The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-25
THE H.ABI1
BL CKB ALLlNIG..
.Commotion in a Boston Woman's
Club at a Confession.
AN ERA OF GOOD FEELING.
First Black Ball and the Horror #
Provoked A New Pastsmc Learn
cd by Women in Search OF
intellectual Breadth.

+ "A Wrornnn'S club IN BOSTON is Al q sa.1os
,apf agitation. It has alad confirmed
9blaca-hallcr sn its ranks. What JACK the
Ripper and Jack the Slasher have been
80 the general public the biack-balier has
S,een 10 this club The trouble cropped
so4t for thu dngt time Las; spring. BeSo-e
THAT the cl.lb had gone ats way, VII h
notlIng more eventiul THAI an election of
rnenbevs or officers to disturb It's placid
existence. Members were proposed aid
r,Gtea upon In strict accordance nt:h 9,ar-
la1nentary rules. The CLUB had acquired
those rules at the expense of much cell
lular tissue rif1d $7a paid 70 lecturer
guaranteed TO he capable of dnstructng
any woman about Roberts rules IN
twelve Treatments; so. OF course. tpe
election OF members and officers was
solemn function but 1t had never given
rise 10 strife. The club constituted
happy family, and II any member want
ed TO bring a friend into the home the
sisters held out the right hand Of fellow
ship 70 her without question, only supu-s
aating that her visit should be in accord
ance with parliamentary law.
INTELLECTUAL HORIZON.
Black baaIs were provided at all cleo
items. but never, never had one been
cast. no lady, as the first president of
the club feelingly remarked, would be
rude enough, to hurt the feelings OF
club sister ny objecting TO any friend
proposed. .'I.ct us be club women. said
the President Let us broaden our in
tcIlectual horizon and soar above the
petty sphere allotted ITO women of earlier
days; hut IN our DEVELOPMENT let u; not
forget that ave are women and sisters;
that the unwrEtten rules of courtesy
shouid take precedence even of Roberts
rules of ORDER All the club members
murmured Hear! heart and THAT night
at dinner They repeated these noble sem
timents TO the men of their families. and
added, ttriumphantly: Yet people say
tlsat club-wo1nen are unwomanly.' -
The men, to unit, protested. "Oh,
no. no! Nobody says womanfs clubs are
unwomanly. They are woman1y beyond
all other things evolved by women" they.
said.
20 prevent all cnance Of any mistake.
in casting votes the black balls we're
made unconpromisiasly square aud sharp
cornered. Even ,vithout hooking at them
1t was easy to discriminate between them
and the smooth, round. white balls.
pne day last May u woman was pro-
posed Tor Ine membership. The woman who
proposed her was radiant and serene.
She knew that her candidates. gowns
md social position We're above 'reproach
The vote was taken. The women chatted
.nerr.ly. unconscious OF the coming
storm. There was commotion among the
officers. halrrying to and fro, Whispered
consultations, awe-struck faces. The
president damned herself violently and
resorted to The water bottle. An cleo
trio thrill communicated itself to the rank
and dile. Something had happened,
The President arose and looked at the
waiting throng. more in sorrow than in
nnger.
A RLAcK BALL.
Ladies'. she said, firmly, but with evil
dent effort. ladies, black ball has been
found in the ballot
The effect of the announcement was ire
1mendous. Every one looked suspiciously
Mt every one else, and there was a por-
1entol,s hash. Then the storm broke, and
sw,o-thirds OF the members had the floor,
while the other third talked from their
seats. The general verdict was that the
president must be mistaken. The club
wished t6 see the black ball that had been
found. Ii was produced and displayed.
But why? why? walled the woman
whose friend had been turned down. No
one knew Why. That's one of the dis
agreeable things about secret ballots and
rules of order. The President consulted
with the secretary and the other officers.
Then she called for order in the house.
This Is most extra ordinary occur
renee" she said sadly. 1.-The only eX-
PLANTATION conceivable is that q mistake
has tssen made. We are convinced that
there has been misnalse. Under the DIR
tcun,stances. we feel that we should take
another ballot. The rules are not quite
clear on the subject, but the rules OF
courtesy are plain tAppiausel.
Another ballot was taken. amid great
excitement. The black ball was still in
evidence. The proposer Of the rejected
applicant wept, and friends gathered
round her. expressing their opinions of
any woman so lost to decency as to cast
l,lacis balls. The English vocabulary WAS
exhausted in efforts to ,embody feminine
opinion of such a character, and the lin
gusts OF the club resorted to French
Every woman watched every other wo-i
man narrowly: but, apparently, the trail
tor was STEPPED in guile. for no check
nailed With shame The meeting broke UP
in wild confusion: and, as the insulted club
member was led away by synrpathizing
ar;ends, she sti;l moaned 'Whyo oh, why?"
The. worst OF the story is that that
stormy session was but the beginning OF
trouble Since the club meetings have
been resumed this season. black balls have
ratified about the ballot box NO new
members have been found eligible. Al
- NCyS 1neTG as one 9DlSDClh Odll Al JIG IVA.
Often there are five or six. The rules Of
courtesy have sunk into desuetude. What
she end will be- no one knows; but the.
sweet serenity and universal love OF the
club are gone with the SHOWS of yester-
wear During tho holidays, several 1nem-
hers resigned. They, presumably, with
drew In bitterness and sadness Of heart
One OF them. a woman who had never.
been able 40 take the club as seriously as
st took ITSELF made a confession to her
husband. which sent him chnckling to his
club; and, though sworn to secrecy, he
told the story. She had been telling him
about the condition of strife into which
r1cr club had drifted. and hadn't allowed
.he story TO lose. in the telling.
..Sensihle little woman, 10 get out of 1t,
s,e commented, between chucllies.
..Yess. she said thoughtfuily. Then she
looked at hfrn and cin1pied. He knew
that snednt that she had been doing some
ching wrong.
tngly.
svouadn.t dare, even TO you, Jack Then
she d.mplkd some more and seemed to be:
.,arlcying ttNi,d laughter and tears.
A CONFESSION.
A~yss