The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-28
HOME CULTURE CLUBS.
The Increasing Success of Mr.. George
W. Cables Scheme For Socializ-
ing His New England Neighbors.

When in the sos Mr.. George w
Gable came from the sunny south to
make his home in the aristocratic old
New England town of Northampton
he could not fail to be struck by the
dignified reserve that characterized its
society, and the very obvious lack OF
that free and open-hearted hospitality
for which his native state is so justly
famous. Moreover, he had worked SC
long amongst the negroes that from
the very habit of his life he absolutely
required some vent for the philan-
thropic spirit which had come TO SO
largely dominate his motives.
Starting from the standpoint then,
that few homes or individuals exercise
hospitality in as wide a sense or as
nationally as even their own best in
terests require, he established small
fireside groups to which he gave the
name of Home Culture clubs. These
clubs were to have for their first OBJ
ject to help the individual to broader
culture and TO improve the intellectual,
moral and social atmosphere of his
home, and secondly their aim should
be to bring together in their own
homes people whom the ordinary
forces of society tend dangerously to
separate.
The first of these ends is attained
by simply meeting informally once a
week in the homes of the members, to
read and talk on selected subjects; the
second by ignoring in the formation
of clubs differences of rank and OF
education, which may be only acct
dental or superficial, but which are
unfortunate barriers between people
who have much to learn and gain from
each other.
These clubs are composed of all sorts
4 ant ~ "a
learned, circles of students, groups of
farmers. afternoon gatherings of ma
irons, evening classes of rollicking
bows. councils of serious men and
clubs of light-hearted girls. To illu-
sfrate how completely class distinc-
tions are leVeled Miss Moffat, the Sc
cretarv of Mr. Cable. as well as the
secretary of the club, tells me that her
cook Mary at home, becomes Miss
O'Connor at the club. Not only does
she herself present Miss O'COnBor at
the Saturday night assemblies, but
frequently dances in the same set with
her. nor has she ever experienced any
thing but good results from this rather
novel proceeding.
the presence of Smith college in
their midst is. of course, the greatest
nossible stimulus and aid. Almost
every conceivable branch OF education,
from millinery to Greek, is taught gra-
iuitously by the students OF the col
1eee. GLASSES are going on in the club
rooms not only daily but nightly. so
that literally he that runs may learn.
In short, to quote Miss Moffats own
words:
.sThe home culture clubs are for any
one anywhere who is willing to give
one evening or one hour each week to
self-improvement, or to the brighten
ing or refinement of his own or of
some one eIse's home. They are for
those who, unable TO take up any bur
densome course of study, are yet I'M
willing to let their minds and social
instincts go totally neglected; for those
who wish to share their knowledge of
some subject with those who have
less. for those who find themselves
slipping into greater isolation than is
good for either mind or manners. But,
above all, they are for busy people.
and for people too tired at the end of
q hard day in office, store, study or
kitchen to assume infiexible obliga-
lions in their leisure hours