The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-02
Miss Willie Allen Writes
OF the Woman's Club

Of the Woman's Club
The first regular meeting Of the Woman's
club tomorrow afternoon, an announce
ment of which appears below, will make
the following delightful and COMPREHENSIVE
article from Miss Willie Allen, of timely
interest to club members and to those who
realize the broadening and strengthening
influences of such an Organization. The
Woman's club rooms will he formally OPEN
ed tomorrow afternoon. The rooms over
the Commercial club, as Is known, have
been selected for the Wpmans club. AMI
the committee have bee at work all the
week getting the rooms in readiness for the
meeting tomorrow, and Miss Allen, the di-
rotor of the department of education of
the Womans club, and one of its most ac-
tive and brilliant members, has at the re-
quest of the directors, written of the work
within the scope of the various depart
ments:
1.-The aims of the Womans club of Bir-
mingham are by no means vague, though
the present tentative attitude OF its forces
might create that impression in the minds
of those who wish to know the exact why's
and wherefores of its existence. At this
early stage of its experience, while yet any
secure judgment as to the possibilities of
its development is evidently impossible, this
tentative attitude is altogether natural.
1.-The general aims of the organization
may preface, very protitably, the outline
of special departments.
I'm the first place, the Woman's club
does not hope to give to the community
anything new or foreign. The thoughtful,
hopeful, prayerful women who propose to
rraffea fhasr A.
resultant force through the medium of a
regularly equipped organization, do not ex-
pect to undertake any work differing essen
TALLY from that for which the Individual
woman has thought, and hoped and prayed
And what may this work be?
1t will all be in the line of helpfulness
and upbuilding Whatever is good in B,r-
mingham, that the Woman's club will en-
deavor to make even better Whatever is
a menace to advancement in general cult
ure and enlightenment will find arrayed
against it the combined influence of two
hundred or more of the thoughtful women
of Birmingham.
But may they attempt it?
Speaking of the heart breaking sorrow
that follows the death of a mother Mrs
Browning once wrote: 80 mothers have
Gods license to be missed" The mothers
of Birmingham feel that they have Gods
license to be felt when 1t comes to the ques-
ton of securing for our beloved state that
which is, of all things. her supremest need
namely, an intelligent citizenship.
And how?
The women of the club believe that in no
way can woman better serve her genera
ton than by securing for herself a broad
ened intelligence and quickened sympa-
thies-both of these controlled however by
that trained judgment which comes to man
and woman alike not as heaven-born
gift, but as the result of experience gained
through acquaintance with complex human
affairs In such club as is now proposed,
these three qualities will be both directly
and indirectly nurtured.
The management of the Woman's club
would lay stress upon the following bene-
fits to be derived from membership in the
several departments:
Under the director, the various agencies
which contribute to the health and comfort
of the family will be carefully considered.
"a Scientific sanitation; C2) domestic SER
vice; 80 care of the sick; "a detetics;
90 the aesthetic element In the home;
90 training schools for servants; % kitch-
ems. gardens. These are some of the SUBJ
Jects which will engage the attention of
the Home Department.
Education
Alabama club women have already
pledged themselves to hold up the hands
of those who are trying to remove from
our state the distressing incubus of Hitter
acy Better schools trained teachers and
trained mothers!' This is the cry ev-
cry hand. This department proposes: ~ The
organization of a class to study the his
tory of education; (0 course In child
study; 80 lectures on the school laws of
Alabama; 20 reports from county schools;
90 special committee work in city schools;
Co free kindergartens; % circulating libra
ries in Jefferson county; 60 literature for
children.
PHILANTHROPY
This department will enter a field in
which earnest workers have already mark
ed out the lines of advance. To identify it.
self with various features of the philan-
thropic work now being carried on in Bir-
mingham and to work hand in hand with
those departments of the Woman's club
whose aims are also ph'lanthropic though
named severally, as educational ETC., ETC.
these will be features of the work of this
section.
Artand Music
% Recitals by the best talent available;
f2) classes for the study of the great musi-
caans 90 lectures by eminent musicians;
s(a) Loan exhibits of artistic stuffs and
wares; (b),-a~course in the critical study
of the great masters; (c). exhibits of anna