St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-19
ST. PAUL'S S0R0SIS.
Some Of the Dead Secrets Of
the Mysterious Century
Club.
Local Literary Lore Now
First Brought to Day.
light.
Spring Gossip Of st. Paul La
dies and Their Several
Missions.
Sunday Chatter Especially
Compiled for the st.
Paul Fair.

Washington had the Woman's con-
gress, New York has Sorosis, and st.
Paul has the Century club. The end
and aim OF the three institutions are the
Same-the advancement of Woman,
spelled and pronounced with a capital
w. 1t is not their purpose to gain for
women the ballot, or indeed any other
masculine privilege, but to encourage
culture and literary study. The WOm-
ans congress met in the full glare
of publicity, and said its say in the ears
of the world. SoroSis occasionally
creeps into print, and many newspa-
per woman attends its meetings: but
Masonic limitations are not conducted
with more secrecy than the meetings of
the st. Paul Century club. Not an out
slder is allowed to cross the threshold
and any member who dares divulge
the workings of the organization is
unanimously voted out. There have.
however, appeared some reports OF club
dOingS which, while most erroneous,
have been very good guesSes. Mrs.
Maude Howe Elliott was not here un-
der the auspices of the Century club,
but many club members attended her
talks.
In the corridors of the Aberdeen, in
apartments especially prepared, this
body, composed of the best read and
best bred women of st. Paul, holds its
meetings. The membership of the or
ganiZation is limited to one hundred and
fifty. The limit has been reached, but
there are scores of anxious applicants
eagerly waiting for some member to
move away, resign, orr hate to say it,
but it must be Saddle, and create
vacancy, for the Century club is the
most exclusive organization in town,
and mere wealth counts for really moth
ing in an applicants favor. 1t is very
literary society, though occasional side
discussions of babies or servants
or dress do obtain. The win
ter's work has been thorough
study of Greek history, with occasional
discussions of other more modern liter
airy topics. Mrs. jackson, who brings
from her Boston home a thorough
knowledge of literature and the true
Hub fondness for culture, is the presid-
ing officer. Miss Grace Howe, who is
at present at Hot Springs recuperating
from severe illness, will assume the
duties of the chair next fall, and be
Mrs. JackSon's able successor as presi-
dent.
1t would be quite impossible to enum-
crate all the members who have done
able work, for nearly every woman who
belongs, is an enthusiastic worker. Mrs.
Schurmeier, Mrs. F. B.EClarke, Mrs.
Flandrau and Mrs. Gotzian are very
much interested in the club. Miss
Bronson ana Miss. Newson often take
part in discussions. Mrs. James,
woman, and talks very well.
Mrs. George Squires always has an
opinion, and an opinion ready to be
we'll expressed and defended. Some
very Interesting papers have been read
this winter. The wife of Dr.. Metcalf-
L believe SMrS. DR.. or Mrs. Col. ANY
thing is tabooed, though why / am sure
L can't see, since i'll Germany it's a
rudeness to neglect to give woman
her husbands title-read an article on
1.-The Heroines of Homer" The discus
full. Mrs. Lamborn, who is herself a
writer of clever sonnets, gave a paper
on the poet Goethe. Mrs. Lambsrn is a
sister of the famous Bayard Taylor.
whose TRANSACTIONS of Goethe's poems
preserve so well the soul and rythm of
the original German. A little out of
the ordinary style of Century club es-
says was paper, Frontier Life in
Texas, written and read by Mrs. Mason,
of Fort Smelling, who was with her hus-
band at Texas post for some time.
The Century club, from its very pri-
vacy, is not actuated by any of the mo-
tives Of other clubs which strive rather
for notOriety than for culture. Many
women will talk within the sacred pre-
clnctS of the clubs rooms, who would
not speak In any more public assembly,
and for this reason the strict secrecy of
the organization is its strongest promise
for long continued work, and for sue
cess: 1t is not frivolous affair, and
the frivolous women who are the death
OF so many attempts of like nature, find
no attraction offered, and leave the So
clety TO the earnest women who give it
the stability its name suggests, the Cen |
tury club.
1t is quite evident from the spring |
bonnet that the low couture will have to |
give way to the higher arrangement of |
the hair. A plateau hat is simply an |
absurdity without knot of hair to sup
port 1T. The switch and false curlS that |
have had no place for years, except in |
the comic papers and in store-room
chests. are again to be worn. Scientists
aver that the coming human being will
be as bald as copper cent, and really |
l am not surprised when | see the tor
lures feminine hair is put to. Persecu-
ton drove the Huguenots from France,
and persecution will drive all the hair
from wOmen's heads, except such few
locks as die attempting to escape. The
crisp curls of the modern belle are
with an iron that is too
hot to touch, and now that bangs are
more extensive, and reach nearly to the
crown of the heao, again the curling tongs
will be more in use than ever. One
signs for the old-fashioned curl paper.
for, novelistS to the contrary notWith-
standing, there are women who are
never so charming as with neat row
of curl-papers. Bleaching the hair is en-
tirely out of date with desirable women.
ApropoS. l saw a woman on Robert
street the other day, yellow girl"
with bleached hair. She was sight for
gods and men-a perfect symphony in
yellow. The fillet is feature of even
laaI1 n r-c-fr,