The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-05-17
THE CIVIC CLUB.
Its Aim and Object to Promote
a Better Social Order.
And Increase the Public Inter-
est in Matters Relating to
Good Citizenship, &C.

The object of the first meeting
to organize a Woman's Civic
Club Of Bloomsburg was for the pur-
pose of increasing the public interest
in all matters relating to good citizen.
ship, and to promote a better social
order
Women can do a work that men
cannot or will not do.
How Women's Clubs can revou-
tionize town has been proven over
and over again in the State of Penn.
sylvania and in other states, and let
not Bloomsburg be far behind, let
our town follow the good example.
We do not expect every woman to
do all the work. 1t is desired that
the Club be divided into five depart
ments: rst Municipal, end Education,
3rd Town Improvement, 4th Library,
5th Charities. Each member shall
select the department or departments
10 which she shall belong.
Each department will have its own
chairman and its own stated meetings
and be subdivided into committees.
In the Municipal Department there
would be committees on Sanitation;
Town events and information; Police
Matron, through whom many hope to
eventually accomplish Curfew law
which will prevent the presence on the
streets at late hour of night of young
boys and girls who should be safely
housed under the home roof. Street
cleaning and the use of Waste Recep.
tacles at the street corners; IN this
particular many women's clubs have
SO educated the public school children
that they seldom pass waste paper or
anything of the kind without picking
it up and depositing 1t in the Recep-
tacle at the nearest street corner. On
Almshouse and Jail-How many of
us know to what use our poor taxes
are put, and how our old and helpless
paupers are fed and clothed and
lodged ? And our jail! Would it not
be well to see that some poor, mis-
guided boy, convicted of some petty
offense, should have some human in
terest shown him, and not be left en-
tirely to the companionshlp OF older
and hardened criminals, who, in turn.
may be brought to develop the one
spark divine which burns in every
human soul.
Then, in the Department of Edu-
cation, beside other committees, there
is the league Of good citizenship,
which has accomplished fine work
in some towns. The public school
children should be made to feel that
they all ozVn Bloomsburg, and should
help take care of it ; that in every
public spot they have an equal inter-
est with any town oficia! or the most
prominent citizen.
Almost treading on the heels of this
department will be that of Town I'm
provement, which will include CON-
mittees on tree and flower planting,
and on beautifying the play grounds
and our parks and squares. Through
this department perhaps Oak Grove
may be the thing of beauty which
nature made it, and not dumping
place for egg shells and other still
more unsavory remains of various pic
mic lunches.
The fourth depar tment will be one
very dear to the hearts of many, that
of public library. The members of
this department will devise methods
for raising money, by entertainments
and in other ways, toward esta blishing
that much needed institution in
Bloomsbury.
1t is to be regretted that every wo-
man here could not have heard the
address given here short time ago
by Mrs. Campbell, the president of
the State Federation of Women's
Clubs, during which she related the
experiences of her own club in get
ting up public library in her own
town. How, beginning with very lit
tie money, and one hundred books, in
a little room the size of hall bed
room, they now have a beautiful
building, with several thousand vol
umes. All this through the efforts of
the women, who gave dramatic enter
tainments, musical entertainments,
suppers, iairs and the like.
The fifth department, that of Char
tiles, is a most important one, and