The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-12
STORY OF THE TRUNKS.


Milwaukee Letter in Philadelphia North
American.
Milwaukee is now a city OF trunks. it
has strangers within it's gates. and those
strangers are the delegates to the biennial
meeting of the Federation of Women's
Clubs.
1t requires something like 500 trunks to
hold the apparel of the fair delegates. and
this enumeration takes no account of hand
baggage. The most of these trunks are lost.
and the sorrow OF the president OF the
Browning Study Club is as great as is that
of the member of the club devoted TO less
strenuous pursuits.
When the delegates began 10 arrive the
men who had been wont to handle the lug
gage at the railway stations and hotels
smiled. They pictured clubwomen as fe-
males who wore antiquated bonnets, alpaca
dresses and spectacles, and carried their
belongings in their own hands, lest they
disappear from their anxious gaze forever
When the first contingent of Southern
women arrived that smile faded into a
look of establishment.
The average was two trunks to woman,
and each trunk bore an excess weight tag
manly brows and comforted one another
Them Southern wimmin is always
cressy.'' they said. ''Wait till the Others
come along"
dreds OF them. thousands of them-and each
OF them had trunk; some of them two
Ihen the real trouble began, the trouble
which reached its darkest depths when the
Cnicago delegation appeared. The Chicago
delegation arrived in a special train. On
that train were $50 trunks, and each trunk
belonged TO club woman. The weight of
these trunks had broken coupling pin i'm
the baggage car, and the train was delayed
two hours in consequence
When the Chicago delegates arrived there
was mourning; other women from other
cities were mourning, too.
Where is my trunk?'' was the first aues-
ton asked by every woman as she was
shown 10 her room.
In every instance she was assured that
it would be sent up in half an hour. Some
times II wasi 0ftener IL was not and that
was why some women had tea i'm their
rooms at dinner time and others held in
dignation meetings in parlor and lobby at
the same time.
Sometimes the missing luggage mere
~ sent 10 the wrong room. Once the wom-
an who had received trunkful of gar
ments which would have trailed upon her
met at the desk the woman who would
nave needed leggins and sixteen button
gloves to supplement- the articles of APP
parei contained In the trunk which had
confronted her.
"Oh, how glad L am,'' they cried Then
they looked grave. They can't possibly
be exchanged in time for the reception.
What shall We do?''
Change rooms" advised the woman who
was president of the Political Study Club
And two beautifully gowned women smiled
ecstatically at each other across the room
that evening.
Sometimes the missing trunk was not i'm
the MOTEL, not at the railway station, not in
the city. Then did the agitated owner fly
to the nearest telegraph clerk and send a
message to her husband commanding that
he ind 1t and send ii on the next train.
Then she counted up the hours which must
intervene before 1T arrived, and either
found friend whose personality approx
mated her own or sought the nearest de-
partment store in bitterness of spirit
The gowns those trunks contained were
an absolute necessity, so every club woman
announced. Luncheons, receptions and teas
I'm honor of delegates were announced for
every day of the meeting, and every one
of them was a dress affair.
When the trunks We're partially straight
| ened out and the owners of them appeared
publicly Milwaukee opened its eyes and
| men who had arranged to take week of
and go fishing decided that they could not
possibly leave their business.
me Idea OF the dowdy, specialized club
woman has disappeared forever from the
Milwaukee mind. The men collect in hotel
Hobbies or other appropriate resorts and adj
mlre, the women pay twenty-five cents for
tickets TO the public discussions of the
federation and study the fashions. 1t is
equal to a trip to Paris, they say. and the
men smilingly agree, not knowing the pc
cuniary after effects of the average trip to
Paris.
One thing causes sorrow i'm the feminine
Milwaukee heart. The federation to "A
woman removes its hat when the meeting
| is opened. The study of club millinery
| must be made on its way to and from the
| meetings.
| The determination TO dress more plainly
which was made at the last biennial meet
| ing in Denver has been forgotten. At that
| time disgruntled club women declared that
the gowns of the various speakers attract
ed more attention than their papers Stump
tuary laws were even limited at, but that
/, was two years ago. 1t is all forgotten now.
and Paris has come to Milwaukee.