New-York tribune., 1898-01-25

TIE DIFFICULTIES MET WITH IN SELECTING
ANY LINE OF PHrLANTHRoPrc WORK. TIE
sUBJECr OF PAPER By MRS. wELcH.
The regular meeting OF the Brooklyn "omans
Club was hel3 yesterday afternoon In their rooms IN
the Young Women's Christian Association Building.
Mrs. Truman J. Backus called the meeting to order.
and report read for the Committee on current
Topics by Mrs Franklin ". Hooper The meeting
was then in the hands OF the Committee on Home
and Social Relations. Mrs W. d. Faris. chairman. A
paper was read by Mrs. Wendell 7. Bush. her sub
jeci being THE Organization OF Leisure and she
spoke. In part AZ follows
Ihink how many thousands OF women IN TINS
country are free TO do what We are DONG now now,
Never, In France before the Revolution, or In Rome
under the empire. was there anything Ike the pres
ent leisure OF women In our American towns. FOR
leisure. take IL. Is all opportunity TO do what VIC
choose The thing choose may be swinging In
vesugatng, shop by shop. the treatment OF sa.es,
women In a great city. In either case the woman
VINO does what she plea.es for one hour day OF
for ten Is employing spare time
One OF the queerest things all do is to forget
would Ike ever much 10 join the committee. =,
out she couldn't possibly because al the ilme or
ished her silver bureau set. / knew another who
nsd been 80 busy putting sachets In her trunks t9at
constantly hear women speak win envy Of the
beautiful leisure os the past. but ihey eXaggerate
spare time was rare unt the middle OF ihs century.
re@ple were ei.hed rich or poor ana me firn WEI
come about in the numbers OF people who have what
inc English call 'middle-class" incomes The IN
crease Is believed by stats isicians 20 ne even
greater here tLan In England No better proof can
be found than tho fact that many women are
free TO devote themselves TO associations for culture
and philanthropy.
OF course, l am not thinking tha, the mere gain
In the number OF comfortable Incomes has made all
this leisure poss BILE The differences caused by
servants. the health Of the family. No, Increased
wealth is not all. Another economic change Is no
less momenious although It is the apparently small
y
the civil War and long afterwa.d d women were ousy
with endless sewing When they finished the house
keeping they turned to the sewing and II the family
sewing was ever finished. they helped The sewing
sewing but the mending is ever done Now since
every garment purchased represents the time and
labor OF sewing saved 70 the purchaser IL Is not sur
prisng that the period during which there has been
so greai an Increase in the numbers OF women Cn-
gagged in the production Of clothing should have
brough; forth indications OF rapidly growing leisure
among the women OF another class. From the cen
sus Of 1890 learn something about benevolent in
women: In the five g-eat states-New-York. Massa-
situtions had sixty thousand inmates. Think
OF the time that is voluntarily given TO carry on
salaried places IL. the public schools
Not only are women educatin themselves to take
pleasure In social usefulness but they are educa Ing
themselves also to better methods ~ work. II the
enthusiasm has grown In their philanthropIes. the
intelligence has grown In their clubs FOR Il is IN the
cluhs Ike this that we learn 10 weigh the compare
tive worth OF our charitable undertakings. ! call the
education. Some clubs begin ignorant and purpose
IeSS they talk vague In their constitutions Of
tual Improvement Ry degrees they grow definite:
hey do ,~omet hing IN particular. They Join the
state FEDERATION and learn what o'her clubs are do
Ing They toin the General Federation and al last
A commit, ee representing them al draws mp pro-
gramme Ike the report lust published for making
public education he common subject Of interest in
all women's clubs
The second paper or the afternoon was "A Ques-
tion OF Choice" by Mrs. Margaret II. Wech She
gave careful exposition Of the difficulties 10 be
faced In selecting any line OF social or phanthropc
work. A general discussion followed The pro-
gramme varied by .wo musi, al numbers from
Mrs Henry Ward Beecher Howard and Mrs Skef-
fngton Norton
The private parlor Of the club was opened yc.,er.
day. II has been newly decorated and refurnlshed
by special committee OF which Mrs. Albert Ham
ilton Brockway chairman