The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-05-14

Among the thousands of wo6erfs
clubs throughout this broad land the
general theme OF conversation is the
great Milwaukee biennial, which 4:
now but four weeks distant.
Concerning this signal event the
Club Woman publishes the following:
Milwaukee will be one great open
house 10 the biennial convention OF the
General Federation of Women's Clubs
in June, and everybody is saying that
IL Will be the greatest gathering, be-
cause the attendance OF fifteen hun
dred at Denver Ut is tacitly admitted)
will probably be doubled in Milwaukee.
owing 10 the more advantageous To-
cation. Indeed, 5000 Is the limit set by
Milwaukee women, who are cheerfully
doing all the preparations necessary
for such an affair as they are TO be
hostesses. The general list of speakers
selected. by the program committee is
an extremely promising one. Names
like those OF Miss Alice French (Oc-
tave ThaneD. Mrs. Hamlin Garland.
Mrs. Lydia Conley Ward, Mrs. Robert
j. Burdette and Mrs. Kate Upson
Clarke stand for a program which
shall interest in a dozen lines and
mean much to women in the fedora
tion and out. The Wisconsin State
Federation of Womens clubs will
open headquarters i'm the Plankington
House clubroom during the biennial.
where all visiting club women will be
cordially welcomed.
THE federation hopes that it's guests
VIII use this room as place for rest,
for appointments and correspondence.
The art committee will keep open
house at the Milwaukee public library
(arD rooms each afternoon and even
ing during the convention. The Mil
waukee College Endowment Associa-
ton will be at home in the Planking-
ton house parlor every afternoon dur
ing biennial week. Tea will be served
from until 6 o'clock. The athenaeum.
where the Tuesday afternoon recep-
tion will be held, is a charming and
artistic building near the lake, known
10 most club women as the first build
ing in the United States to be erected
by board of women for women. 1t is
artistically decorated and furnished,
and viii be open TO guests every morn
ing and afternoon during biennial
week. Milwaukee Downer College will
keep open house and the faculty will
receive guests every morning and af-
ternoon during biennial week. The
Colonial Danes and Daughters of the
American Revolution will be at home
at tho hotel Pfister every afternoon
during the biennial from to 6 o'clock.
The Deutscher Club, where the gar
den fete will be held. is the palatial
home of the late u. s. Senator John
Mitchell and is an immense house
with a great ball room and spacious
grounds. These will be brilliantly illu-
minated and there will be an orchestra
concert ON the balcony. Before the
Deutscher Club is the boulevard of
Grand avenue. faced by two handsome
churches and a large hotel This boule-
ward will be specially illuminated and
set with pillars for the Milwaukee
annual carnival, which will follow
the biennial and the illuminations of
lne court of honor. as II is called in
carniva time. Will be In place and IL
lr~-'nated tho nio'et of the fete"
The biennial will open on Monday
morning, June 4, and will continue un-
iii Saturday afternoon. June 9.The first
and most important questions TO come
before the biennial will be the subject
or REORGANIZATION of the General
Federation" Among the many other
subjects which will be discoursed up
on, by able and distinguished speakers
will be the following: Cooperation
Earning Women" industrial Condi-
tions Affecting Women and Children"
''The City Beautiful;" The Common
Sense of Domestic Science;" THE
Newspaper Woman" "A Plea for
Civil Services" Vacation Schools"
Social Settlements The Lunch
Club" Mutual Benefit Funds"
The Possibilities of Sculpture in our
Cities and Towns" Ethics of Work."
'The Consumers League" etc. Aside
from these scheduled subjects of lec-
lures and discussions, there will be
meetings devoted TO the business of
the great convention. when reports OF
state presidents and state chairmen Of
correspondence will be heard; also re-
ports covering every department Of
work OF the c. r. w. G.. The report of
the nominating committee and the
election Of officers will occupy the
closing meetings OF the convention.
The social side Of the biennial will be
preeminent. and with this end in view
scores OF receptions, both public and
private. have been planned. Side ex-
cursions also will delight hundreds of
visiting club women for. as one writer
expresses II, there are enough beau
tiful places in the state TO keep the
guests busy and happy for weeks after
the biennial"
Among our Rhode Island clubs an
especially helpful and interesting meet
ing was that of the Providence Moth
ers' club, held on Monday In the at
tractive lecture room OF the new pub
lie library Here a large audience or
club women greeted Mrs. Gertrude
Rugg Field. who spoke on the prolific
and helpful subject OF Literature for
Little Folks"
."Ten me what a child reads" said
Mrs. Field. land 1 will tell you what
kind OF a man he will make" Mrs.
Field then spoke OF the great respons-
sbility resting upon parents and teach
ers in the choice and supervision of
children's reading. Fiction has changed
So" she said. that the libraries OF to-
day have had to have a complete house
cleaning OF the older books to make
rom for the new. There Is IN chill
dren's reading mater a complete trans
formation. Child study with its dis
cussions and discoveries has demand
ed this overthrow. The origin OF the
good old Juvenile literature was un-
der quite different circumstances than
that OF the modern writer's who are
much better equipped for their respons-
1ble writings. Originality is now de-
manded by the child" .irs. Field
thought that children's tastes should
be consulted In the choice of the kind
Of reading they most enjoy. IF they
do not enjoy fairy tales" she said. ''dC
not press them upon them. but III they
enjoy them, encourage the reading oi
thar, and fhQ aat,aa vrffb hiotorv a apf