Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-05
ORIGIN OF THE HOMER.

Mrs. S. NJ. Casper, now of Denver. Col,
in speaking of the inception of the Ho-
mer club said:
The idea of a club Of some kind for
mutual lelpfulness had been III my mind
for a good while and l had talked about
it with some of my friends. One day
in February. 1891 l invited several to my
house to talk it over. Among them were
Mesdames j. s. Hammond. Hoyt. Porter,
j. NJ White. Tal,ant and Blackiston."
Before this Mrs. Caspian had been in
correspondence With a friend in Boston
W no was a member of a club that with
Edward Everett Hale at its head had
become famous. This friend sent Mrs.
Casper their course of study with a list
of books Of reference. This was before
! the opening of the public library but it
was found that copies of most of the
books We're owned by different members,
therefore the course of study was adopt
ed and the work was commenced with
enthusiasm. There We're no officers eN-
cept Mrs. Carpar who called herself the
Mother of the Club No constitution,
no bylaws. and the club was governed
by four urwr.t.en rules. The first was
that each member must take her share
of the work when her turn came. The
second that unexplained absences from
six consecutive meetings would be ac-
cer,ed as a withdrawal from the club.
| The thi,d. the membership should be
limited to 20. Fourth. members must be
proposed one week preceding their cleo
ton which must he by ballot.
In addition to the ladies mentioned who
met with Mrs. Caspar to talk over the
club among the original members Were
Mesdames Shropshire. and Miller and the
Misses Bush Hammond, Grove. Matte
and Mamie Blackstone. During the
first year the following ladies also joined:
Mes7ames GrOeneveld E. W. S. Tingle
lockwood G. II. Moore. and the Misses
Darrow, Kate and Hattie Hammond and
Nette and Eva Stras sburger. AS new
, the meetings We're held on Monday
It first the lie of Grote. the author Of
the great Greek history was read then
in order to become familiar with Home~'s
historic scenes and heroes. a condensed
history 10y Greene was reviewed and the
time was fully taken up by looking ur
more carefully the important topics and
reading about them. Then began the
reading of Bryart's translation Of the
Had. Two readers ware appointed fo,
each week and the psychological charac-
ters found in the list We're assigned tc
others who gave their histories.
In March. 1892. the first anniversary
! was observed. Mrs. Caspar arranged =
programme assigning subjects TO the
| members and asked each one to say not h.
ing as to what part she would play. Mrs
! Hammond entertained the club and ar
/ elaborate repast was served during in.
! stead of after the programme. Every.
, thing was a la Gree and the occasion wa.
! strictly classic. Original poems wer,
read and the religion, the manners anc
the customs of the Greeks were dis
cussed. Miss Darrow's witty defense O
| &antirpe was one of the features of tn
afternoon
The following April the club brouch
out Anne Jenness Miller and made a fin
ancial success of it filing the opera hous
and netting over 800. The CLUB spen
this money in periodicals FOR the fire
reading room located in the basemen
of the old Lewissohn block A little Ia +
err Mrs. Caspar removed to Denver an
before her departure farewell compli
ment was given to the founder of tn
club in the form of beautiful Grecia
luncheon at the residence of Mrs HOY
The toasts and the responses given t.1a
day We're SO well worth preserving tina
. many of the club members have them +,
dav
Mrs. J. NJ. White succeeded Mrs. Cas-
par, acting in loco parents and the mee
inSs We're then held in her rooms on Par
, street. The work Of the Columbia a,
: sociation interefered seriously with til
club, the meetings being on the san
days. If the Homer club had not 20
> sessed remarkable vitality it would ha,
> died but it continued on and it is no
the oldest club in Montana.
g In October 1892 the club said farwt
: to the Greek poet and began studyi,
; the Mound Builders. In January is
- Mrs. White retired, Mrs c. H. Moore |,
= coming her successor. Ms. Moore h
5. held the office ever since and is lust @
= tering the eighth year of her servi
y In anticipation of the worlds ia
y the early explorers of America We
ID studied. Twenty minutes were spe
'e with an explorer and the remainder
rs reading Irivings history of Columb,
st The second anniversary. Mrs. Shro
shire entertained the club.
V. In the fan of 1898 Roman history W
t. taken up and a programme arrans
>. for the Tuesday club of Ann Arb
NJ Mich, was used. The reading of a t,
Is, book was discontinued and the s,
n Jects We're presented either through
j. pers or talks. From that time forw;
De- the Homer club became NOSE eXclusi
IL ly society of students. The third
Du' niversary was celebrated by the c
ISIS and its friends in listening to an i'll
ISIS tratea lecture on ancient Rome.
meeting was held at Mrs. Tho,