The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-18
RECORD OF STATE-FEDERATlON
STANDING COMMITTEE REPOR rs GIVEN AT SET
FORTH THE AIMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE CLUB
WOMEN IN MINI. IN liza NY AND VARIED ACTIVITIES

is lost sight of that the state takes care
of it's male offenders without question as
to their origin. Mrs. Welch showed by
| the testimony Of experts that there Is
need of reformatory and that the few
convictions Of crimes and misdemeanors
involving sentences to prison are due to
a pernicious manner Of dealing with fe-
male wrong doors. The adoption of the |
recommendation of the committee COM |
mits the state federation to use its best |
efforts to overcome the legal obstacles and
to secure a state reforma tory for women.
Working for Education.
The report of the committee on edu-
cation was an especially interesting one, |
showing the appreciation of the club wo-
men Of educational needs. The report
prepared by Mrs c. L. Atwood Is given
In part:
Never were educational and culture
movements so active. Never before have
women so successfully converted into
noble achievement their energy and aspi- |
ration to assist in this upward trend The
reports from the various clubs are most
inspiring. The thirst for knowledge, the
thought that a broader grasp of prin-
ciples and conditions precedes the highest
forms of usefulness still makes the purely
study clubs far outnumber those during
altruistic educative work. Programs in
dictate steady growth in concentration
and power gratifying number of
clubs have come to realize that to rest
content with their own acquisitions with
out trying to convert their increased ca
pacity into some worthy form of activit-
is to evade their responsibility to society.
AS result large number of clubs re-
port the appointment of committees to
visit schools and report on points they
find to commend and supplement, thus
bringing about that highly desired closer
relationship between home and school.
Parents meetings, mothers meetings
have been held in many schools, the con-
ditions, the aims and the needs Of the
school talked over and sympathetic CO.
operation has resulted. Sometimes
piano has been purchased, a beautiful
picture bought or needed additions made
to the school library.
THAT important line Of work. manual
training, has everywhere been heartily
encouraged, some clubs reporting assist
ing both by money and work. Minnesota
has reason to be very proud Of what her
schools have achieved in this department, |
and women alive to the moral as we'll as
the intellectual value Of the subject have
earnestly striven to create a strong
public sentiment for its general introduce |
ton.
Another vital line of work has been to |
secure good literature for the children. A
revised and classified list of books pre-
pared by Miss Lawrence of the committee
has just been issued and is ready for dis
tribution.
Fine educative work is reported done
by clubs establishing entertainment
courses, some Of the numbers being for
chlldren OF all ages, at Chapman's Lee |
ture on Birds. The best possible talent
Is thus given a community at nominal
COST
whole program was devoted to house, |
Mrs
made the report of the standing commit
tee and then took the chair. Mrs. Winner
thought women were not undertaking
their responsibilities in the proper man
agement of the home and were coming to
an understanding that feminine instinct is
not sufficient for competent home-mak- |
ing. Mrs. c. H. Sibley of Worthington
discussed with practical wisdom "Our
Future Homemakers' She inquired: "Is
1t reasonable for women to undertake
the responsibilities Of wifehood without
training to fulfill them?'' She approved
of education for lf-support as training
In self-reHance which Is apt to be lack
ing. The independent woman will make
more deliberate and wiser choice of
husband and her training and position will
remedy early marriages and their evils.
Miss Jean Poirier Of Duluth, in the con-
sideration Of Mechanical Helps in Our
Homes" thought women too conservative
| in trying labor saving contrivances, and
thought it belonged to educated women to
determine what were helps and what
hindrances to the greatly moderated duty
of being happy. A treatiese on domestic
service from the view point Of the state
labor bureau giving deductions for an in
vestigation conducted was read This
! rather put a damper on training girls to be
! financial, Independent and self-support-
| ing and would make domestic training
| precede training for wage-e earning.
| A lively discussion followed In which
| the women tried once more to solve the
| reason for the unpopularfty Of domestic
! service and the social degradation at
| tached to it. Professor Maria L. Sanford
| accounted for the contempt felt for do
| nestle servise by saying that women
were ashamed to do their own Homework
! and until they were willing to do all kinds
| Of work their strength will permit, when
| the need of their services arose, the maids
will feel that domestic labor is ignoble
and demeaning. One bright little wom-
| an told of studying her servants more
| closely than her friends and entering
| into their feelings and interests. Having
given a party herself requiring much extra
| and faithful service from her until she
| turned her house over to the maid to en-
| terrain her friends without restraint.
Needless to say, this thoughtful mistress
| always has a maid ready to step into 80
pleasant a situation after she marries off
| one after another.
| Miss Jessie Mercer, secretary of the
MINNEAPOLIS Servant Girls Union, spoke
on an evening program, giving in a dign1-