Evening star., 1898-05-07

formally organized in April of that year.
with Mrs. Cooper as president. Since
then, besides the great labor attendant upon
her duties as president, she has organized
fourteen mothers clubs in Little Rock,
and has personally supcrintended the
formation Of like clubs in other parts of
the. state. Her husband, who takes pride
in the enthusiastic work of his cultured
wife, who is unselfshly devoting her life
to this work, accompanies her on this trip
Congress Notes.
The charming ushers who pilot people
around the congress are generated by Mrs.
Ida S. Greer chairman. The eleven ushers
are Miss Janet Mcknew, Miss Daweson,
Miss Hopes, Miss Blanche Hopes, Mrs.
S. d. Brown, Miss Belding, Miss Emery,
Miss Hawkins, Miss Holtzman, Miss May
and Miss Hughes.
AS stump speaker Mrs. Lille Devereux
Blake has no superior among women. She
can keep an audience laughing while she
turns a knife under the ribs, pointed
is her humorous satire, and her vocabulary
is only limited by the lbs of the very big
SeSt new dictionary.
Mrs. Kate Douglas Viggin, whose dainty
stories have charmed two continents, was
unexpectedly present at the congress
Thursday and by urgent request gave
reading from one of her idyllic sketches.
She had been asked TO appear upon the
regular program, but had expected to be
III Europe. Sne Is tnOI uSnly Interested III
the work of the congress.
One of the most interesting and tho
rOugh-going business women in the con-
gress is Mrs. Frederick Nathan, president
of the Consumers League of New York
city, who is well equipped mentally and
physically. The Consumers League is des-
tined, by the exercise of the combined in
fiuence of it's members. to ameliorate the
condition OF working women and shop
girls and other employees, in and about
shops, stores and work rooms in the city
of New York, and to secure conditions
which shall conduce to the physical and
moral Well-being Of all suCh employees.
Mrs. NJ. l.. Wright of Oswego, N. Y,
represents the Oswego Mothers Club. The
club has paid special attention to chiidren's
literature and is contemplating considera-
ton Df religious training for children. Mrs.
Wright is well known as the wife of Judge
Wright of the supreme court and the sister
OF Mr.. Chas. Skinner. superintendent Of
public education of the state of New York.
She represents the mothers congress of the
state of New York in addition to the Os-
wego club and has been particularly active
in creating public appreciation for the Ma
ticnal Congress of Mothers by supporting
and circulating an organ known as The
Mothers Voice.
Helen Raymond Wells, who spoke on
"Children's Rights" is the editor of the
Mothers Circle department in "a local
magazine, conducts the Mothers Meet
ings' page in a Chicago journal, the Bed
Time Stories in another journal and con-
tributes to mothers magazine in New
York.
Miss Maud A Miller. state superintendent
OF physical education of the n. j. w. e. L.
L., makes an earnest plea for better phys
ical education for the children. She be-
lieves that all mental development must
be based on sound physical conditions.
She also believes that there should be COM
pulsory physical training and an examinaH
tion of sight and hearing in our public
schools
In connection with the colored kinder
gartenS in Washington there are three
mothers clubs. The Mothers Round Ia
BILE, one Of the clubs meets monthly and
has listener TO and discussed papers on
the following subjects: Little Things"
applied to home betterment, in the daily
routine of duty; to the formation of habits
of neatness, system order promptness and
obedience. ventilation" organs of circu-
lation and their function, publication of
the blood. effect of pure and impure upon
general health; how to ventilate. ''Hered-
ty.' Care CT Children-Diet, Clothing,
Bathing. Exercise and Sleep" Also Il
mending bureau, in which girls are taught
to repair old garments thoroughly and
neatly, and to darn stockings and socks.
Work is solicited for the children, who have
become experts in this line, and they re-
ceive as "a kind of wage the small charge
which is made There are two classes in
sewing, and Il regular instruction in tailor
ing for children is a branch in one of these
classes. The class in South Washington
numbers thirty girls. The delegates to the
congress from this organization are Mrs
A. f. Murray and Mrs. S. +. Fleetwood
When the collections were taken up We'd
nesday evening two life membership fees
were found in the basket from Mrs. Will
liam Burnham and Mrs. Frederick Schoff
respectively, both of Philadelphia. The
congress hopes to have at least fifty Of
these memberships by the close of the ses-
siCns.
The Englewood Woman's Club of Chi
rod
of 80 members. 1t has ehree departments
education, art and literature. and phildn-
thropy-to which it is hoped will be added
the coming year "home department"
The president is Mrs. Ellen r. jackson,
who is deeply interested in child study.
The club is represented in the congress by
Mrs. Eliza Allen Rice.
Mr. Edward E. Allen, principal of the
Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruc-
ton Of the Blind, whose paper, "A Message
to the Mothers of Blind Children was so
well received, was pupil of Mrs. Louise
Pollock in 1863 at the first kindergarten
established IN the United States. Little
Mrs. Pollock was bubbling over with pleas
ure and pride in her protege.
The Colored Ladies' Auxiliary of Wash
ington. D. c., has a membership Of thirty
five, with Mrs. Josephine B. Bruce as presi-
dent Different departments of work COM
prising the home press, purity, loving SER
vice and mothers meeting departments, all
tending to uplift the colored race
Mothers meetings have been held in diff
ferent sections of the city. The latest was
opened in the southwestern section in Octo-
Der, 1897, with Miss Annie Jackson and
Mrs. L. f. Hawkins in charge.
Meetings are held every Tuesday evening
for one hour and a half and the women of
the lowly classes are given good, practical
talks on child study and domestic economy
part of the evening is devoted to sewing
Mrs. Louise f. Hawkins and Miss Annie
NJ. Jackson are delegates to the congress-
pretty sight on the stage one afternoon
was the exhibition of six little children
from four to eight years of age, pupils of
Miss Mary s. Garrett of the home for the
training in speech of deaf children before
they are of school age. Miss Garrett is an
enthusiast ON the subject. and the children
amply justified her enthusiasm by the man.
ner in which they responded to questions
from teacher and delegates, only requirir.
to see the movement of the lips of those
speaking. While 1t is true the tones are
unnatural and the effort strained In the
older ones, the little girl of four talked
quite naturally and was as pretty as a pic
ture. One boy had deaf ancestors for four
generations back, yet he spoke and read
quite distinctly.
Mrs F. r. Dickerson and Mrs. Kate V.
McMulleIi of Evanston. Illinois, are in
Washington attending the mothers con-
gress. coming as representatives from the
"Child and Home" department of the wom-
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