vocal solo, "Faith in Spring,"
Miss Lillian Brown, piano solo. Scherzo,
Miss Jessica Pease, vocal duet, Schu
bert's Sernade, Misses Brown and
Miles; piano solo, Mrs. Hayes; Miss
Duer accompanist.
Mrs. F. M. Hall of Lincoln will lec
ture on the subject of art before the
Fairbury Woman's club on November
twelfth.
The Madison Woman's club met at
the home of Mrs. Reynolds on Novem
ber seventh. The subject "The North
lands" was discussed under the follow
ing divisions: Who were the Norse
men? Mrs. Dawson. Early tribal or
ganizations and means of Livelihood.
Mrs. Koechig. Religions Mrs. Park
inson. The Vikings. Mrs. Mossman.
Parliamentary Law, discussion Club
members. Home Topics, Municipal San
itationClub discussion.
5 .a -2
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The philanthropic committee of the
Omaha "Woman's club presented the
following recommendations at the club
meeting last Monday afternoon: "The
committee recommends that the phil
anthropic work of the club be located
in the Chapel of the Carpenter, at Sec
ond and William streets.
"That Mrs. E. S. Shinrock be ap
pointed as supervisor of the entire
work and as Instructor in cooking.
"That a special meeting of the club
members who are interested in this
work be held in the church parlors
next Wednesday at 4 p. m."
After considering the recommenda
tions separately, the first and third
were adopted, and decisive action in
regard to the second was deferred for
further consideration.
Two suggestions were made by Miss
O'Brien of the city library: "First, In
view of the fact that the state library
commission and traveling libraries
bill was passed, owing to the active
work of the women of the state, that
the executive committee of this club
communicate with his excellency,
the governor of this state, asking that
a woman be appointed to fill the first
vacancy on the commission, and that
the president of the state federation
name the woman and I hope it will
be Mrs. Belle Stoutenborough.
"Second, when the next legislature
convenes, that the club women of this
state present an amendment to house
roll No. 20, asking that the personnel
of the commission be changed so as to
include two or more members of the
Woman's club the president and
executive committee of the federated
clubs to present the names."
Mrs. Stoutenborough was made an
honorary member of the Omaha
Woman's club without the customary
notice of two weeks. The program was
in charge of the English history de
partment, and was a most excellent
one:
Trio Clarinet, violin and piano. ."Weber
Mr. Karbach, Mrs. Baetens, Dr. Baet
ens. Outline of the work of the history de
partment Mrs. R. E. McKelvy
"Valse Caprice" Rubensteln
Mrs. Porter G&xretL
Paper "History of Early English Lit
erature Mrs. Edward Johnson
Song "Tour Voice." with violin and
'cello obligato Denza
Mrs. A. L. Sheetz.
Working girls' clubs have become
established members of the club family
and like other similar organizations
they have their degrees of efficiency.
The working girl of this country
varies with different localities. In a
town where most of the girls employed
in factories, stores and offices live at
home, the type is radically different
from that in a community where such
girls are herded together in cheap
boarding houses. Both need club work
as a factor in their development,
though such club work may differ in
form as much as the type of club
members.
Boarding speaking, factory girls may
be divided into three classes; two of
these classes small, the other very
large. There is the little clique of
girls who have certain advantages of
home training and of education, and
who, being out of sympathy with slang
and rough ways, keep to themselves.
Such girls appreciate the class work
in clubs; they desire to improve them
selves in every possible way, and are
willing to practice self-denial to ac
complish this object. Another class
happily small comprises the tough
girls; those who are really bad. whose
manners and language are objection
able and whose character is equally so.
The clubs fight shy of them, and justly.
Clubs are not reformatories, and good
and respectable girls do not wish to
be associated with the class just men
tioned. Between these two small
classes is a great body of girls who
may be described as simply "flighty."
They are not bad, and have no desire
to be. Yet they are often rough in
their ways, slangy and coarse in
their speech and devoid of good taste
in dress. They have a limited educa
tion, often through their own perverse
refusal to attend school and their de
sire to earn money for dress and pleas
ure. Often their parents, though wil
ling to keep them In school, realize
as little the value of an education as
the girls themselves; and so long as
their daughters are of respectable
character, trouble themselves little
about the refinements of life.
