The Portland daily press., 1892-05-14
THE WOMEN'S CLUBS.
Proceedings of the Federation Meeting in
the Windy City.

CHICAGO, May 15.-The first biennial
meeting Of the General Federation of
Women's Clubs closed here this evening.
1t has been a very successful and inter
esting gathering. Prominent women,
representing nearly every state and terri
tory in the Union have been present
There have been in all about 5000 dele
gates in attendance.
The convention was held in Central
Music Hall, which was more than com
fortably filled Wednesday, when the
president of the Chicago Womans Club
delivered the address of welcome. Mrs.
Charlotte Emerson Brown, the president
OF the Federation, opened the regular
proceedings with her annual address.
The Wednesday afternoon session was
devoted to reports of clubs by state com
mlttees of correspondence and club re-
ports by delegates. That evening there
was social gathering at the club rooms
OF the Chicago Women's Club, at which
Mrs. Charles Henroten, vice president of
the board of lady managers of the
Worlds Columbian Exposition, delivered
an address.
Birth of a Great Movement.
The Federation of Women's Clubs is
the outcome of a movement begun in
New York city in the spring of 1889. In
the following year, at a conve ntion held
in that city under the auspices of Soros-
is, a constitution was adopted, officers
elected, and the General Federation of
Women's Clubs, the object of which is
to bring the various women's literary
clubs throughout the world into com
munication in ordersthat they may COM
pare methods of work and become mu-
tually helpful, became an accomplished
fact.
The officers elected at that convention
were as follows:
:, President-NIrs; Charlotte Emerson Brown,
East Orange, Nd.
dianapolis.
= Recording secretary-Mrs. J. c. Croly, New
York.
Corresponding secretary-Miss Mary r.
Temple, Knoxville, Tenn.
Treasurer-Mrs. Phoebe A. Hearst, San
Francisco :,
AudltOr-MrS. Kate Tannett Woods Salem
Mass.
Mrs. Hearst resigned the treasurership
on the death of Senator Hearst, and was
succeeded by Mrs. Jane o. Cooper of
Denver, wife of u the Governor of
Colorado.
Among the famous women on the ad-
visory board, besides several of the Off
GERS were Mrs. Ella Dietz Clyner. ex-
president of Sorosis, New York; Mrs.
Mary E. Mumford, president of the New
Century Club, Philadelphia; Mrs. Fanny
P. Palmer, president of the Rhode Island
Women's Club, Providence; Mrs. Harriet
81. Robinson of ''Old and New" Maiden.
Mass, Miss Amelie K. Wing of the
Brooklyn Women's Club, and Miss
Mabel NJ. Smith, president of the Wo-
mems Club of Jamaica, L. I. Besides
these most of the distinguished women in
the country, including Mrs. President
Harrison, Mrs. Thomas A. Edison, Mrs.
Potter Palmer, Mrs. Julia Howe of Bos-
ton and Mrs NJ. Louise Thomas of New
York, are members of women's clubs
affiliated with the federation.
At the present time the number of
clubs in the Federation is 1872, represent
ing 81 different states, besides several in
India, having an aggregate membership
of about 20, 900 cultured women. Clubs
or societies that work for some special
charity or reform, such as missionary
work, temperance, the elective franchise
for women, are not eligible to member
ship in the General Federation of Wom-
ems Clubs, but only such clubs as have
intellectual, literary and social culture
for their chief aim are admitted.
In the number of women's clubs the
West has far outstripped the East. Illi-
nois leads, with 2S women's clubs: Mas
sachusetts has "a, Ohio and Indiana have
20 each, New York has IS, and Pennsyl-
vania and Iowa have II and nine respact-
lively.