The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-18
FEDERATION OF THE CLUBS.
4 WoAEAN,S VERSION OF WHAT IT
MEANS TO WOMEN

A Large Part of the Timo ne These Meet
inEs of women's Organizations 10 Taken
Up with Elections-Executivo Board Of
One State Manages to Have q Good Times
There is a burning question all ready for the
women's clubs this fall. Most Of the clubs suss
pend operations during the summer In June.
with q sigh of relief. they adjourn until 0otos
Der. After they had closed for this summer
the biennial meeting OF the General Federation
occurred In Denver. and 1t was then that the
burning question arose. A prominent club
~woman-from outside Of New York State-haa
this to say about IL:
up to the PRESENT. time clubs belonging to the
General Federation have paid an assessment
OF SO for every meeting Of the federation. Al
these meetings occur biennially 1t amounted TO
annual dues of SIS. At the Denver meeting this
spring the rule was changed. Instead Of clubs
paying an organization tax Of $40 It was dee
cided that they should pay q per capita tax OF
10 cents. This seems to mt to DO reasonable
enough. It scarcely seemed fair for o club Of
100 or more members to pay no moro toward
the federation expenses than . club Of item OF
twenty.
"Of course, In most cases the new rule Il supS
ported by the small clubs and opposed by the
larger ones. There are . good many clubs Of
over 100 members, and Of course their assesBs
ment will 60 up. These clubs-some OF them-
are saying now that they will withdraw from
the federation rather than pay from $40 to $50
for the not inestimable privilege Of belonging
to It.
Tho fact is. these declarations are about 40
big frauds as woman. gullible as she 10. ever
allowed to be played OF on her I don't mean
that they are deliberate frauds. or course not.
They are so openly not worth a tinker's-a-
whistle that you cam for the life OF you sec
why they didn't collapse long ago. I'm a club
woman. and I believe IN clubs: at least. in
some clubs. But the more I mediate on this
federation business the more I think that wo-
men need to go to a kindergarten rather than
to a club.
What does the federation amount to any
E tnlE ab 9at I :t tRS wbSr SS hshF g lG Ia3 ct elss-f IL g
% G1es1dns , with T %e1f' tb irG% ,r all s parts Of &, our
iE snE't % alsRGu g that fSE ' sSr sv 81 tEin aele e so sh tSs
broadening Influence Of listening to intermina-
o q apyG most Of the the time In N not ps spent teP N %eie S I
ser i've f Sou sle Ct ! strstsh. y sgIli Cq u FtSe e asl try =
fo cute RteP 3 piun K f Tor he her ~' lsh g f IS in1ite sdi % tea Is
few really fsafiYf pless amt frisndsS hips 'e In WITCH efi case
f en- Wa ne r f9 GO Il th Tor 9S1 81 Time Gaed Il she really
For she pays her own EXPENSES. That is tho
one ,redeeminR feature about it all. I don't
think thi { over ven women WON 2 would BE- geese enough 70
trip to Denver or Atlanta or the next place. But
there are a good many women who have passes,
81 ef fh sf fede sask Rs they ' hsY MsP spee aiaIP1 ratss s5 Ht the
hotels. so they are pretty anxious to 60 and
Knows Knows !SRoi io S5isf af fas the Roase anu inc LORD
get out Of It Is the returning deIeSste''s r. repcrs
and the right to wear another badge. Maybe
point Of, view. But the beautiful feature Of
these delegations Is the Joyous existence OF the
called. know how Il is In my WI state led.
Grafton and l suppose that is a fair sample OF
with us each club pays annual dues of So,
meetings have almost no Interest whatever
e edfS?S Sni isn 5SF ~ But Sv really H1i i si isS't 70 be p Ron.
d fFn ID at that the o Of fss are hotly cSntested:
what the ineleSant would call q soft ff0l snap.
Maybe you think the money, raised by the
used to deiray the expenses Of the annual
meeting; HumphI The ofaGsrs of our fedora:
They use the money themselves. paying theifi
expenses to and from sundry board meetings
hGaFf F i Ras t inSFG m Ssftlih n G sne ye Where they are en-
te%rtained, BY the leading club women Of the
t tiUDs and TghssS Sn are Invited sSd f ted dIn Psrs ! and TsseSP;;
time. After a while there is . board meeting In
boord With maat 1n9t 4 bsI E9q N Of gayety, LstsT q
Guished visitors are again ietcd for the SPACE Of
a week As for the momentous matters. which
believe that everything they do arrange could
be settled by writing q few letters. or. at least.
But perish the Thought Tho Executive
Board has too. good a time. prancinR around
the State with. It's expenses all paid and 8
shine in their best executive raiment. So they
prance and eat and shine and the club women
comes for the federation meeting. the club OF
clubs OF the town where 1t meets entertain ID.
Ihat IL TO say, they pay all the bills. They hire
the halls, pay for carriages. entertain the dele
gates either in private. houses or at hotela.
and so on.
AS say. ! don't know how all OF the State
own State. which is not New York. II YOU
don't think the club women are foolish to bay
the lunRetlng expenses OF a few women. then
am surprised. But that's Just what they don