Graham guardian., 1902-01-31
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the London correspondent of the
New York Tribune, reporting the
international council of women.
! said of the speakers: "They have
neither hemmed nor hawed, like
J the noble lords who disqualified
women for service in the metro
politan council, but have spoken
with cleverness and fuency."
Some Of us read Rev. Robert
Burdette's racy letter from Rome
last winter in which he recounted
some facts concerning woman's
club in the fourth century, com.
posed of patrician Roman danes
who held their meetings in the
palace Of the noble widow Albina.
They met to study the new philo-
sophy OF Christianity, had classes
IN Greek, that they might read
the Mss. Of the teachers and his
torlans for themselves. Some even
learned Hebrew in order to get the
original flavor of the psalms.
Marcella, the daughter of Albina.
and her friend Paula, both mem
bers of the woman's club, assisted
Jerome in making the Vulgate
translation of the Bible. Melaina.
another member, went to the HOLY
Land and gave of her wealth to
feed the starving Christians there,
who We're under the ban of the
empire. When arrested she sent a
message to the proconsul asserting
her standing in the Roman world
and quoting few names Of power
before which the provincial gov
ernor trembled, and be FASTENED
to set her free. Mr.. BurIette re-
marked "The brown-gowned pill
grim who had journeyed from
Rome on club work knew enough
about practical politics to take care
OF her own rights"
The wife of an eminent Chicago
physician told me she had ioined
the woman's club to please her
husband. lie thought she needed
diversion from household cares,
and that the complete change of
thought was for her health.
Had they seen what we would
do in our clubs men would have
greeted us fraternally at the start.
They were conservative only be-
cause they felt that the welfare of
the race was in our keeping and
that too much was at stake to risk
The alntried. How could they
kn9y that we would pat smoke
cigarettes and gossip .s<I
whiskey and water a66 71||gf
feet on the table-all under sto1e<
Of our club? How could they
know that when Sorosis should be
presented with a loving cup by
sister clubs it would be filled with
roses instead of with the stuff that
moveth itself, and that at our an
nual banquets we should be "able
to dine eloquently without wine?"
CIV clubs, notably the Twen.
t;etb Canturv Of Boston, forecast
lietn century Lioh must of
the organization W. IN mus az
ford the best opportunity ar 'n
teilectual culture and social power,
and which will ultimately pl evail,
the club whose membership con-
sists of both men and women.
l know woman who confesses
that she "has no inspiration to
cook, unless there are to be men
at he FEAST" and she uncovers a
deep principle in the nature of
every normal woman. Neither
men nor women do their brightest
and best. save only as they work
with and for one another.
As nearly as we can learn men
have not expected to do serious
"club work" without us-haven't
tried. They have just eaten and
drunken and smoked, and lapsed
into prehistoric conditions while
waiting for us to grow wise enough
to cooperate with them. Just as
soon as they see what we are going
to do, and that our club duties do
not spoil us for house keeping and
homemaking they will rush to join
us, or ask us to join them, which
amounts to the same-"because it
il their N atura IN -
let no one fear. From ever
lasting to everlasting woman
guards the home She will never
leave nor forsake it, though grow
ing farther-sighted, she opens its
its windows towards every quarter
Of the heavens and places herself
in receptive and helpful touch with
the whole outlying world.
In that dusky circle where the
rays of the greater arc light of
history are lost in the shadows Of
tradition, women are seen piling
stones in fireplaces upon which to
cook their children's food. Those
carly affairs were consecrated to
home.
Nearer, in the gray light,
women are laying walls and weav-
ing thatches to shelter children.
fiose first temples were consecrat-