New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-11

MEETINGS AND COAX REPORTERS TO DO
LIKEWISE. SHE SAYS
Tho address given by Mrs Josephine Woodward
before the Ohio Federation OF Womnn's Clubs has
been the principal topic discussed h. the club
women since and. indeed. has aroused consider
able interest throughout tho country Mrs. Wood
ward Is on the staff Of The CINCINNATI con-
mercial Tribune" and her subject was "Women's
Clubs from Reporters Standpoint" she said in
part:
;;Newspapers lie much-you all say we do We
all know that we do-that the prospect Of being
permitted TO speak the truth for twenty minutes
looms up before with ali the scduciiveness Of
wild dlssipaton-a mad orgy-a dchauch ! shall
reve for few moments and then hereafter shall
know whether you mean what you say. when you
wish from the bottoms OF your hearts that news
paper reports could he depended upon.
81 would Ike to call your attention 70 the fact
that the title OF my paper Is 'Womens clubs from
Reporters Point Of View"--not the reporters. |
| don't wish 20 interfere with the influence OF my
sisters Of the press by making them in any meas
IRE responsible for my own opinions | Will only
use one prop for supporttne expressed belief that
! the Cincinnati clubwomen. 10 whom am ir-
| debted for many courtesies. but more than
everything else whose friendships enjoy-w at
| least guarantee that malice has no place In my
heart am only poor. stupid fool who believes
in the doctrines Of laziness and the religion OF
| happiness and who believes that the greatest sue
cess in life Is to love everybody worth loving, and
! TO have everybody worth being loved love you who
believes that It ia better to eat piece OF your
cake every single day OF your life than to save It
I'D until the end Of the year and find It staleonly
poor weak minded person who would rather be
| pleasant than president-even OF a woman's club
Don't mind what ! say, and particularly when
say that newspapers do lie shockingly and never
more so than about women's clubs. once long
time ago before clubwomen had taught me how 20
lie cheerfuiIy and gliby. and before had taught
| myself the value OF silence, undertook 10 give In
print true report Of some club proceeding or
other. I have never tried It since. The truth
crushed TO earth that day now rises for the first
time Since that tragic day when I was led from
tho path Of truth and duty by clubwoman. have
made Il a practice in reporting club proceedings to
simply hnd out what TIE president Of tho club or
the chairman OF the department would like TO have
said ard then say ii. II supplies matters I'M
mensey. And If the lady who reads the paper o.
the day has account OF it already prepared FOR
publication accept the contribution 10 club liter
| allure with CAD hand
ut usually reads something after this fashion;
| Mrs Blanks review OF Tolstoi and his works
| the most brilliantly comprehensive essay II has
been our good fortune to hear in many day. This
gifted woman is probably better qualified 20 speal;
| OF the great Russian author and what he has writ
ten than any other critic IN ths vicni,y-since she
has the most beautiful silver samovar in town and
| invariably takes lemons in her tea, even when she
Is alone
Il may possibly blue-pencil the samovar and the
tea Sometimes my conscience troubles me
| because ! haven't added somethng-some little
| tribute OF my OWL do so Ike 10 he pleasant
| Then there always the poor and the sick and
I the lame and the timld women to be considered and
encouraged That is what womens clubs are for
TO encourage those who need encouragement All
the club members ask Is that the press shall do the
encouraging 1t !s much easier and less compro-
missing and. OF course. quite the same thing. eth
| ically considered. FOR club member 10 ask tho
reporter 70 Please say something pleasant about
poor little Mrs Brown-she is 40 unfortunate you
know; Just look at her clothes than It would be
for this same club member 10 20 TO poor lttle Mrs
| Brown and pat her the back and say: Good FOR
you; glad you belong 10 our club. and m
glad to know you. I'm coming 10 call on you.
1T Is no hardship for the reporter TO lie under
these circumstances The average reporter has
worn shabby clothes herself To tell the truth.
| love TO lie for the poor little Mrs Browns OF the
clubs OF all the club members who need oncour-
| agement-the poor. the sick. the lame. the tmid-
7 would rather praise the woman who is TOO poor
! 10 buy good clothes wear. She needs sympathy
the most for she gets the least. II has become A
| passion with me TO lie for hcr-you can't ask too
| much OF me on her account-only wish that some
OF you would occasionally do a Nttle on your
own account. In fact. am here to-day. ladies. to
ask Won to pause in your mad careers before Il is
.oo late There Is yet time while there remains ore
club reporter interrupted by your system. Some
| OF YOU may know OF one. do not. But tho sweet
| opportunity lie in behalf OF poor little MS
| Brown Is unfortunately of rare occurrence. for
there aren't very many Mrs. Browns In city clubs.
| They cant get in The woman's club far as my
observation OF Il goes In this part of the country. IA
still an arlstocracy. There queens OF clubs, and
the number OF high cards Is out of all proportion
| TO the sequences. l have yet to know Of a woman
| proving herself brilliant enough and amiable
enough and respectable enough to be invited to din
ner by a clubwoman who did not know her socially
already
ARISTOCRACY OF THE CLUB.
THE cubwoman OF social position has speak
ing acquaintance at the club with little Mrs. Brown
and a bowling acquaintance on the street. She calls
when Mrs Brown dies. and looks at her through
her lorgnette and says: Yes, member Of our club
so bright. and then notices that she Is wearing
the Same dress. and how threadbare the carpet IS
under the coffin. Very likely the poor little thing
has died because she was 90 lonesome-ked by n
club frost The yearning for companionsnip is
strong in every human heart. Women's clubs are
probably the outgrowth OF Just such need, but
they have not recognized Il and have mistaken the
beginning. the means and the end. The law q
natural selection and compatibility is strong as
the yearring for companlonship, and this basis
may be excused the exclusiveness Of women b
clubs. but there reasons for incusveness. The
greatest good to the greatest number is the motto
Of many clubs. and yet sometimes in her pess
mstic moments the club reporter imagines that the
average clubwoman goes into tho club for the sole
purpose OF keeping somebody else out.
THE club is Ike the church: there is no room In
II for those VINO most neei its benefits. II a man
sins he must he cast out Of the church II a woman
needs know lot OF nice women she must he
blkckbaled by them. Womens clubs have claimed
to be democratic. and have built UP arstocracies
They tina CINE themselves reformers. and satisfy
themselves with the imag nation. They pose before
the world seeking the accomplishment OF great
good. and when they see themselves in print with
all their theories aired and expounded they
Inn LII tl.nt. IL L.. Loo.