Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-11-13
CREATING LITERATURE.
The Work of the Monday Evening
Club of Raleigh.
Its Members Active in Promoting the Or
sanizatiou of tho North Carolina state
Literary Society Movement to Make
Raleigh n Lite rary Center.
(From the raleigh Posi- ,

\rTolIl the ltalelgh POSt.)
Some cynical soul has said: IF YOU
wish to keep a secret put it in the
minutes" and doubtless the advice
holds good except. perhaps, in the case
of an occasional one more literally en-
dowed with curiosity than his fellows.
However this may be, L have been ex-
aiming the minutes of the Monday
Evening Club with pleasure and profit.
l find that with the exception Of the
literary societies connected with the
schools 1T is the oldest of all the many
clubs which of late years have come
upon our city and more or less enlist
ed every woman in the noble army of
Self-improvement.
But here this club stands out in
unique contrast to every other 1t has
in 1t Il goodly number of men who in
part shape and control its destiny OF
THIS L am glad. 1t may in some small
degree aliay the fears of one of our
most learned professors, who lamented
IN the lecture room some months since
mat the women already knew so
much more than the men that tho
danger was that they would soon cease
TO be willing to marry their intellect
ual interiors, and that the good old
custom OF matrimony would go out of
iaShion.' To see how we'll grounded
thls lear is, one has but to read the
society column of any Sunday morning
paper and find the women discussing
everything from the creation of matter.
to the last new book. while the men
are only conspicuous by their absence.
FROM the first the Monday Evcnin.
CLUB set its influence against this new
evil OF our times, L took for it's I'M
spoken motto, with apologies to Gold
smith:
Woe to the State to fastening ills a
prey,
Where women know it all and rule the
day.
But testing aside. This club has a
history of which the capital city should
be proud In March. 1894. Prof. d. II.
Hill, Miss Eliza Pool and others, TO
quote from the minutes, issued call
for the organization of literary So
ciety. In response to that call num-
Der of Indies and gentlemen met in the
State library on the 18th of that month
and the club was organized with Prof.
Hill as it's president. Since that date
It's lift and growth has been uninter-
rupted. Indeed SO steadily has it grown
that its present membership must be
between hundred and fifty and two
hundred, the attendance often rising to
nearly half the latter number. Among
its membership are our most diStin-
guished lawyers, professors. teachers
and highest State officials and daugh-
tiers, many Il budding author who is
now to burst into the full blossom OF
popularity. For this year marks an
epoch in the clubs history.
After six years OF study along the
usual lines of literary work, handling
subjects now grave, now gay telling
what this one has written and that one
hoped or discovered this winter Is to
be given TO the original work of it's
members. In other words thee AIonday
Evening Club has become aIi1authors
club, with only n few ordinary mortals
who cannot write let in to applaud
those who can.
A brilliant beginning was made in
the first meeting of the fall, when
North Carolina's three most dstin-
guished poets, Professors Stockard and
Sledd and Mr.. Theo. Hill, gave an au-
thor's reading. The next meeting.
which will be held at the home of Mrs.
j. NJ. Heck, on the third Monday of
this month, will be made deeply inter-
esting by the debut of less known
writer's. The plans for the winter is
the writing OF n composite novel.
whose subject it is whispered, will be
some epoch in North Cardinals history.
the reading OF short original stories,
character sketches and poems, prizes
being offered for the latter.
Indeed there can be but little doubt
but that the winter will mark n liter
airy epoch in Raleigh's history. And
here 1t would certainly not be out of
place to mention that while the State
Library -AssiciatiaR,-s auspiciously
begun during the late fair. Is not d.
rect outgrowth OF the Monday Evening
CLUB, 1t had for it's prime movers those
who have been most closely identified
with It's life and growth While the
new organization undertakes to en-