The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-06
Useful Work os ome Climbs.

1t is only now and then that the outside
public is favored with a glimpse of the
work that is being accomplished in our
numerous womenis literary clubs. and these
glimpses afford SO great aediication as to
arouse the appetite for more. For reasons
best known TO the organizers these clubs
are close corporations. and the literary
light which they produce is not permitted
10 shine in sight of the world and only es-
capes through the chinks and by accident.
1t was a CLEAN of this sort that frightened
many a breakfast table yesterday when the
Journals readers learned of the discussion
that had taken place in the Minerva Club
on the question. IVA it Best for England
for Elizabeth to Remain Unmarried" The
majority of people making up this COM
munity are so busily engaged in the grow
cling occupation of making a living. and
are SO absorbed in the affairs of the period
they live in. that they have no time in
which to consider. much less to decide, such
profound and important problems of an
age gone by. Women's clubs know very
well. and prove it by their programmes,
that there is nothing really literary" or
worth their consideration which does not
belong TO a time before they were born.
They are particularly fond of browsing
around among the early Greeks and Ro-
mans. and dearly love to meander down
through the middle ages. The Elizabeth
period is dangerously modern, but still it
affords good pasturage for an enterprising
club. and this the Minerva Club seems to
be. For this question of Elizabeth's mar
riage is one that had never been settled to
the satisfaction of whatever portion of the
world had ever stopped to think about 1t,
and it is highly gratifying to know that
the Minerals resolved to leave no doubt
on the subject. They decided. If the Jour-
nails reporter was correctly informed. that
it would have been better for England if
Elizabeth had married. The arguments
upon which they base this conclusion are
not known, but ii is enough TO have the
fact. 1t is true that to the observer who
has not the privilege of club membership
it may seem that it would have made very
little difference, on the whole, whether the
royal lady in question married or not, in
asmuch as she was a, person of very de-
termined character, upon whose course Of
action a husband would have but little in
1uence. Moreover. some carping critics
may urge that as ii is now too late for her
to remedy the mistake, and as it was her
privilege to remain unmarried II she liked,
the discussion of the Minervas was not i'm
portant. though it may have been highly
literary" They may also wonder that as
the original Minerva was a maiden goddess,
as we'll as the goddess of wisdom, her mod
orn prototypes should fail to approve of one
who so closely followed her example. But
this is superficial comment. The proba-
bility is that if Elizabeth had only been
so fortunate as to have had Minerva clubs
in her day she would have been so i'm
pressed by their verdict that she would
forthwith have proposed marriage TO some
eligible party and the course of English
history would nave been changed. 1t is
bringing discussion Town dangerously near
to current and unliterary topics. but now
that their land is in, the Minervas might
decide whether it would have been better
for England if Victoria had never married,
incidentally taking the testimony of AK
payers on the subject. 1t can hardly make
any real difference now. but ii will be in
teresting TO know what might have been if
Minervas could have their way. oh, We
can't get along without the women clubs.
Evidence accumulates that they are great
institutions.