Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-09
MORE WORK And LESS TALK.
SUPERIORITIES CLAIMED FOR EN-
GLISHWOMEN'S CLUBS.
An EnHlishvvOman Claims That Amer
ican Clubs Attain Less Practical
ResuIts-ForemOst English
Clubs and Their Work.

English women are continually being told
by their more aggressive American cousins
that they are far behind them In all mat
tiers pertaining to the modern progress Of
! women. They are told delicately, politely,
| perhaps. but nevertheless there is no de-
nying the fact. Naturally. after a time.
the English woman comes to regard her
i've sort of person. Meanwhile the Amer
lean woman has been held up by the nom
conservative portion of the English press
as an example to English women of the
self-reliant. independent, all around desir-
able creature.
In view of this state of affairs 1t may
seem somewhat hazardous for the writer
to take up cudgels in defense of the En-
glish woman, writes one of their number
in the Pittsburg Dispatch. and to assert
that the English woman is not behind, but
ahead Of her American cousin when it
her kind.
gagged by. the clubs and various %institu-
tons originated for and maintained by
women. In New York. the most progress.
I've American city. there are many clubs of
the social kind for women, but few of the
practical. helpful kind of which there are
SO many In London.
the club most talked of. and membership
III it is a thing greatly to be desired from
an American standpoint. What are the
can ascertain, they are purely social.
Sorosis tells its members that the press
ure OF everyday life in New York is high,
ana 1t reads papers upon the best method
of reducing this high pressure. But. while
It's theories are. perhaps. good. Sorosis does
not furnish its members with ways and
means with which to reduce this pressure.
as to the 'unprogressive' English clubs.
Sorosis has no building, no home-nothing
more practical than theories to offer its
weary members.
Who are the officers and women most
talked of in connection with, this fashion
able culDI Cert1lnlV nor me CtrlIYGlln0
women of New York; not the women who
have need of Just such things as Sorosis
should supply them with. The wives of
rich men control ,Sorosis; the wives of
rich men. as a rule, enjoy what benefits
there are to be derived from such a club.
Yet every American woman in london
cites Sorosis as an Illustration of Ameri-
can club life for women.
The Professional Woman's League is
more practical, more on the lines of the
English clubs; yet it falls far short of the
same sort of club in London for real help
fulness. The Professional Woman's
League not only theories. but it puts
members can eat, sleep. and drink in its
house when they please-at least. so 1 am
informed They can write their letters
there, and. under certain conditions. can
receive their friends there.
There are also several smaller and less
pretentious clubs for artists and working
women In New York which have practi-
cal aims. and which in most cases attain
them. The girls club in connection with
Grace church is doing particularly good
work, and the work is done without noise
or ostentatious display.
The newspaper women of New York
have a club which has been in existence
eight years. and has now. if the writer
The Pioneer Club. of Bruton street, Lon