It is this class of girls who are most
in need of refining influences, and for
whom club work is the most of a
puzzle, says The Club Woman. They
need, as one woman has expressed it.
"mothering." They cannot be lectured
on proper conduct, for they know
themselves to be good girls, and feel
insulted by an insinuation that they
are not. They do not care for solid
reading or for study. They do like a
good time, and their idea of a good
time is dancing, singing or chatting
with other young people. They do not
see why certain colors, fabrics and
styles arp unsuitable for the girl whose
wardrobe is limited in extent, and are
apt to resent advice on this subject if
directly given. They see no harm in
slang, and even expressions which are
so close to profanity or vulgarity as to
offend the sensitive ear, do not trouble
them. But they are jolly, good-natured
kind-hearted, always ready to help a
friend in trouble, free-hearted and gen
erous to a fault. They can be reached
and refined If handled rightly.
Occasionally a woman is born with
one of those rare souls which enables
her to do this kind of work success
fully. Strong, refined, pure-hearted,
she is, nevertheless, able to put herself
In the place of the girl. She can shut
her eyes and ears when it is necessary,
and reserve her comments on the things
of which she disapproves until the sub
ject can be discussed in an impersonal
general way. She can be correct in her
speech, neat and tasteful in her dress
and refined in her manner, and at the
yame time can enter heartily into the
amusements and occupations of the
girls, so that without undue familiarity
she can Invite their confidence and win
their affection as well as their respect.
The woman in charge of a working
girls' cluo should also be a practical
working woman. She must know what
it means to earn small wages and de
pend upon them for her living. She
mast know from practical experience
that a new pair of shoes means self
denial in other ways, and that all of
the needed articles of dress cannot be
purchased at one time. She must
know how and what to buy, and be
able to impart her knowledge. She
must know the rules of practical hy
giene; she should be a Christian wo
man, broad enough to see the good in
all creeds and wise enough to empha
size the points on which all Christen
dom agrees without touching on dis
puted matters. Above all, she should
be a good Judge of character.
Such a woman will gain the love of
the girls. She will assign the parts
which they are to take in club life
without creating unnecessary friction.
Her influence will be felt through all
the club work.
This is, of course, an Ideal matron or
superintendent. Yet women possessing
all these qualities, to a certain extent,
are not impossible to find. Let the rich
women do all they will for the clubs,
but let them beware of trying to do
work which they do not understand.
The woman to whom a dollar is a mere
bagatelle cannot understand the point
of view of the girl to whom a dollar
represents hours of toil. The woman
who has tried it is the woman to man
age a club for girls who earn small
wages and depend upon those wages
for daily living. She can draw the line
between the essential and the non-essential
between the "must be" and the
"may be," and that is what is needed to
insure the success of club work among
the working girls.
The Los Angeles "Women's club is re
ceiving valuable assistance from two
new members; Mrs. Florence Collins
Porter, recent president of the Maine
federation, and Mrs. Strickland Clark,
originally of Detroit, distinguished as
a lecturer on parliamentary law. Mrs.
Robert J. Burdette, state president of
California, is accompanying Mr. Bur
dette on a lecture tour through the
southern, eastern and middle states.
The Minnesota state federation re
cently held its third annual meeting
in connection with the state fair. The
use of a beautiful building was granted
by the managers of the fair, and was
utilized as a resting place for women
and children; a model sick room also
was fitted up and the services of phy
sicians and nurses were provided. Ev
ery morning a practical lecture and
demonstration in cooking was given;
other programs were also presented,
ith an informal musicale in the after
noon. Exhibits of the results of manu
al training in the public schools and
of the work of vacation schools at
tracted much attention. From four to
six o'clock tea is served free of charge
to all visitors.
The work in domestic science has
been made prominent during the last
year by the Portland Woman's club.
The Oregon federation meeting will
be held in April, closing in time to go
to Los Angeles, thus combining the
state and general federations in one
trip.
The Vermont federation, which re
cently met in Morrisville, now consists
of twenty-five clubs, an increase of
three during the last year. Twenty
two clubs were represented at the
meeting, and green was adopted as the
state color, with the state seal in gold.
In Vermont, as in Nebraska, the fed
eration has turned over its library to
the state library commission.
