The herald., 1895-03-13
Women Who Discuss Literature
and Newspapers
PACIFIC PRESS ASSOCIATION
Proceedings of the Convention Which
Began Yesterday
The Organization and It's 5cope-The Papers
Read-Religious Literature-Literary
"reminiscences

Woman S Press Association met III pusl-
less session yesterday morning in the
assembly room of the Chamber of Com
merce. Mrs. Emma Sickle Marshall pre-
sided and Mrs. Clara Spaulding occupied
the secretlry's chair Annual reports OF
committees and officers were read, ana
other business matters occupied the rest OF
the morning. Shortly after II o clock ad-
journment was made for luncheon.
At 2 O'Clock the afternoon session was
called to order Mrs. Marshall again pre-
siding and programme of literary eX-
ercses was enjoyed by the audience,
which filled the assembly room. The open
ing number was an address by Mrs.
Marshall in which she referred
to the southern branch of the Press
Association as pet project OF
hers, in the birth and growth of which
she had taken active interest. The speaker
referred to the formation of the Pacific
Coast Woman's Press Association of
which this association is branch, to the
real meaning of the name press associa-
ton, which should be understood in its
widest highest sense, as not meaning
journalists and newspaper women only,
but including all writers whose work has
commercial value, and who excel in any
recognized literary line.
The obligations and limit of associate
mem bership was defined, and the aim of
the association in keeping up the stand
ard OF admission on striving to have its
social meetings one of the literary fea-
lures of the city, and in making known
its existence in the outside world.
In word in making and establishing
a reputation for excellence which should
guarantee its members that recognition OF
literary ability which demands respect.
word was spoken of the ''out of
town" members and the best way to dis
cover outside talent bring it into associ-
ciate membership and retain its interest
in the association for the mutual benefit
of all. Mrs Marshall closed her address
with few graceful words OF regret that
her husbands business would compel
them to live in or near San Francisco for
the next four years. but promised her
warm and active interest in the Southern
branch, and her hope OF returning per-
manently to reside in Los Angeles after
her temporary absence.
The next name on the programme was
that of Mrs. Arthur G.. Mum of San ia
cinto She was unable to ho present, but
sent the poem that she had written. and
Mrs. Marshall read it extremely well. 1t
was short and to the point, and dealt in
rhyme of woman place in literature her
scope and the manner in which she was
filling it.
Mrs. Jeanne c. Carr was down for the
next number, Journalism as an Educa-
tor, " and as all that comes from Mrs.
Carr's pen is able an ENJOYABLE as well as
instructive, much regret was felt and eX-
pressed that neither she nor the paper
Mrs. Ada c. Bowles of Pomona next
gave a very interesting talk on Religious
Literature. She commenced by saying that
as Mrs. Marshall had apologized Tor hav-
i,,o, har Il CHI ire
would apologize for not having written
hers but that as she had been occupied
with moving her church, and also her
habitation, she had found no time for
preparing a very moving paper. and would
try to treat her subject in all informal
talk. She then made an apt quotation
from Aldrich, and said that it would be
an impossible task to treat Of
religious literature in an hour,
much less in 4 ten-minute talk; that
in her knowledge of religion and litera-
ture one meant the other; there could be
no real literature without religion, and
vice versa. That one knew not where to
look for the beginning; the inscriptions
on stone found in Iucatan were be-
lieved To ante-date those in any other
place.
Then followed brief summary OF
religious liturature, found in the most
ancient countries, each one affecting
those following; the Chaldeans Assyrans,
Egyptians, and SO on to Christianity.
ALI know how much one depends on the
others: and the literature OF todayis but
the product Of the past as scriptures are.
The discoveries being found now on mon
uments and inscriptions are affecting all.
In the nineteenth century there is a
tendency to unifCation of thought, and
therefore there is the same tendency to-
ward uniticaton of expression. Novelists
like George Eliot. Thackeray and Dickens
show it in the moral purposes of their
writings. The poets, too, from Virgil,
Dante, Milton, and the modern English
and American poets show that religious
thought WAS and is craven on mind and
heart. The people OF today are the pro-
duct OF the birth of God sfted down. To
illustrate this point the contrast was
drawn OF the effect OF light through
window OF colored giass, showing
perhaps blue, perhaps red Or yellow yet
all come from the pure white light with
out; just so, the light OF truth comes from
God, and each in turn reflects his light on
others. The Nineteenth century literature
is filled and enthused with the fatherhood
Bowles then alluded to the different sects
as being the sand ON the track.
In illustration Mrs Bowles likened the
sand that engineers pnt on.a smooth rail
road track. and said that what is offensive
in differing creeds pushes each ON to
1t is the office of literature to lift and
build up. There is "a great demand in Cal
fornia for such literature. Religious lit
erature should stand for the uplifting of
humanity.
In the matter of social purity such
books as Trilby, the ManXman and The
Heavenly Twins ali stand for eq ual pur-
ity in the sexes.
Mrs Bowles closed her interesting in
formal talk with a godspeed to the
Woman's Press Association here, and the
fervent wish that the day may soon come
when the press may give such religious
literature to its readers everywhere.
Mrs. Jennie Peet Of Palmdale was pres
ent but her paper on the Value OF the
Ideal in Journalism was read by Mrs.
Mary NJ. Bowman. This able paper was
followed by The Newsgatherer, by Mrs.
Mary NJ. Bowman, VINO read her own
paper.
The last paper OF the afternoon was
written and read by Mrs Rebecca Spring,
Of whom Mrs. Bowman lovingly referred
in her paper on our youngest member. }"
Mrs. Spring is 81 years old, is the moth
er-in-law OF Steele Mackaye, and her gra-
cious manner and sweet humility showed
that she has retained her youthful spirit,
although her quaint unaffected speech
and her "reminiscences which go back to
Napoleon and Byron proved her to be
yell along i'll years.
In her paper, which was entitled
"reminiscences OF Literay People | Have
Met, she first alluded to "a trip abroad
with her father, Arnold Buffun, in 1924,