The Minneapolis journal., 1901-10-18
.Woman's
TO RAISE THE WIND
Women's Clubs Would Tax Public
Utilities.
HOW TO MAKE BEAUTY SPOTS
OwatOnna Convention Largest and
Best In the History of the
Federation.
From a stan Correspondent.

Il
sofa Federation of Women's CLUBS closed
its largest and most significant convention
last night with an enjoyable program on
the material and artistic betterment OF
| the state. The speakers were Mrs. Conde
Hamlin Of st. Paul, president Of the Civic
League and chairman of the town and
village improvement committee of the
state federation, and Mrs. Henrietta Oh
berg of Albert Lea, an authority on the
fax and linen industry.
| Mrs. Hamlin told her audience that inn
provement work could not be an exotic
growth but must be nourished by the spirit
of the people She saw In the improve
ment work now interesting public-spirlted
people, the forerunner Of a national art
whose lack had been deplored in the art
program Of the afternoon. She consid-
cred town Improvement under the head
! ings of site, plan, construction or public
works, and educational and social facili-
| ties The address was illustrated by
lantern slides which made clear the nat
ural advantages of many Minnesota towns
and the way those have been neglected or
improved. Many of the slides were OF
st. Paul scenes, but the improvements of
Northheld, Saltwater and other towns
were shown. as well as the bad conditions
| of others. The possibilities of river
banks, back yards and street lawns, as
beauty spots were shown, also the sur
roundings of railway stations. On the
financial side, Mrs. Hamlin urged strong
ly the taxation Of pubic utilities as
means of furnishing funds.
Flax Industry for Minnesota.
Mrs. Olberg, after outlining the general
history of the fax fiber industry pointed
out why it had declined In America, say
| ing that there had been no introduction
Of suitable machinery to correspond with
the improved methods Of manufacturing
wooden and cotton goods. This has kept
the price Of linen goods high giving only
limited market for the product. The
solution of the problem is to perfect ma
chinery which will enable America to
compete with European linen-produclng
countries and which will reduce the price
of the finished product until 1t shall be
within the reach Of all. There Is great
demand now for the fibre for export, as it
is with difficulty that the linen making
countries are supplied with raw material
and this is the first thing to be considered.
There have been some advances made
within few years in preparing the fibre
quickly and cheaply and others are i'm
pending which will enable the farmers to
receive good prices for the millions of tons
of fax straw now burned every year. AS
Minnesota is one of the largest fax grow
| ing states Of the country, peculiarly
adapted to fax culture, it Is question
of great Importance here. The fibre
produced is equal If not superior to any
| in the world, and the question Is wholly
one Of cheap handling. A Philadelphia
| linen manufacturer was quoted as declar-
| ing that the place where the flax grows Is
the place for the linen industry and that
ultimately the west would find this one OF
the most important factors In it's economic
L do nd
fibre is now being used to some extent In
paper pulp, tow and cordage and these
coarser uses will be gradually enlarged
and developed into finer grades of manu-
factured goods.
New Officers Presented.
The new officers were then presented by
Mrs. Williams, who said in introducing
! her successor, Mrs. E. M. La Penottere,
| that In her term of service she had tried
| to establish no precedent which would
embarrass those who should follow her
and that she had tested fully the truth OF
the lines "Give to others the best that
you have, and the best will come back to
you"
| Mrs. La Pentoiere has made most IA
vorable impression by her self control
under trying circums stances, her modest
depreciation Of herself, her happy faculty
| Of saying appropriate things, and her
willingness to serve the federation with
| out thought of her own convenience and
wishes. Her brief remarks showed the
admirable spirit in which she accepted
| the office so Unexpectedly thrust upon her
and which had been urged for the good OF
| the organization. 81 am relying strongly
on the women Of the federation" she said,
land I feel that I am relying on safe
| support. l feel that / cannot fail with
such able assistance and encouragement as
| I expect to receive from the officers and
membership"
Delegates to Los Angeles.
Yesterday afternoon the following nom
| nations of delegates for the Los Angeles
biennial Of the General Federation were
reported by Mrs. w. E. Bramhall as fol-
| lows:
Mrs. E. NJ. La Penotiere president; Mrs.
Lydia Phillips Williams, Minneapolis, ex-
president; Mrs. W. B. Mitchell, st. Cloud,
vice presIdent-at-large; Mrs. j. L. Washburn,
| Duluth, general federation secretary, and the
| following district vice presidents: Miss Ella
| Young, Albert Lea; Mines. c, E. Conant,
Wells H. A. Tomlinson, st. Peter; G. A.
| Dibble st. Paul; DR.. Workman, Tracy; M.
| B. Greeley, Pine City; G. o. Welch, Fergus
| Falls.
! This distributes the representation very
fairly geographically, each district being
represented. Miss Margaret J. Evans OF
Mortified is already delegate by virtue
Of her Office in the General Federation.
The alternates are similarly distributed
by districts and are: Mines W. Q. Eustls,
| Owatonna; Griffith, Sleepy Eye; H. D.
| Chase, Faribault; Conde Hamilton, st.
Paul; c. B. Elliott, Minneapolis E. J.
| Lewis, ]. Karn, Ortonville; E. S. Reed,
| Anoka: Mrs. S. G. Cornstock, Moorhead
Mrs H. A. Tuttle, Minneapolis.
Committees for the Year.
The following list of standing commit
| tees was reported by Mrs. M. B. Greeley:
| Town and Country Improvement-Mrs. AL
yah Eastman, st. Cloud; Mrs. e. B. Sperry
Newport; Mrs. Workman, Tracy; Mrs Mat
thews, Marshall; Mrs. H. n Horle, Pine City
Mrs. Conde Hamlin, St. Paul; Mrs, Percy
Lord, Owatonna.
Art-Miss Henrietta Clopath, Professor Ma
ria Sanford, Minneapolis; Mrs. George Met
calf, St Paul; Mrs. r. N. Marble, Duluth
Mrs c. A. Burbank, st, Cloud; Mrs. L. P
Hunt Mankato.
Libraries-Mrs c. E. Conant Wells; Mrs r
L. Gale, st. Cloud; Mrs ]. A. Johnson, St
Peter; Mrs. G. A. Merrill, Owatonna; Miss
Gratia Countryman, Minneapolis; Miss Ly-
dia Porrier, Duluth.
Constitution-Mrs. E. NJ. La Penotiere. Mrs
H. A. Tuttle, Mrs. G. S. Grier Merriam Park
/
oils; Mrs w. E. Bramhall, special subcom-
mittee on national park and forestry.
| Printing-Mrs. G. M. Loring, Minneapolis
Mrs w. F. Graves, st. Paul.
Music-Miss Nellie Hope, st. Paul; Mrs
L. d. Frost, Wnona; Mrs. G. E. Kicker
Miss Jean Wakeman, Minneapolis; Miss C.
| L. Hilton, Fergus Falls.
Household Economics-Mrs. ]. d. Morrison
Duluth; Mrs. H. L. Stark St. Peter; Mrs
I n
Shepard St. Anthony Park; Mrs. L. NJ
Wirner, Marshall.
| Mothers Clubs-Mrs. T. ]. Albeit, Anoka
| Mrs q L Hunt ST Paul. Mrs G. i CaH.