Times-promoter., 1902-12-12
DOING GOOD WORK.
Bill Arp Tells of What Local
Woman's Club Has Done.
Built Il Park and Founded Library
-. Philosopher Explains My
President Shot No Bear on
His Southern Trip.
(Copyrishted by Atlanta Constitution and
RepriMed w PermissioEJ

RepriMeG w PermisSioL)
I've been watching these women
these club women. For long time
l did not like the name, but L am
reccuciled. | never visited man 5
club but once. it was a gathering OF
very nice, well-behayed social gentle
men with eatableo and drlnhaLles IL
the background, but nobody par
took to excess while l was there.
The excess came afterwards, II IL
came at all, But Il woman's clu~
has neither eatables nor drinka bic.
nor cigars. OF course 1t IS IA very
social gathering, but they mean busl-
ness and they do it. Only few
years ago a few ladies of this town
determined to do something for the
town and they formed line therO-
kee Club" and soon had more mem
bers and went to work. All the
members had passed their teens and
the married ones had laid by their
crop. They secured charter and
then got lease from the city and
the state for 50 years control OF the
ground between the hotel block and
the railroad and adorned it with
grass and gravel walks and inclosed
it with chain fence and placed
handsome iron seats by the shade
trees and planted beautiful foun-
+ei~ in the nonter and peopled 1T
with Id fish. This beautiful park
is tho !-olicking ground for the chill
dren and cheerful resting place for
their tired mothers and a trysting
place for young men and maidens.
Near by the trains are passing at
all hours, and our new beautiful
passenger depot is near at hand,
where our people congregate to re-
ceiyo their friends or bid them good
by. And the club did it ALL for the
old depot would still be there if the
women had not stirred up the men
to demand another. Then these
womN. began to plant flowers and
shrut,l,ery in the schoolhOuse
grouLds, and next they started a
small library in small room, and
circ alatcd good books among our
people, and they kept on and on un-
til they got larger room and more
books, and kept it open two days in
q week, and the demand for books
soon widened to the country, and
every week they seat out four boxes
of 20 volumes each along the mail
routes, and so have established a
rural circulating library that has
proven blessing to our country
boys and girls, and the books al
ways comu back unhurt and axe sent
out on another mission. Next these
good women started sewing society
among the poorer classes in our COM
murity and are taking turns in
teaching the girls how to cut gar
ments and make them, and where
they are very poor they give them
aid and comfort. 1t is all charity.
But last of all and best of all they
have actually laid the foundation of
q club library building that will hold
thousands If books and where all the
best magazines of the country will
be taken. The city fathers gave them
a beautiful lot, and if the weather
permits the building will be finished
aud paid for and occupied in three
months. 1t viii not only be library
fDr books, but place for rest for
the travelling man as well as for our
country friends and their wives and
daughters when they come to town.
Besides these uses it is intended to
have literary and musical entertain
ments there that will be far more
elevating ANA refining than the aver
age shows that perform i'll our opera
house. These same women organized
a iyceum course for two winters and
succeeded fairly well, but to send
afSr off for lecturers costs too much
fo1 a town of this size, and SO they
are going to secure home talent and
talent from Atlanta and Rome and
Dalton and have entertainments at
popular prices, say at ten cents ad-
mission, as Prof. Proctor the great
astronomer, did up north. He told
me he never charged more in man
ufaeturing town and always gave the
working people the preference of
seats and always had a crowded
house. 1t was cheap and delightful
school to them. What these club
women will do next l do not know,
but they mean business. They mean
to elevate their own sex first, and
if the men and boys come in they
will find a welcome. | suppose that
this library building will be the first
that any club has erected in the
state, and what wish to remark and
emphasize is that there is not re-
spectacle town or village in the state