The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-27
WOMEN IN CIVIL LIFE.

She Carries Her Domestic Instincts
Into Public Improvements-Chi-
cago Women Lead in Cleaning Up
the Refuse of Years.
Housekeeping has been the main &C.
cupation of women for countless thou
sands of years, and the instinct for
cleaning things up is now inherent with
them. The metamorphosis of the "old"
woman into the new is attended,
therefore, with no more alarming
symptoms in this direction than an
expansion of work and opportunities
The passion for housekeeping is car
ried out into the streets, and transfer
nations have taken place in our great
cities-even in the slums-under the
supervision of women.
Chicago has been conspicuous in
brilliant achievements along this line,
the work of her women citizens having
gained widespread commendation.
The West Side Woman's Club, the
latest to undertake this work, recently
held a great mass meeting to stimulate
interest for clean and sanitary streets.
Some of the newspapers go so far as
to advocate that the work of street i'm
provement and sanitation be officially
placed in the hands of women.
The women of South Park, Chicago,
have formed an improvement associa-
ton, to clean the filthy streets which
have failed to secure the notice of the
politicians.
At Hull House, Chicago, a club of
300 children has for it's work municipal
tidiness. While masculine commission
ers still draw fat salaries, women are
gratuitously trying to remove the
strata of dirt accumulated for years
in most of the cities.
At Bethany, Mo, the women called
a meeting in the Court House and or
ganized. Within four months the exter-
nal appearance of the town had been
| revolutionized.
The Woman's Health Protective AS
| ISOLATION of New York is struggling
| with the problem of over-crowded
| street cars. 1t also has petitioned the
councilmen to build crematories for
garbage.
In Housewife, Pa, a village society
of women built a retaining wall along
| the river constructed a river boule-
ward, bridge, fountain and a park
where once a dump of refuse and a
frog pond threatened the public health
The Civic Club (women) of Philadel-
phia induced the Common Council to
| pass an ordinance for the safeguard
ing of girls and children who walk the
streets as vendors of papers, flowers,
| etc.
Salem, Mass, through it's Woman's
| Club,has provided a bath house for wo-
men and children near Salem Willows,
| where suits and towels are furnished
free.
The New York College Alumnae are
| building club house for college grad
| yates. 1t is to be a social and literary
| center, and already is Endorsed by over
500 women.
New Bedford, Mass, is soon to have
a fine library, purchased by the Wo-
mans Club. The women already have
| collected over $4,000 for this purpose.
Philadelphia has over 1900 women in
civic offices.
The municipality of Chicago employs
| several hundred women, of whom
| Mayor Harrison says: "They are
among the most reliable workers in
the. entire city"
The State Federation of New York
has just opened a free library in the
| foothill village of Phoenicia
The declarations throughout the coun-
| try are accomplishing wonders with
travelling libraries for rural districts.
Lake Charles. Louisiana, has been
| regenerated in its drainage, it's ceme-
teries and it's sanitation by woman's
| club of 1913 members.
| The women of the Montclair, N. j.,
| Improvement Association are working
along twelve distinct lines. Especial
attention is paid to the city milk sup
| ply, street signs, drinking fountains
| and the reforming of the alnshouse.
| The State Federation of South Caro-
lima has a village Improvement, horti-
cultural and forestry department.
The sociological section of the Chel-
sea (Mass) Womans Club is work
ing with thousands of children, using
many devices to induce habits of per-