The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-12
BRILLIANT OCCASION
FLOWERS, MUsIC-BEAUTTFUL Tall
ENTED AND GRACEFUL WOMEN.
Mrs. C. E. Allen, the Retiring Presi-
dent, Delivers an A---ress and
Mrs. Jules La Barthe, the New
President, is Installed Into Office
and Makes an Able Speech.

Every available space was filed with
gorgeous autumn flowers and trailing
vines. The corridors resounded with the
hum of voices and sweet strains of
stringed instruments, while a peep into
the room showed that :, was filed with
beautifully dressed women, who had as
sembled for the purpose of greeting the
incoming president, Mrs. Jules La Barthe,
and to extend hearty thanks and good
wishes to the outgoing president, Mrs.
c. e. Allen.
Before the reception the first club meet
ing of the year was held, at which Mrs.
c. b. Allen made a pleasing and fehcitous
speech which has been reserved Tor
the Sunday issue of this paper.
At its conclusion Mrs. Royle and Mrs.
William c. Jennings conducted the new
president, Mrs. Juies La Barthe, TO the
seat of honor amid prolonged applause.
She addressed the club in the following
manner:
NEW PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
Ladies of the Club and Friends:
After a four-InonthS parting we extend
the hearty handShake, the smile of well
come, the voice of greeting. A brief four
months-yet fraught with momentous
questions upon which the welfare of a.
nation hangs in the balance-four months
OF casualties, of storms, cloudbursts, de-
Structlve- cyclones, of sunStrokes, fierce
bIlShung heat, accidents; of strikes, fail
IN our beautiful valley retreat appreciate
more and more our manifold blessings and
offer deVout thanks to the giVer of every
good and perfect gift, for the favorable
ness OF our surroundings, and for his pro-
tecting care. Today we come from our
outings, our Journeys, far and near; our
home pleasures and cares; our joys and
maybe, alas, some OF US from our sorrows,
10 hll again our accustomed places, and
to resume, with pleasure it is hoped, our
club life.
This being my first opportunity, L take
occasion to express thanks to the club
Tor the nigh compliment paid me in my
election to its presidency. 1t shall be my
ann to conScientiously perform the duties
OF the Office to which 1 have been pro-
NOTED; to impartially execute the will of
the majority and to use my best Judgment
on matters pertaining to the clubs well
rare With this end in view l ask your
valued assistance. without which l can do
nothing; your hearty cooperation is nee
essary to ultimate success, and your kind
~ support which must sustain me
throughout the year.
custom has decreed that the president
IN her inaugural may give utterance to
her views on subjects relating to the ad-
Yancement of the organization which she
! represents, whether those views are car
rled into execution or not. OF this priv
lIege' 70 an extent. I shall avail myself
Financially there is no more prosperous
society than ours in the city The treas
urers report shows a sum well invested
and paying interest. The average month
y income is far in excess of expenditures.
A generous annuity has been voted TO a
retired janitress. A liberal, yet not lavish,
| executive committee has allowed all nee
esSary 1ncidentalS and unStinted appro-
pfIauons to the sections. The committee
Is 10 be congratulated upon the iudicious
! ana economical manner in which it has
dispensed the club funds
1t might not be out of place to here
CAL attention to the fact that the eXecu-
I q q Ora
Additional sections require additional
caairmen and we may infer that each
successive year will swell the number
winch now exactly equals the list of of
ncers. In time, the chairmen might out
number that body. 1t might be urged, that
the chalrmen not being elected are
strictly speaking, not the clubs repre-
sentativeS. A possible vet scarcely nroh-
able danger is to be considered. the
president having appointive power could
select his friends and be able to control
any measure before the committee. The
( chairman already have sufficient to do
and would gladly be relieved from acting
! on the executive board. Further it is
suggested that if the chairmen were re-
! tired from this committee, it would be
| a proper thing, as the work is now
! planned for the sections TO elect thei.
/ own chairman. Their increasing strength
/ and numbers entitle them to this right.
/ In early efforts at organization under
/ lerr1tOT1aI jurisdiction our governor was
! appointed for US, but as soon as we
/ proved ourselves numerically and intel
! Hgently strong, statehood gave us the
right to- The corps of officers would be
! more complete with second vice-presi-
! Gent. The need of one has been felt dur
| ing the past two years. Two auditors also
| seem almost necessity; accounts of the
cIuo are assuming such proportions that
! the treaSurers requires some assistance,
ana each other officer has her own duties
/ to attend to. Besides this increase of the
official board would make an odd num-
Der which is greatly to be desired. There
mas been an even number on the eXecu-
( tive committee the past two years and
an even number confronts us now This
virtually deprives the president of the
deciding vote and gives it to someone
else.
The Ladies Literary by virtue of age,
numbers, experience and influence claims
the proud distinction of being the repre-
| sentative womans club of Utah. We are
unlimited as to membership, yet our
, number does not materially increase
The registrations have kept pace with
the accessions since 1898. and cur club
1894 and 1895. There must be q, cause for
this and L trust l may be pardoned for
suggesting a possible one The initial
ton fee of So and the yearly dues of S.
aggregating 81 for the first year deters
many from joining, no matter how much
they may desire to do so. In the past
three years of financial depression al
have had experiences unknown ever be-
fore. With some it has been a struggle
to keep up monthly dues, while names
of old and valued members have beer
omitted from the list because the by
laws so provide for those in arrears. This
is a deplorable state of affairs. Former
members cannot reinstate without paying
again the initiation fee. Considering the
fact that it is often necessary for ladie:
to retire from the club year or two
1t seems an unjust thing and not strange
that our old members seldom rejoin
Our dues are more than three-fourths
of the womens clubs in the United
States, higher than that most wealthy
mother of all clubs, Sorosis.
We have entered upon a plan of worl
, which applies to unlimited numbers anC
with small numbers; hence the neces
sity of additional members.
The privilege of hiackballing is one o.
the prerogatives which we enjoy and a
present l am neither prepared to assai
nor to defend this time-honored custom
Certain it is, however, that it's injudici
Gus exercise can injure a club to al
alarming extent At the outset the by
: laws allowed one blackbal for every tel
persons Should not at least, the ratf
be maintained? We refute the charg
l of intolerance and narrow mindedness
: The article, Progressing Backward,
: published in a daily paper last May
over the signature of "Reva" was S
far-fetehed, out of date and so old a.
2 issue that it scarcely seemed to meri
t a public reply. Whether there was o
2 reports are conhicting) that in past year
members were refused admission on &C
count of race distinction, or religious be
g lief. let US prove that no such lines ar
= drawn at the present time; let us sc
ourselves right in the. community b