The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-06
HUTCHINSON LETTERS.
Comment of the State Journals
Correspondent
On the Federation of WOmen's
Clubs at Hutchinson.
Every Subject Of Importance to
Women and Some of Importance
to Everybody Discussed by
the Women.


barrassment of riches that first night
at Hutchinson was. The beautiful and
| bright church interior. Music all the
/ best Of its kind, one would expect
| in the Jubilee City where everybody
seems to be in training for the festival
! Flowers and welcome-welcome- no
1 less than four speeches of welcome
] were made the Federation The Do
/ meSt1c Science club welcomed it to the
homes and hearts and tables The
I Commercial club, through J s George
with much dignity and empressment
| received it on the part of the men of
1 the city. The Shakespeare club in the
| qualntest and most clever mosaic from
] the words of the great bard himself
| thus greeted it: In faith you are
/ very welcome to our place. It must
appear in other ways than words, there
fore L Scant this breathing courtesy
! which hath become a custom more
honered in the breach than in the OBJ
servance.
I am convinced that the federating
OF clubs is an art as lawful as eating
and drinking and sure the gods do this
year conniVe at us and we may do any
thing eXtempore.
My gracious lady and my noble
peers, you have come here by note to
give and to receive for society saith the
text is the source of all happiness.
And indeed these are not jays Of
Italy who knock at the entry, but gen
tlemen whose worth and honesty are
richly noted and hereby justified by
US.
DO you hear, use them all well, for
they are brief abstracts and chronicles
OF the time. You were better have a
bad epitaph when you are dead than
their I'll report while you live.
Now, as it is easier for one with
plentiful lack of wit to speak more in
a minute than she can stand to in
month, and since brevity is the soul of
wit and tediOusness the limbs and out
ward hOuriShes, l do commend US to
you. If we should meet again, why
we shall smile"
Fourthly and lastly Mrs. Winans vel
coined the Federation on general prin
cipleS in brief and witty words, babe
the lone man delegate have no fear,
gracefully saluted the first president,
Mrs. Cushing, who had listened to so
many welcomes, and reinforced all with
a final Ladies and gentlemen, we well
come YOU
Mrs. AIoore's classic beauty lent add
ed interest to her most magnificent
paper. Her spirited plea for the in
terest of clubs in schools and school
teachers, for better organization of
clubs. her adrOit reference to the diff
Guilty of collecting dues. because wO-
men knew so little of domestic finance;
her demands for the use of Judgment
in opposition to feelings in each con-
vention, were, after the manner of wo-
men, quietly received, but perhaps none
the less deeply appreciated. She paid
her respects to her enemies and to enc
mics in general. Now nobody can be
persuaded to believe that Mrs. Moore
has anY enemies. Hutchinson, the
Federation and the state are too proud
of her. But the text furnished the Op-
pOrtunity for some striking speeches
! and brilliant epigrams and the audience
| listened with keen ZeSt while she made
| it as hot as possible for the imaginary
| enemy.
The Iateness of the hour made no
abatement of the enthusiasm with
/ which the large audience listened to
| Mrs. Scammon. To her probably more
! than any other woman is due the State
| Federation, and she undertook the
| work of forming it with a sacred en-
/ thuSiaSm like that that fired the an
! cient Jesuit missionaries who subdued
America in the early times. Now that
the Federation is here, she sees unlim-
tied possibilities for regenerating the
world in its mission, and she doesn't
intend to let anybody forget where the
goal is set-and Kansas is bound to
reach the stars if the vigor and go of
these women can affect anything Just
before the closing number man was
seen making his way to the platform,
and having attained the front where he
could be seen, Mr.. Geo. W. Winans, for
it was he, produced from up his sleeve
a gavel, which was a silver salt box
with handle made from the first rake
that had raked salt from the salt pans
of Hutchinson, and presented on pc
half of Mr.. Willis Lord Moore to the
Kansas State Federation for the return
of his wife
Mrs. Moore was somewhat a.bashed
at the unexpected speech and present
alton but managed to murmur; why
do you give US salt? Is it because you
think us-too fresh?" And then recoV-
ering her voice, saucily declared that
she retracted all that she had hitherto
said concerning the humility of man.
Hutchinson, May 6. 1897.
Mrs. .Robt H Morris and Miss Fannie
Cole of the w. T. K. club have Joined
the Topeka contingent and later in the
day DR.. Francis StOrrs put in an ap-
pearance.
The corresponding secretary's report
showing 81 federated clubs, with
membership of 1,76S was received with
enthusiasm. Topeka has six of the fed
Grated clubs-the greatest number ex-
cept Kansas City, Kansas-that town
has Joined its nine clubs in one body
to the state federation. The Phemian
clusr of Newton is the largest single club
with 1O4 members More enthusiasm
was created by the statement when bills
were paid there was still $102 in the
treasury. ,+..z
The report of the Librarian lamented
the scarcity of books, and urged the
Importance of donations upon the men,
bers.
Mrs. Henroten sent the too usual let
ter of regret, and though vote OF
thanks was sent her in return, there
was much evident disappointment
Some enterpriSing man in DeS MONIES
Iowa had secured pictures Of the more
prominent women in the federation ana
published them in magazine the Mid
land Monthly, and thereby secured a
number of customers who wanted as the
editor merrily remarked, the congress
OF beauties.
If the reports of the clubs are to be
| believed the women Of Kansas are won
! derfully busy in all sorts of things
1 These clubs are founding libraries, aux
lIlary reading circles. inspecting schools
reforming spelling, training young girls
| IN parliamentary law, esta blishing free
/ COOKING schools. inEfr1IQFfnor house keen
ing in the proper disbursement of small
| salaries and there is even one secret so
cIety IN the federation, whose aims and
OBJECTS are unknown, with pass words
and EriDs and sins n cs