The courier., 1901-11-09


power of the ballot.
Secondly. believe that in the long
run, IL not at once. the growing intel
ligence and conscientiousness of wo-
mems vote will vastly strengthen the
good influences which are working to
improve the control Of our schools.
Thirdly. we do not believe in demo-
cratic government merely To save
trouble. risk and expense. A despotism
might do this. We believe in our form
of government because II is a constant
discipline of manhood and womanhood.
To accept responsibility. TO take large
and generous views Of public affairs.
to rule out favoritism and prejudice
and to decide questions with fairness,
good will and Observation-Disclosures
practice develops and ennobles men: IL
makes a robust citizenship; it Consti-
tutes civilization. | believe that this
splendid training is just good for
women as II is for men. 1t is needfui,
also. in order that the woman shall be
mans true helpmeet."
Even young club women can remem-
ber the time when the woman's club
was nothing If not literary: when the
work of the club was confined to the
writing of essays and the ransacking
of encyclopedias. and when such a
thought as public work never entered
a club wOman's head. 1t was in these
early days that the newspapers found
NJ, oh "A nira iart fnr
caricature. But. like many other move
ments, the wOman's club has passed
the stage of caricature, and has
reached the point where it demands re-
spectful and dignified consideration.
A record of womans club work dur
ing the present year reads like a tale
of fairy godmothers-vacatiOn schools.
free kindergartens. curfew laws. mar
riage and divorce laws. women placed
on school boards, vacation play
grounds, travelling libraries, civil ser
vice reform. household science. village
Improvement. mothers meetings. hos
pitfalls. homes for children. social pur-
ity work. free scholarships for poor
students. industrial schools. Industrial
farms, public health. temperance. Jail
and hospital wOrk-what is it that the
club woman is not interested in and
working for?
1t is noticeable that club work. as it
is understood now. says the Record
Herald, includes every variety former
ly done by the much-reviled woman
he hair
man suffragist." In ceasing to be pure
ly literary the club had to become
something else, and such was and is
the spirit of the time that ii had to
become progressive. 1t is never likely
to be less progressive than ii now is,
and municipal and state governments
are likely to feel the power of organ
lied wOmanhOOd more and more as
woman herself realizes this power and
grows skilled in it's use.
Last year the Indiana federation had
four bills in the legislature; Illinois and
Wisconsin federatiOns were busy with
the legislature all winter; legislative
work is a prominent feature with the
Alabama clubs; the New Orleans club
woman is a most adorable type of the
political worker; the Kentucky fedora
ton is interested in Forestry" a sub
ject that carries with it opportunity for
much legislative work; and one of the
most conservative clubs in Kentucky
"a club so conservative that it stays
out of the federation for fear of getting
too progressive and advanced-recently
enlarged it's borders by petitioning the
town council to pass a stock law pro-
hibiting stock from roaming the streets
and destroying the shrubbery. And