The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-12-04
AMONG NOAENS CLUBS


The event OF The week In club circles
was the annual meeting of the Council
Of Women held i'm Mathewson Street
church. on Mondav. Nov. p. A large
body II club women were attracted
thirher becausa Of desire 10 see and
hear Mrs. Fanny Humphrey Gaffney.
a representative club woman OF Ameri-
ca and The president Of that great or
glnizatlon the National Council OF
Women.
Of equal interest also 10 the club
women present was the presence and
address of Mrs. Florence Kelley or
eanizer of the Consumers league. Mrs.
k-ney. who is making a tour of this
country I'm the interests OF The Consulh-
ers league explained tho work OF tnat
! organization. a work which has IN "
possibilities Of great good 20 the toilefs
in the factories and the sweat shops
of America.
Though. during the past week. the
thoughts OF an good club women We're
ceutcred, i'm large degree, upon a pro-
/ per Observance OF the natiOnal nom
| day yet the festive season OF Imhks-
! giving did not d.splace a number OF
interesting club meetings.
The Ardrhebflh club held q most enc
! jayab.e and instructive meeting on
| Tuesday, Nov 2S, with the president
! Mrs Emerson i Blake
The subject French Literature,
Z was presented bv .Irs Charles \. Rus
! sell. In an able paper which bri ny ytl
! clearly outlined the ver3l periods lh
! French literature, together win a
! reference to thu works of the Sreat
! authors connected with each period.
! Preliminary 90 entering upon her SUBJ
| lCct. Mrs Russel said: Let me ask YOU
! 20 go back FOR a few moments 10 the
| days OF school room work and recall
the stress lad by the good professor
| in history, on the Importance OF stNdy~
| ing the climates and geographical con-
/ ditians of a country when studying the
| race.
II is said that the history of a 1t
! crature is the history of tha peopl"
! aud the unknown creations toward
| which ne current Of the centuries con-
! ducts us will be raised up and regu-
| lated by the three primodal forces. pI
race. epoch and surroundings After
referring briefly to the early history of
France tle cssavist took up the thread
OF her subject at the period oC the mid
die ages THE literature of the mid
die ages. she continued. seems TO be
an EXPRESSION of .eudalism ana of the
germs Of the church.
The first popular liter-. ure was met
rical both for the convenience Of the re-
citer who memorized ii and TO admit
of musical accompaniment.
The subjects chosen were knights
and Mobiles ana the deeds OF their chiX=-
1trUus aHC9StOTs: vet when the singer
was guest of the cloister. he ghf
recount the Passion Df our Lord or OF
4
songs have been preserved the best OK
which Is The Song of Roland
Continuing. the paper calls attention
~ the fact that the fourteenth and fif-
eentn centuries form a period Of trans
q from the true Middle Ages u the
Renaissance. and that the middle
'lasses were then seeking instruction.
literary societies were formed and
loets no longer concealed their person.
llity behind their work and one gets
tome knowledge OF the men and wom- |
N of the are
Passing to the sixteenth century the |
PAPER dwells upon the names Of Fran |
'eis. Rabelais. Calvin and Malherbe. |
The DEVELOPMENT Of tho Social Order |
and the influence OF women in ltera-
ure and political life. together with /
power and popularity Of the French |
ialon were most interestingly describ-
"a
Continuing. attention was called to
hose illustrious names Of French liz
,mture. viz:-Madame DeMaintenon,
yreno he p,rgerac. Pierre Corneille.
Racine, La Fontaine and Mollere.
Coming down To- more modern
imes-the seventeenth and eighteenth
fact was noted that the
literature OF the second half OF the
seventeenth century was mOnarchical
and classic and that of the
seventeenth century was nonarChical.
age of Naltaire IN such a degree and
sense as 10 be without "A parallel i'm lit
'rary history. After q considerS lion OF
he life and writings of Noltaire the
paper takes up the pgomincnt figures /
~ French literature OF the nineteenth !
century, viz, lean JacGueZ Roeseau, |
Victor Hugo. Madame De Stael. Chat |
naubrand De Lamertine Alfred DE-
Musset George sand Honore De Bal
zac. Emile Zoa and Alphonse Daudet.
% these great li"hts of Fronch litera-
ure the name Of Victor Hugo stands
pre- eminent and as "A great writer has
said While others have troubled.
weakened. disenchanted the human
1eart. Hugo has reassured. established.
encouraged it, He has communicated
o IL something Of his own robust and
obstinate virtue
This admirable paper was interspers-
d by Well rendered readings by Mrs.
ohm Burlington. The ieadngs were
hosen from the French writer's Of the
ineteenth century. these. perforce. be-
1g more familiar 10 us than the works
{ the French writer's OF an earlier age.
The Providence Fortn<,htly club met
I the residence Of Mrs. \. II. Monroe
rand avenue. ON Nov. 2S. Continuing
ne course in English history of the
neteenth century. the following liter
~ program was carried out: I'M
'isonmeut OF Common Debtors Alob- ,
he'd Debtors Prisons In Early {
art of the Eighteenth Century Spe-
al topics: John Howard and Prison
cform." "Dor0thca Dix
The seCretarv's report of this meet
lg refers TO fact that though there
ere three papers on the same subject
pa they showed the Individuality OF
ne writer's and were very different I'm
le matter ~ style OF handling the sub
ct.
The first was q wcll written paper
v Mrs. William James. giving a brief
Story OF the Improvement OF common
abtors and the final abollshmcnt OF
le same.
Thr second paper bv Mrs. Lewis