The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-28
Sntietp Ynries.

more ana more pnllanlnToplcdHy nv
becomes society, especially the feminine
portion of that dement, Just sixteen
more afternoons for euchre and as many
more evenings ere the time to dance
will be over. Very naturally, when come
those forty days of fast and self denial
society turns its attention to charity. rms
is a good scheme. Now that visiting days,
visiting toilettes. hired hansoms, and all
the paraphernalia attendant thereunto
are a thing of the past, society must
needs nave means of holding together.
Forty days is a long time. Long enough
for the ladies to almost forget one an
other, so they take refuge in that long
suffering, commodious cloak-charity.
There is a right and a wrong way to
wiring a dishcloth,' according to our
worthy female ancestors, and now Whit
tier House is to be benefited by this ad-
vice and learn the right way.
Some time ago the young ladies of DR..
HEIRS Missionary Society felt philan-
thropically inclined and began to consider
how they could best expend their time
upon some charitable work. At last they
applied to Mrs. Howard Slater, who acts
as director, and Mrs. Slater, upon mVes-
tigation. discovered that among the
numerous classes of Whittier House there
was no kitchen garden.
In the New York settlements 1t is Gus
tomary to graduate the children from the
kindergarten to the kitchen garden and
from the kitchen garden to the cooking
school, from which in turn they are
graduated full fledged housewives. Whlle
Whittier House can boast of the first ana
last departments, the middle was missing,
SO that in the kitchen garden these young
ladies are simply supplying the missing
link.
The class was opened yesterday, when
the girls were taught to properly clear
and set a table. For this purpose a num-
Der of miniature tables, each with It's
snowy cloth, tiny napkins and dishes,
were used. and the children spread the
cloths, placed the dishes, and then re-
moved the. whole, all to a rhyme set TO
music. Thus is a kitchen garden conduct
ed. In the same way miniature peas,
miniature wash tubs, which come for the
purpose, each with a bag of doll clothes
attached, miniature brooms, and all the
paraphernalia necessary to a ~housekeeper
are brought into play. combining music,
rhyme. instruction and pleasure in one or
two short verses set to some simple
catchy air.
In this particular class Mrs. Howard
Slater has charge of the music as well
as acting as general director, while Miss
Jessie Perry, who has made a study OF
the k-iechengarten, and has been through
the course herself, has charge of training
the children, assisted by Misses Meme
Holbrook and Bessie Dixon.
Aside from merely teaching the girls the
right way to keep house. from the wiring
ing of a disheloth to the proper way 10
receive a caller, the kitchen garden WEI
have a refining influence upon these
pupils. many of whom have to be taught
the use of a napkin, not being USED 20
such luxuries at home. The girls VIII not
only learn to set tables, make beds, sweep
floors and receive visitors, mechanically,
but in the very learning will be awakened
a desire for the dainty sweetness OF it all
in their own homes, raising them to a
higher plane of life.
1t is a curious fact, but nevertheless
true. that nearly every large philanthroplc
movement in the city is started outside
the Woman's Club, excepting of course
the Free kindergarten. Take, for ex-
ample. the Organized Aid Association.
Naturally one would look to the Woman
Club as the originator of a movement ike
this. but one woul dlook in vain. For a
long time Jersey City has stood in need
of lust such an organization, but now the
Won us Club, seeing the error OF It's
ways. nc holding to the adage, Better
late than never" has taken hold OF the
charity and will devote its entire next
meeting. which falls on Thursday, Fen
ruary 2, to the cause. The speakers will
be Mr.. Hugh Fox of Bayonne, Miss A. A.
Chown, agent for the Aid Association, and
Mrs. Brice Collard, chairman of the Phil
anthropic Committee, in whose charge the
day has been placed. Besides these there
will be three selections by the club choir.
and Mrs. Motion has been chosen soloist.
1t was a wise move on the part of Miss
A A. Chown when she remarked to a CLUB
woman that she had heard no philan-
thropic movement could succeed IN this
city unless it had the Woman's Club to
back it. In consequence she was invited
to speak at a meeting of the Phllan-
thropic Committee Last Monday, and SO
enthused the ladies on the subject OF Or
ganized Aid. that arrangements have been
made to visit the Brooklyn WorkrooIh oI
a like organization in that city, on Mon
day. in order to learn just how it should
be run in this city, as the Philanthropic
Committee will probably take this depart
ment of the work in charge.
All the ladies present, and it was an I'M
usually large meeting, expressed their
willingness to take the Brooklyn trip
They are:-Mrs. Garwood Ferris, Mrs.
Esher. Mrs. Brice Collard, Mrs. Horn
blower, Mrs. Muirhead, Mrs. Curtis, Mrs.
Browne. Miss Coffin, Miss McKane, Mrs.
Britten, Miss Barlowe. Mrs. Clara Miller,
Mrs. Ryer and Miss Chown.
There was a meeting of the Afternoon
Euchre, one of the Oldest organizations of
the kind in the city, yesterday afternoon
at the residence of Mrs. John Headden,
third. No. Is Bentley avenue. The ten
tables Just accommodated the forty play
ers. and the game proceeded for two
hours ere the bell rang for all play to
cease and the prizes were awarded, the
first a handsome Austrian PLAGUE, to Mrs.
William Mattocks; the second, a dozen
silver fruit knives in a holder shaped like
a strawberry, to Mrs. Joseph D.. Bedle,
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