The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-11-26
Among Women's Clubs. f;
D. pErr,s.

EDITED ~ MRS. NELLIE .. plrr,s.

| wide fame was won not as an educator
| but as a critic and poe" continued tho
| essayist. As a critic he devoted hiskecn
| insight, his fine and somewhat fastid-
ious taste TO helping his countrymen'
distinguish between the good and the
| bad, the noble and ignoble, the cndur-
ing and perishable in their literature.
| If in SO doing he made them dlssatis-
| fled with themselves and much OF their
| current literature he could not help 1t
aud would not have helped 1t If he
| could. AS poet he ranks with Tenny-
| son and Browning, the three represent
| ative poets OF the last half OF the
| nineteenth century-as they are called.
And yet he will never be a popular poet
| in the ordinary acceptance OF the term.
| He lacks the smoothness, rhyme and
| finish OF Tennyson though his admir-
! ers claim he far outranks the latter, in
strength, beauty and noble emotion"
| Passing from the consideration OF
! Arnold as a poet and critic, Mrs. John
| son spoke OF what may be termed as
| his outside work or his visit to the
| United States" He imagined us. said
| she, as a great middle class with no
aristocracy and little OF the lower class
element, and denomnated us mot an
| interesting people" e"After reaching New
| York he wrote-"I uon't like lecturing.
| don't like living i'm public. ] wish it
were all OYER The blaring publicity of
| this place Is beyond all 1 had any idea
| Of" OF the ST. Nicholas Club he wrote:
This is a delightful. .pokey, dark, exclu-
| sive little old club of the Dutch fam
! lilies in New York. Ii is the only place
where / have found peace"
OF the homo life OF Arnold-the es-
| sayist said. in conclusion: "Devotedly
attached TO mis- mother, his sisters his
wife and his children, fond even or
| their pets the cats, dogs and ponies.
mourning over the ruin of cedars and
rose trees i'm an unusually hard storm
he was living demonstration OF his
own belief that education is more
matter of heart than head"
Mrs. Selleck followed Mrs. Johnson,
reading a number of Arnold's shorter
poems, among them his beautiful Res
ignation" which is one of the gems or
English poetry. As supplementary top
ics--in connection with the history OF
the time-the story of Sir Robert
Peers administration, in the dealing
| with the English Corn Laws in 1916 ana
the Irish Famine. which followed this
agitation. was interestingly told by
| Mrs. Chapman of the club
Miss Wirch followed with a brief
sketch of the Sandermanians. sect
| founded about 1928 by John Glass,
Scotchman and originally a minister or
| the Presbyterian church.
The Paradise Club of Middletown IS
| Rhode Island Federation, and. as has
! been announced this club wisely elect
| ed to take up practical themes OF study
| for the season of '97-S. Realizing the
| value of a knowledge OF the history and
| geography of the United states, which
too many of us forget i'm the passing or
| the years il was decided that a study
J of the same would be both profitable
| and entertaining with this end in
view, the New England states have
each been studied in detail. and at
| late meeting the Middle states were
entered upon, New York, OF course, be-
ing the first i'm order. An instructive
I paper on the Empire state was read by
| Miss Patterson of the class, when
treated first Of it's settlement by the
Dutch i'm 1914, and of the capture IN
! 1864 by the English. when, In honor or
| the Duke Of York, IL was called New
| York Something in the history or
| New York in revolutionary times fol-
| lowed, and many familiar landmarks
| and their connection with Washington
! and ecry colonial days were pointed
| out The history OF the famous Jumel
house was particularly interesting To
| the club. and may be quoted, viz:
| THE famous Jumel house on Washing
ton Heights. is one Of the most inter-
| estng relics of former days, now re-
naming i'm the city. 1t is superb
| specimen Of Colonial architecture.
/
| Harlem Hat has pursued IL closely and
thrusts its important visage over the
| uxuriant box hedge. Its only barricade
now from an inquisitive public. The
| old house stands like an aged patrician
| amid a crowd OF pushing scrambling
| nobodies. caring naught for enViron-
ment. and listening only 10 the mourn
| full rustling of m sa1orv's leaves. II was
| built in 1853 rs n c" %iing present from
Mary Phillips OF -hiilipsburg manor,
| Yonke:s. who bee; 80 the wife OF Col.
| Rogers Morris. = ,s said that this lady
! was a former sweetheart of Washing
| ton. and that when tho mansion was
seized by the Continental forces and
| confsC ated from her Tory husband.
| that a feeling Of sentiment as well as
| policy urged Washington TO take II "a
his headquarters and so prevent its de-
1 struction The old mansion Is crowded
with history. romance and mystery;
there are eecret passages. cupboards
and doors, and there Is n ghost cham"
her as well rs q ghost. one day
Washington was slowly pacing UP and
down the vast hall. when was enacted
strange scene. Suddenly the door
was opened and two hundred Indians
| slowly filed in, all IN the bravery o'
| paint and feathers. In their hands
| thew bore vreaths Of laurel which they
had brought from the adjoining forests
these they solemnly laid at Washing
\
Father. and then as slowly and SOL
| emnly filed out"
| Miss Patterson's psper Nae follower
hy another by Mrs. T. w. Smith. en-
titled "A Glimpse OF New York from
Sandy Hook 10 the Saranac Lakes"
This paper gave a description Of the
beautiful palisades along the Hudson.
whose protection from vandalism has
become n matter Of such deep concern
10 the club women OF the state OF New
| York.
| Passing. Mrs Smith conducted her
hearers on n trip uo the Hudson. paus-
ing 20 consider many important historic
places and tpwns-resting for q brief
period az "Sunnvsde." the home ~
Washington Irving and reading there
| IowelIs tribute 90 irving.
| Proceeding. the party were led. IN
lima gination. into the Adirondack re-
gion and onward 20 tho terminus or
the Journey. tho Sararr- lakes.
l AZ tho Tuesday meeting Of the Para