Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-03

noted in these columns if sent to Mrs
George c. Ball, Nineteenth street, between
Tenth and Eleventh avenues South High
lands. Telephone 9SS)
On next Tuesday, the 5th of May, there
will assemble in Montgomery a conven-
ton composed of delegates from the va
rious women's clubs of Alabama, which
form the State federation. This will be
the second convention of the kind, the
first having been held at Birmingham
last spring, when the Federation of
Womans clubs was organized. The
Montgomery convention will be much
larger than the one of last spring, as the
interest in this work has constantly
grown in all parts of our state during
the past twelve months. More than that,
the prejudice which every innovation en-
counters because of lack Of proper
comprehension of its aims and purposes
always limits and circumscribeS at first
any effort towards progress. Last
spring the public, which includes many
intelligent women, had to be assured in
the most positive, yet conciliatory, man
ner that no evil was contemplated by
the club women who favored q conVen-
ton, nor did they desire to become ex-
ponents of woman's suffrage or theoso-
ply, nor wish to organize a wing of the
Salvation Army for stunning purposes
when the convention was proposed.
Having allayed the fears of the con-
serVatiVe, alas another trouble con-
fronted the promoters of the convention.
1t was found that while many women
were willing to attend the convention,
they were not willing to be known as
Delegates" a term which brought to
many feminine minds suggestions of
masculine tendencies. So 'delegates'
were relegated to mems conventions and
the more lady-like name of representa-
tive was bestowed upon the convention
members.
After arranging all these details small
in themselves, but of tremendous import
to many excellent people, the first con-
NentlOn, composed OF the WOmenS clubs
of Alabama, convened at the Highland
Presbyterian church of Birmingham.
The sessions were harmonious and of
greater interest than was even antici-
pated by those women most concerned in
its success. Like the mists of morning,
the prejudices disappeared, and, when it
finally adjourned, an enthusiasm had
possessed the women who were repre-
sentatives and those who attended the
sessions as spectators. The objects of
the federation were more fully under
stood and desire for an enlargement of
the work was felt by all.
This second convention, which will as
semble Tuesday amid the roses and hon
eysuckles of beautiful Montgomery
means a decided step forward by Ala
bama women in many ways. 1t is no
longer necessary to explain to a doubt
ing public what we desire to do; they
have confidence in our Judgment and
ability to do the proper thing. The Ala
hama women who will meet next Tues
day will go as delegates" having be-
come unconscious of the absurd differ
ences said to exist between that term
and the longer word, representative"
What are the most important matters
to be brought before the approaching
convention are not yet decided, but in all
1roha bi1itu mn Of with
general federation will be considered.
Thus far there has been well grounded
opposition to joining the general feder-
alton of the United States, arising from
the fact that some womens clubs have
been admitted to membership which had
negro members. Many southern clubs
which, previous to the admission of
northern clubs with negro members, had
Joined the federation have Withdrawn
from the organization and now it is
proposed to form Southern Federation
of Women'S clubs, to be organized in
July at Monteagle. Tenn. 1t is to be
hoped that the Alabama federation will
unite with the Southern federation,
thereby gaining all the advantages
which accrue from combination and CO.
operation.
In this day of large and powerful cor
Dorations, at this time when nearly all
the great movements forward are COM
blned efforts 1t seems scarcely necessary
TO discuss the possibilities that await
the cooperate of the Women's clubs of
the country With similar aims, with
purposes alike and akin, 1t is but natural
that the interests of the various women's
organizations should gravitate towards
common center and there unite for
common good. The women of the south
are only now becoming fully awakened
TO the Importance of the club movement.
Until a few years ago they were either
wholly Indifferent to the matter or were
hampered by prejudice and lack of
knowledge of the purposes of clubs We
We're largely opposed to the movement,
believing it to be an indication only of
restless. dssatis minds. We also
feared-that is, so many admirable men
and women did-that our every day du-
ties would be interfered with by an in
terest in this newer phase of life. We
were not ready to admit that some Wom-
ny, were capable of being good wives and
mothers and at the same time highly
intellectual specimens of humanity, fully
abreast with the times and the questions
of import which engross the attention of
reading, thinking people. Our conserva-
ttsm limited our appreciation of prog
ressive movement which had it's origin
In other sections, and this same con-
servatism made us blind to the advan-
tages that were surely to come with the
Innovations.
conservatism Is d ldNpllle term with
many of us, and it is "rolled as sweet
morsel under our tongue" when we desire
to block the way of progress. We fail
TO recognize the indisputable fact that in
the majority of cases conservatism Is
only a polite, courteous term for inanlty
and inertia. We have happily passed the
period when we can place the burden of
our failures in any lne--and expect any
one to credit our statement-upon our eli
mate, or lack of opportunity, and we have
also passed the time when we can sit
supinely on the great highways of adj
vancement and improvement and deceive
intelligent people with our plea for con.
servatsm, when 1t only requires a second
look at us to discover that we are in al
most a comatose condition, and that UNI
lass strong mental tonic is speedily ad-
mnistered we snail become bodies of
DEATH which will hamper the onward
march of the more active women of the
south.
Women's clubs are no longer expert
ments in any section and they have
proven exceptionally successful certain
ties in this part of the south. Through