The Portland daily press., 1896-10-15

cuucHfOF LUZ bu0 S6ll Sdlu9 cuub.
Mrs. Estabrooke then read Mrs.
Dowst's response as follows:
MRS. DowsT's REsPONS E.
Madam President:
1t is privilege and a pleasure to re-
spond to such q welcome, to voice the
deep gratitude of every he art here
present. as thank you for your gracious
kindly words of greeting. Knowing AS
we have our host, the Woman g Literary
Union of Portland, the pleasure in an
tioipation has inspired the wide accept
anoe of the invitation.
The State federation Is the child of the
Club Women of Portland, and although
In returning to it's devoted, numerous
mother 1t does not come as a prodigal, 1T
has never dou bted the sacriAoe of the
fatted calf or the bringing forth of the
best robe. and the ring and the shoes for
its adorn nment. on this occasion; and de-
spite the prodgious proportions to which
1t has attained, it Is sure not to have OUT
grown the loving interest and helpful
case of those to whose efforts it's existance
Is due.
With q child's fondness for and de-
pendenoe upon home ties, it comes back
today to the beautiful city of it's birth
the city with 80 much that is historical
in it's associations, part of the story of
which is told in the old forts guarding
sweet Casco Bay, your classic and impos-
ing soldiers monument. and the statue
OF that great hearted poet who sang for
all the world his never dying songs as
well as In the buildings which have been
carefully preserved. because of associs-
tions sad and tender, grave and gay.
1t should be matter of congratulation
that your citizens possess so large
measure of local pride and public spirit
as is evinced In your large and flourish
ing charities, by the magnitioence of
your parks and promenades, your we'll
kept streets and the elegance Of your
homes and business blocks.
behring's Oaks and your Public
Library mean more than q beautiful
playground and a means of culture and
education. They stand for great love
of humanity and the golden rule. Add
to this people of unbounded hospitality,
aad we shall exclaim in the words OF
spirit for paraphrasing. What have we
done to deserve such good cheer p
10 those Of you whose good fortune has
in time gone by brought you way faIer
to such a haven, need not speak of
what these three days offer, and / am
hardly sure of my attitude toward the
rest, since all through my administra-
tion of the office of president, I have re-
ceived the loyal support and encourage
mont one could only expect of ONES own
peopls, and on the several occasions when
have been the guest of the Woman's
Literary Union or any of its members, I
have been made to feel soSmuoh at home
that / may forget and speak as from the
platform rather than the pews-join in
the welcome instead Of the response. Real
izing but imperfsotly the infinite care
that has accomplished all these arrange
ments, this nice attention to detail which
characterizes them all (sinoe only those
who have planned for such meetings
know the magnitude thereof, we can only
hope that the child will be on Its hest
behavior 80 that the reunion will be of
mutual enjoyment and benefit.
There Is vast amount of work to he
done in this convention and we shall
need all the inspiration and encourage
ment to be derived from the social side
to help us through it. The meeting of
new, and the renewing of old scquaint-
ances. the kindly handcIasps, The
brilliant conversation stimulated by the
exhilsrating influence Of new audiences,
the music and lights. the beauty Of
decoration and drapsry, the crowd of
bright smiling faces, radiant with the
youth which happiness brings us we'll as
the happiness which youth brings, will
invigornte us for the more sober duties
o the business sessions. Ns4
The eighty clubs In the federation, repre-
senting as they do nearly four thousand
s.zsS