The Portland daily press., 1876-10-19
boston letter (Oct. 81 to the New Century,l
The WOman'S Club.

In the same building in which the office of
the Woman's Journal is located, and just over
head are the rooms of the New England Wo-
mans club, which was originated in June,
1865 and which has now so grown as to quite
overflow the comparatively narrow limits of its
rooms. 1t has been difficult matter to find
suitable rooms into which to move, as parlors,
not hall, were desired and it is especially
necessary that the location be at once central
and quiet The present location is fremont
Place, which is off Beacon, and just back OF
fremont street, SO that while a half minute
viii take one into the hustle and business OF
DOWNTOWN" the parlors are retired and tnere
is little dust or noise. More satisfactory rooms
have been found at No. Park street, in the
OLD residence of Mr. Josiah Quincy, into wnlch
the club will remove in about month. The
house faces Boston Common, and the parlor
are very large and much better suited for the
convenient assembling of large companies to
listen to the reading of papers, the delivery of
lectures, or to participate in debates, which lit
erary treats take place every Monday. The
members have the perhaps slightly selfish salts
faction of knowing that the world outside will
not be given even reading, in the next days
papers, of the wit and wisdom which is uttered
men of the greatest celebrity. vino are invited
to attend, either behind or in front of the little
table which serves as a rostrum-for reporters
are strictly tabooed, and no saying or doing of
this exclusive circle is allowed TO go beyond its
limited circumference. There have been in
times past some battles royal between the club
and the reporters until the newspapers gave
up the contest. The power that the president
has OF looking through an opaque body at the
wall, is something remarkable, though it is
very possible that it may be an unconscious
power. only evident to the offenders.
The club rooms are prettily but not richly
furnished; the seats for large tcompaDy con-
sst of camp chairs which are folded up and
piled in corner when not in use, and back of
the parlor is little cluster of pantries and
store and china closets, whence come the ma
terials for the monthly social events known as
'club teas" Also for special lunches to which
the members are called whenever distIn-
guished guest is to be entertained. For the
objects of the club are not Intellectual and
phllanthropical exclusively, for though these
are principally considered, the social element is
not omitted. The club is very convenient
place. among other things, for the meeting OF
ladies who reside in the many suburbs which
are not SO largelyspopulated by Boston people.
But feature of the Woman's club, which re-
deems it from the stigma of sex exclusiveness,
is that gentlemen are admitted as associate
memhers-n0t voting memberS-SubJect, OF
couts, to the same ordeal of possible blackball-
ing that the ladies pass Of the two hundred
and odd members now constituting the club,
perhaps nearly half are of the male sex,
though they so seldom visit the rooms that they
are not supposed 10 belong in so large numbers.
Among them are the Rev. james freeman
Clarke, Ralph Waldo Emerson and the poet
Whittier, while among the ladies are Louise
Chandler MoultOn-Dow in EurOpe-Miss AL
colt aud many others of literary fame, while
others are we'll known in the lecture and suf
frage fields.
The club, however, is not suffrage club
for although the large majority of its mem
bers are saffragists there are those among then
who are not yet converted