The regular meeting of the Lincoln
Woman's club will be held next Mon
day, November 11, in Walsh hall. The
program will be in charge of the home
department. This department, under
the leadership of Mrs. Sawyer, is rival
ing in popularity the departments de
voted to the sciences and arts. Ene
mies of club organization who contend
that membership in a club unfits a wo
man for the duties of home and lessens
her interest in the welfare of her fam
ily should have been present at the
meeting on Wednesday morning, and
at every meeting of the home depart
ment Problems confronting home
keepers are brought up for intelligent
discussion, and not only the homes of
the present, but those of the future,
are given consideration.
At the meeting on Wednesday a most
interesting and helpful paper was read
by Miss Kyle, secretary of the Young
Women's Christian association. With
remarkable natural insight ,rt0 t,
needs of human nature. to- i',r n J
unusually favorable opportune i
the study of young women. Mis, Kyl
was peculiarly fitted to spi.,k on th
subject, "The Young Wonun of TJ
day, and Her Relation to th Home of
the Future." Said Miss K.vl, ln part
"The question before us 1, .,,. a)wm
which much theory has been , puunj
ed. It is a fact that an m.,. ,s,ngI
large number of young women ,,re u'.
ing advantage of the superior ejuca.
tion facilities in America. Without
considering industrial advantages or
disadvantages, we know th.it these
economic changes are producing alarm.
ing social changes. In the last census
3,000,000 women were found to be work
ing outside the home. This must mean,
however slow we are to confess it, a
working away from the home and its
ideals. Of these 3,000,000 women some
are working for their daily bread, oth
ers to add to their wardrobes, others,
especially among the educated women,
have the desire to be independent, to
have careers of their own. This las
named class or division is the growing
one, and home must present more do
mestic charm and less of drudgery if
these richly-endowed young w omen are
to be won to it as offering the ideal
happiness. Let loose into sudden free
dom the pendulum has swung a little
too far, and now wise women must ad
just a happy balance.
"Is it true that college unfits a girl
for domestic life? Is it true that mar
riage is becoming less and les at
tractive to a college-bred girl? A col
lege education would be a questionable
gift if it worked only discontent with
later home life. Cannot a woman s
home life be enriched by college cul
ture? Is laborious housework a neces
sary evil? It is useless to deny a cer
tain amount of drudgery; but disci
pline and practice of self-control ought
to make a young woman more capable
of taking up the routine of a ho-.ie
with intelligence and grace. It i' not
so much the routine of house work that
breaks a woman down as the Inability
to bring within her reach something in
structive and refreshing. If a collegc
girl is unfit for domestic life it is be"?
cause she cannot adapt herself from
one environment to another. The col
lege course may train the mind, but it
can scarcely create a love for domestic
ity. It may teach domestic science, but
it cannot teach students that tliej
must not go about with holes in theii
stockings or leave their beds unmade
from the time they rise until tlu-v tt
into them again.
"In the majority of cases the seii't
of lack of adaptation may be traced t"
home training. Many girls may be
found in the colleges with pri"U
training which it will be hard to over
come, even by the intellectual discipline
of college.
"There is a peculiar lack of pui-e
among young women. A hurry a-rush-over-tension
Intellectually, too
much going, too little of a quiet time
in one's home getting acquainted with
the family. There is a certain care
lessness arising perhaps from a sense
of new freedom a carelessness whua
manifests itself not only in one's roi-m
and dress, but in action; it is a lack
of poise which prompts the svvmg-ng.
loose-jointed stride so often seen. J
lack of poise which prevents young
women from respectful conduct to per
sons older than themselves, or ven
from civil greetings one with aii"ti"-r
"With the German girl, home in - '
preparation for marriage. The i"
panionship of mother and daug'it r.
the training in household duties iQ;
dowry-box all develop moie 1
ation toward home life. In edm i'"'1
the system does not tend to lead Jli v
from the home. Home is the unit of
German society. There was .1 "'"
America when home duties and a "!'
love developed an inclination tow -d
the home. Each daughter then had iei
stint of sewing to do each day. hti ti
tles in the household.
"The conviction of Amoru.m
that it is dignified to work in a - '
but undignified to be a cook in ""
other family would never have ie 1
V
Hjatj MWfc-Tj
