Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-18
Pen and Picture Pointers

~ 1OROSIS was born in March, 1868,
Alice Cary, Jennie June" Croly
- and a few kindred spirits being
ix@4T8I its godmothers and sponsors. 1t
- was probably far from their
thoughts then that ;he idea represented
should reach to its present proportions, but
1t Is equally probable that none Of them
were gifted with prcscionce or had the
gift of prophecy. 1t doesn't take the aver
age woman long to make up her mind
when she wants a thing. and the club
movement, so quietly begun i'm New York
has grown to be contincnt-wide and Is
even spr, ad ng beyond seas. Those wo men
who met first informally to debate their
Cwn affairs have seen the expansion Of the
original thought until it has taken on the
Importance of a factor in the economy of
mankind. Any sceptic on this point has
only to consider the fact that some thou
sands OF women recently Iourueyod to Cali
fornia to attend a session Of the General
Federation Of Womcn's Clubs. Many Of
these delegates came from the New Eng
land states, as far away as possible in this
country from southern California. 1t was
certainly more than mere curiosity or a
desire to take a train ride that induced
these women to travel entirely across the
continent. The importance of the club TO
the Kingdom Of Women must be admitted,
even by men.
.
At its recent session the General Fedora
tion OF Women's Clubs had several i'm.
Tortant matters to settle, among them the
drawing OF the color line, which was
drawn; the consideration of a proposition
to Teorganize along lines which would take
the unit OF power out of the hands of the
individual clubs and vest it in the state
federations, which place was duly re-
Jected; to accept n new charter, which
was found hardly big enough to Mt; to de-
eide on a memorial for the Louisiana Pur-
chase exposition, which was voted down.
and to do several other things, which en-,
gendered just enough OF friction to show
That woman knows how to manipulate her
own politics In her own way. and finally
to elect officers, Mrs. Denies 7. Dcnison
OF New York, president Of Sorosis, was
chosen president Of the General Federation
after much preliminary di3cussion, during
which Mrs. Sarah s. Decker of Denver and
Mrs. Robert j. Burdettc Of San Francisco
were much talked of as rival candidates
against Mrs, Denlson. by adroitly playine
one western woman against the other, the
eastern delegates succeeded in securing
the honor for their candidate. Mrs. Deni-
son was vice president, having been elected
at Milwaukee,, and acted as president dur
ing much of the term owing to the Illness
OF Mrs. Lowe OF Georgia, the president.
Mrs. Denison brings to the office the knowl-
edge Of club affairs gained during long
connection with Sorosis and the General
Federation, and executive ability Of high
order. Mrs. Decker, on whom the western
women finally united and who withdrew
In favor of Mrs, Denison, is well known as
one OF the ablost OF leaders among the
club women Of the country. She was for
term after term elected to preside over the
affairs OF the Woman club of Denver, ami
has attended as a delegate all Of the bien,
NAL sessions of the General Federation.
where her ability ana tact have had much
to do with the shaping OF legislation ana