The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-12

winter are very different from any that
had previously come into life. They
are more like mems clubs in both pur-
poses and methods, and they seem to
show that women have taken a long
step in the evolution of the club idea
First came the Woman's Press club,
which, after futtering undec.dedly for
some time over the brink of intellectual
development and feminine teas, at last
came to the conclusion that it didn't
want to be developed, and would have
none of recitations and readings, set
papers and formal discussions. 1t set
tied down to business, and is principally
devoted at present to the advancing Of
the professional interests of itsmembers.
1t has social meeting once a month,
which gives its members opportunity to
make one another's acquaintance and at
which it entertains guests. 1t proposes,
as early in the future as its finances will
permit, to have a permanent home in
club rooms, cheerfully furnished and
centrally located. At present it meets
in the Office rooms of one Of its men,
bers So it will be seen that the Wom-
ans Press club is as nearly as possible
the feminine counterpart of mems press
club organizations.
Next after this came the Ladies' New
York club, which is organized after the
very same pattern as mems clubs usually
are. 1t has a club house, with bed
rooms, reception and reading rooms, and
a restaurant This latter particular was
added after the most doleful prophesies
of failure by all the club men who had
friends among the members. The club
would simply sink lot of money in it
and handicap itself at the start. 1t was
a common thing for restaurants in mems
club houses to fail, and for restaurant
in woman's club house to succeed-the
idea was preposterous! But the restau-
rant paid its own way from the start,
and in three months was making a
profit The club intends to have occa-
sional exhibitions Of needlework, jewels
and interesting relics. kilograms, let
tiers and parcels are received and cared
for, and in all respects this club aims to
furnish its members with the same con-
veniences to be had by the members of
the average mems club. 1t was organ
lied last November, and its membership
is already very large.
The Women's University club CORE
spends IN purpose and scope with the
Mems University club so closely that al
most the only difference is to be found
in its occasional afternoon teas. 1t has
handsome club rooms in the Barnard
college building on Madison avenue, in
which is to be found every temptation
for lettering away an idle hour or two,
for reading or meeting friends. The
club is purely social and proposes to let
the rest of the world gang its ain gait"
just as it pleases.
The Twinkle club is very young, very
lively and very enthusiastic. 1t is formed
closely after the plan of the Twilight
club, except that.it is small and wishes
to remain so, and has even fewer formali-
ties than that famouslv informal organi-
zation. 1t is an eating and talking
club only, with a membership limited,
for the present at least, to the eight
women who started it. They meet once
a month at quiet restaurant, dine and
talk for three, four or five hours. Each
one pays for her own plate, and then
they go away and tantalize all their
friends by telling them what a good
time they have had. it has no dues, no
rules, no constitution, no officers, no red
tape of any kind. The members, who
are allowed to bring guests to some Of
the meetings, gather around the table,
tell their best stories, swap their best
jokes, exchange their best thoughts,
have animated discussions over all sorts
of questions and say many bright things.
The membership is mainly of profess
sional women, and includes two or three
gray haired and matronly ladies, who
enter into its spirit with quite as much !
zest as any Of the younger women.
The members Of the Twinkle club con-
slider it not only the last but the highest
evolution of the womans club idea in
New York.
FLORENCE FNCH-KELLY.