, 1879-02-23
The Papyrus Clubs Dinner tor
Their Literary Sisters.
Ahout Women's Clubs---The Mania for
Instruetion---The Paraon Whe
Couldn't Stand Knit
ting Listener.
Selma Eorx and uer Fascinating Talk of Fin
land-~-Her Magnetic Leadership Of an
Observation-Disclosures.

though the !" Siege OF Paris," which threatened
its &. Positively last month ~ more than month
ago, still enchants goodly audience day by
day and night by night, and the Hebrew Fair
also keeps up nightly entertainment. There
are, too, OF course. the regular theatre per-
foEmauces- But the temporary visits of the
starB are over for the present time, though there
are floating rumors that the Map1eson troupe
are to come again later in the season, Just be-
fore sailing for Europe. Miss Kellogg, who is,
and always has been, q great favorite here, her
friends being great partisans, never going over
to the rival received, at the close of her benefit
the other evening, gold laurel-wreath from
these admiring friends. She aud Miss Cary
were invited to the 1adics' dinner ciVen By the
Papyrus Club on Saturday evening. Miss Cary
only made her appearance after the opera, near
midnight, and good -naturedly sang several songs
for the company.
This dinner, By the way, WAS an event. The
Papyrus Club is club Of literary gentlemen,
or, rs Mr. j. Boyle O'Rellly says, Of "men .ho
work in or who love literature and art, ,:-Papy-
rus, the ancient name for paper, or Of the seed
rom which the ancicnts manufactured paper,
being the odd and suitable title chosen for tho
Clup by these paper workers and lovers. The
0@S~~-A 49,
Mrs Burnett, Mrs. alarv Mapes Dodge, and
other literary women from New York aud else
where, favored the occasion. The literary
women who were present were airs Dodge, OF
the st. Nicholas; Mrs. Frances Hodsson Bur-
nett, author OF
*sruAT LASS o. LowR1E's'';
Miss Alcott, Mrs Whitney, Of "Leslic Gold
tlwaite'' fame; Mrs. r. Il. Stoddard, Mrs.
Moulton, md Rose Hawthorne Lathrop. or
those who were obliged to send regrets were
numbered Mrs. Celia Thaxtcr, Mrs. Harriet
Prescott Spofford, II. H., Mrs. Piatt, Miss
Phelps, Miss Preston, and several Others.
There was great good fortune, too, in'the pres
cnce Of many distinguished literary men,
amongst whom were E. T. Whipp1c, r. f. Stod-
darl, Mr.. Stedmau, Oliver Wendell Holmes,
J. T. Trowbridge, and others. Those that
were happily able to be present were very
enthusiastic over the affair. There have been
dinners given to ladies before in Boston by gen
tlemen's clubs, but none that IVES ever made SO
prominent tn its design and SO largely carried
out; for
THIS WAS NOT DINNER OF COMPLIMENT AND
MERE GALLANT COURTESY,
but Of involuntary public recognition Of women
whom the public have long recognized as liter
airy iCliOW-HQEhcIs Will mEll. IL hUu14 AoL uE
strange il from this should spring s'new de-
parture - presently in the way Of CLUBS, and
this departure mingliny OF both sexes in the
membership We have plenty OF women's
clubs, and they have done and are doing, no
doubt, needed work with and for women.
But tint IS just it, and Just what a great many
women don't want, aud don't need-1he
"work" in the sense in which it is used. Ey
erytAi,g that women get hold OF in the way OF
societies and clubs has this sort of missionary
~u1F-~ $~,
other When they are not sewing for the
heathen. and organizing other charities,
they arc bent upon organizing and do
ing good in their own circles; and
when q club is started even Oh the most practi-
cal basis Of use and comfort, straightway a.mine
is sprung UPON it in the way of instruction"
No; don't want to belong to woman's
club" said literary worker not long since,
- for don't want to be instructed l know
that need great deal of instruction, but what
/ mean is, that don't want to be instructed By
such methods and in such way. nv profess
sional duties keep me at work great deal OF
the time, not only in producing but in studying.
When l go ont from my work don't want to
step into another workshop. and assist ct any
improvement Of the mind By listening to 'oa-
per read bv even Emerson himself. What
want IS relaxation. TO meet
NES AND WOMEN OF BREADTH AND BRIGHT
NESS
in an easy, unorganized way, where the convcr-
sation shall not he arranged, and where there
stall be 4 law agninst insisting upon peoples
being funny, or telling stories, or reading their
own or somebody's else poem or 'paper';;
where no QUO shall have any duties but those
Of courtesy nnd Kindness in meeting with ono
another, and where every body shall 70 and come
within certain hours without ceremony aud re-
striction- In short, where all things shall he
spontaneous and uncxartlng, and therefore rest
tul and pro1notiye ot the best possible results
to every individual; though there are those