The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-12
ITALY DRAWS 1 CROWD
literature Departments
Opening Meeting at
Hasbrouck's Yester-
day Overlooked.

So crowded was the opening meeting o.
the Woman's Club Literature Department
yesterday afternoon, in Room ], Has
brouck Institute. hat it seemed as though
every new arrival must be the last. ano
still they came Until the number swelled
to over forty, and chairs had TO be placed
in every available spot not already occu-
pied.
Mrs. John "A. Walker. chairman Of tbs
department, was in the chair. and Mrs,
John l.. scudder as the guest of honor,
There were two papers at this the first
meeting of the season on the years sub
ject, ITALY and ohe Renaissance" the
first, Europe in the Middle Ages by
Mrs. Walker, and the second, Rise OF
italian Republics by Miss Florence May
Underwood.
Mrs. Walkers talk was most interest
ing. She used a chart, representing the
tree Of history and the growth of the
nation up to the present period. This she
lkened to the rainbow, the last color Of
which, she said. gave an idea OF what the
next would be were the human eye able
to discover 1t.
"A nation" said Mrs. Walker. lives
and grows according to its IDEALS and
then went on to explain the various
periods of progress, saying the first was
always the chaotic period, corresponding
to the time of the American Revolution.
and that the fourth was a sort OF
balancing period, when a nation was just
as likely to go backward and degenerate
as to go Onward. But" said she, after
a nation has passed the fourth period 1t
u go on to the fifth or aspiratory
period"
Mrs. Walker then explained the three
degrees of a republic. crude. harmonious
and spiritual. When referring to the
last, there need be no laws because
everybody will do right from a sense Of
doing right.
w have not yet arrived there added
the speaker. after a moments silence.
The sixth period Mrs. Walker gave as
that Of fruitage when the arts and sci
covery and led up to modern
history. And So" said she. I'VE come
to our subject for the year."
Miss Underwood's paper was also very
clever and interesting. She rapidly re-
viewed the history Of the Italian Re-
public, running over each invasion In turn
and stating that the Republics were not
the descendants of the Roman m~unicipali-
ties. In summing up the whole situation,
the speaker said
"A parallel can be drawn between the
city commemorative and the Republic of
Greece The Republican constitutions
were overthrow and the supreme power
fell into the hands of an ambitious aris-
tocracy, or was seized by some bold
usurper. thus establishing something
similar to the ~tyrannies OF classical
Greece.
with The establishment of the oil
garchical form of government among
these cities, the period of their rise and
power ceases. In every Instance the poll
teal history is very obscure and uninter-
esting. but their social, artistic and COM
mercial records form some of the most
brilliant pages of the Middle Ages"
AT the conclusion of this address Mrs.
Scudder. being called upon to speak, con-
graduated the Literature Department ON
its choice OF italy for a subject and spoke
of her pleasure in the propitious opening
of the club meetings this year. She also
said that she and Mrs. Benson had called
upon the Mayor and thought the park
for Little Italy was a pretty sure thing.
No current book was discussed yester-
day, but for next meeting, two weeks
hence, Mrs. T. j. Kennedy was asked
to bring a review on Richard Carvel.s