The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-01
Clubs and the Library.

AT the annual meeting and enter
tainment given by the Library asso-
citation Wednesday evening Mrs. c. Z.
Coulter president of the Aglaia and
prominently identified with the work
of the Woman's club throughout Utah,
made an address on Clubs and the Lii
brary," which has attracted much ia
vorable comment and is here repro
duced in substance:
Since the days when DR. Johnson
termed a club IAN assembly of good
fellows meeting under certain condi-
tons" and the witty Dean Swift set
forth the conditions as being much
drinking and little thinking" there has
been striking transformation in the
nature of clubs. 1t used to be thought
clubs must be founded upon eating
and drinking, because these are points
where most men agree. But in the
evolution of things humanity rises and
today the wOman's club takes little
heed of what it shall eat and drink
and much of what it shall think. of
what it shall do and of how it shall
do it.
Looking upon what has been and
what is, l can scarce believe 1 see
Alright. But 800 years ago books were
written only for men, women were not
presumed to read, and in consequence
freedom and grossness in expression
pervades the literature of that time
To woman was not even held out the
hope that she might have within her
the germs of mental faculties worthy
of cultivation.
Aristotle, wise as he was, calls her a
lesser man, an undeveloped man, and
so she is handed down the ages an I'M
derdone element in the social concoc-
ton, as if the creator had a special
grudge against her and left upon her
the earmarks of an unfinished job,
whilst he set man upon earth smiling
and spelling in the conceit of a rare
and lovely perfection. Even so late
as 135 years ago we note the eminent
philosopher Rousseau. in his New Ed
ucation,' racking his wits that he
might devise for woman a scheme of
education so frivolous, yet rigorous, so
full of subsection, restraint and annoy
ance that sensibility. talent or will
could not have survived it.
In his scheme the fatal science" as
he calls it, of reading and writing is
not permitted to woman. Indeed he
freely states his whole tormenting, hu-
initiating, destructive course of
discipline is to make women burden
bearers, to make them useful to men.
that they man render mems lives easy
and agreeable. The present day finds
striving to render mems lives easy
and agreeable, but oh, in what a
higher, better, brighter and more hope
full sense than the Interpretation of
Rousseau,
Women are reading, writing, thinking
and notwithstanding through organ
ization to reach social needs, thereby
raising the standard of ethics and civil
ization. Women are living with an
active responsible interest in the pres
ent and an intelligent solicitude for the
future. Intellectual activity and prac-
teal thought are being stimulated by
forces on every hand, but nowhere is
this stimulation, this pressure Of i'm
provement, more directly felt than in
the woman's club.
Apart from the individual culture to
which all clubs aspire, they may ex-
pect to bring about great and COM
mendable results through the united
strength of organization. To what ex-
tent organization is already secured
will appear from the following:
There are present in the United
States 81 state declarations, including
500 clubs, also 495 individual clubs.
members of the general federation,
which do not belong to state fedora
tions. making in all 1926 clubs belong
ing to the general federation, with an
individual membership of 100 900
women. In addition to these there are
some 500 clubs not federated, consist
ing of 10000 individuals, making a sum
total of 1,795 women's clubs in the
United States, comprising 10000 indi-
viduals. With proper direction and
united effort toward a worthy purpose.
what may not such intelligent forces
accomplish? There is no more hope
full sign of the times, none which prom
ises so much to women, as this great
and stable organization, the General
of Womens clubs. The day
is not remote when women's clubs will
enter as much into civilization as
church or state.
Indeed a great inheritance is open to
in the opportunities she is Gre
ating for herself and the good work
she is doing for humanity through the
club.
I should like to speak definitely of
what think they may reasonably hope
what women'S clubs have done and of
to do. but l have that to say which
seems more opportune.
Let me, however, invite your atten-
ton to two scenes, club scenes 1 may
call them, at the extremes of the CEN
fury.
Scene 1. Place, London. Time, 1901
or 1902 any Saturday between the
hours of midnight and O'Clock Sunday
morning. Husband finding his way
home from the Saturday club" or
somebody finding it for him, to the
,.,,ollxv ,,r1ot+nro1 x.,ffo ,x-loeo ,,-r,.1o