The Washington times., 1894-10-14
The CITY'S WOMANS CLUBS
They Will Probably Organize Into a
Federative Body.
THE MOVEMENT is NATIONAL
Many States Have Already Formed These
Central Bodies and the District of Column
bia Is Expected to Follow suit-some of
the Important Local Circles of Ladies.

Combination, concentration, cooperation
in womans clubs are a trinity tending to
forge in this, ''the woman's century," as
Victor Hugo has aptly called ii, a new power
a power of moral forces which shall repre-
sent higher standard than is possible to any
organizations based up political, industrial,
or other purely selfish motives.
Unity in diversity" is the legend of the
General Federation of Woman's Clubs an
organization composed of over 400 clubs. rep
resenting many States and Territories in the
Union, and aggregating membership of over
10000 women.
The aims of most of these federated clubs
are literary, educational and philanthropic,
and the work done by the latter in the past
year would I'll a volume.
So far the G. F. W. C. has excluded such
clubs as are devoted to special causes, such as
suffrage, temperance, or religious propa-
ganda. but an effort is being made to broaden
the scope and to admit all clubs working for
the advancement of women morally, socially,
and educationally.
In Illinois there are sixty-four woman's
clubs and it is claimed that through their
combined effort the city of Chicago was spared
which threatened at one time to overwhelm it.
WHAT CHICAGO WOMEN DID.
It was during the depression of last winter
that the Chicago Woman's Club called together
the other smaller clubs of that cry and formed
what was known as the Emergency Associa-
tion." They opened workrooms for the wives of
unemployed men and for all workingwomen,
furnished them work at so cents day, gave
them hot lunch, and arranged for lectures
to be delivered in the workrooms in the after
noon. They looked up the needy families
the Children's Aid Society clothed the chill
dren and sent them to school. From an emer
gency fund chattel mortgages and evictions
were stayed, and much misery and even crime
averted.
In other cities similar work was going on
and the power OF combination was being
made manifest.
I'm essentials unity, in non-essentials lib
erty, in all things charity is the platform of
the G.. T. W. c.. and upon this platform wo-
men are federating all over the United States.
New York has issued a call for conference
in November. 1t initiates a movement for
State federation. Kansas and Missouri have
already federated under the title of the So
cial Science Federation of Kansas and Mis-
souri,; Massachusetts has federated with Mrs.
Julia Ward Howe as president; Michigan has
federated. most of the clubs being educational;
Ohio issued call in September and will pro-
ceed to federate in a month; Iowa has fed
Grated her clubs. and Kentucky is in line. the
Louisville Womans Club having just incor-
porated and are about to build a clubhouse
Even Richmond, Va, opened her first wo-
mans club last week for intellectual culture
and the improvement and elevation of do
mestic life''
SPONTANEOUS MOVEMENT.
The movement seems to be a spontaneous
effort OF women throughout the United
States to lend her best efforts towards intel
lectual rather than mere physical entertain
ment, and there seems to be, also, settled