The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-11-12
With the
Culture Clubs.


Correspondence Of The Post. )---After 90
many delightful experiences through the
courtesy OF the club women OF New York
City, have come to the conclusion that
/ had rather be a club woman from Texas
than--wcll. even Admiral Dewey.
These sister club women Of ours do
things in such delightful, whole-souled
way. Their Invitations are so cordial that
\ you feel as IL your absence would make
or mar the occasion.
In response to mn invitation from Mrs.
Margaret Hamilton WEIGH, OF ''Harpers
Bazar." to lunch with her at The Town
and Country club. at O'clock, on Wednes-
day last. to meet quartette OF women
| that she and newspaper friend, Miss
Jordan. Of the "New York World" were to
entertain, ! HE'D mo botimes, In fact ahead
| OF time. for In my desire 90 appear q
thoroughly prompt, up-to-datc club wo-
] man. | was u minute early. fearing to be
second late.
1 l reached the club door. asked for Mrs.
/ Welch and TO my dismay she had not AR
rived, but at once wect-faced, gray
haired lady came to me. introducing her.
self as Margaret Sangster. Her simple,
gracious manner put me nj case, aud soon
] | found myself listening to her telling Of
how she realized last winter that TO longer
edit llarpcr's Bazaar was beyond her
strength. and what comfort II was after
ten years of office work. TO stay at home.
Now she will write for the Home Journal
and aside from her regular contributions
for young girls, she is preparing three ar
( tlcles for old ladies, which will appear
during next year She says she is pleased
to write for a paper that speaks TO SO
many people"
Mrs Kate Epson Clarke. wife Of tho
editorial writer of the New York Evening
Post. and writer herself OF note, is
just the kind OF person one would OK
pect TO find helping others; wholesome
and CHEEKY. her good spirits are conta
gious, Her special work has been for boys
and she Is soon to publish new book de-
voted to them.
Mrs. Margaret Hamilton Welch, who
edits the Woman's club page of Harper's
Bazaar, and at one time edited Her Point
OF View" in the Sunday Times OF New
York. is both clever and pretty. and Is SO
gracious one wishes her for hostess
always
AS for Miss Jordan. of the New York
World the fairy godmothers were surely
tipsy at her christening for she seems to
have all the gifts Her book Tales for
the City Room liz collection OF clever
newspaper stories. For ten years she has
been with the New York World, and yet
one would Judge her 10 be about ~ now.
Miss Gale, for whom the luncheon was
man Of the Biennial Press association
and for four years has been on the staff
OF the Milwaukee Evening Wisconsin.
Mrs. William Todd Helmuth came In
late from meeting of clubs. where the
principal subject discussed had been the
Reorganization of the National Fedora
ton Of Clubs" The ladies were all good
story tellers and time flew like thought.
The idea that women always forget ''the
point" in an anecdotc has no longer any
weight with me. Annie Mclean Moores
~
Miss Abby Hill of Houston. who has
been studying in Chicago and incidental
ly lecturing on Browning" to the schools
and the Working Girls club, given In a
letter TO friend, this amusing little in
cident OF Howells' lecture on Tho Novel
and Novel Writing"
She says: Mr.. Howells entered on the
scene with a large leather book cover,
and ensconcing himself behind a tall road
ing desk, ON which stood green-shaded
lamp, he laid out his typewriter notes
and read them rapidly and most monoton-
ously, looking up for only half-sec0nd
glances at his audience, aud each time
losing his place. The lecture lasted an |
hour and half, There was dreary de-
sert Of beginning, a declaration of faith |
IT, that you must only depict what you
see, as II writer were camera and the
not AK much n part OF us
as eyes. The Times Herald. In an edi
torial, called this part of the lecture
vague, mystfying and dogmatic;' IL
didn't contain q single ylyiiying phrase
or image or enlightenment of any kind.
There followed a good wide oasis OF
auecdote--Howells' personal experiences
with people who had and hadn't read his
books and so on, most of them entertain
ing and welcome indeed. Then more
desert. with n pleasant bit appended about
his own way OF conceivng and writing
novel, tho manner of It; not hint as TO
my methods of fiction. At the end he
'aid that he hadn't told his hearers any
hing about the art OF novel writing. and
,losed with an anccdote, the gist OF which
vas that he hadn't given himself away
because he didn't know how. The hall
vas crowded. although he had given the
ame lecture to the Twentieth Century
Tub the night before at Colonel Higgin-
joi hams ! was pleasantly surprised in
Iowelis' personal appearance. He doesn't
ook any more like that picture We thought
o gross in expression than the pictures
# the club women In the News looked
Ike them. His lower Jaw Isn't at all
eayy; he looks rather refined man OF
he world, and men of business"
Mr.. Howells Ia nothing II not Back Bay.
Session; voice, manner, all OF him, Is OF
he superior monotony born of too, too
enlightened environment.
ooh we are Massachusetts, born.
Which rare Intelligence implies:
For where the lights of knowledge dawn,
IT'S easy to be wise"
However, Howells and mark Twain"
IRE not OF MASSACHUSETTS, but are Western
,orn, (the dingy and struggling little VII
age OF "Jimtown," East Tennessee, claims
sam Clemens" for its own, though ] be-
ieve he repudiates it). and did their best
work before the Impressions OF the fresh
md vigorous young West were dimmed
" the dense New England Atmosphere"
Mark Twain still has brilliant flashes OF
he "Scotty Briggs" days, but Howells ,
vas hopeIessly lost in the Back Bay" east
Wind and fog, ere he tried "A Hazard Of
New Fortunes"
Speaking OF Boston, among the pleasant
people we met from Mr.. Howells' beloved
beacon street. were Mr.. and Mrs Brown.
hrs Brown is an English woman. the
laughter OF the late Ball Hughes. the Eng
ish sculptor. and the Brown residence
8 full OF interesting bits OF sculpture and