Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-04-21
DISTRICT CONVENTION.
Federated Women's Clubs Hold Successful
Meeting.

/ by the Tuesday Musical club which had
prepared quite an extensive program
for. the occasion, while Cones orchestra
assisted The $50 or 800 guests present
| were served with buffet luncheon and
the visitors were highly pleased with
their reception.
| The Wednesday morning session was
! opened by Mrs. j. B. Ramsey, of Med
| ford, who sang in a charmingly way q
solo entitled ITO Possess Thee"
| Miss Elizabeth Gaynor, of Grand
Rapids had chosen for subject The
| Ruling Passion" in which she discussed
the craze existing at the present time
for the latest works in fiction. She
made suggestions, which if entered in
to by club women might be fruitful in
} raising the standard of the books
sought by the reading public.
A paper written by Mrs. A. w. San
born, of Ashland entitled "Club Eli
quette'' was read by the secretary, Miss
/ Myra Kennedy, of Rib Lake Itorfered
many timely and interesting sugges
tions and set forth many of the faults oi
club women, enumerating tardiness
whispering. gossip of an unflattering
nature, unkind criticism of papers
which do not interest them, and last
but not least, the inseparable compan
ions at all conventions of tardiness and
rustling of silk petticoats.
Mrs. j. H Francis, of Medford, in hel
discussion of The Limited Club; Is il
| Advisable in Small TOWN." did not
favor the limitation of clubs member
! ship, and was of the belief that the
scope of the efforts which should re-
doand from club, were hampered in a
limited club. Mrs. Richard Powers,
of Mosinee, presented another side to
the question and raised the argument
that under some conditions, especially
in the smaller towns, limited clubs
must of necessity be held to in order
that the greatest good may be accom-
plished.
The two papers following "Out
Door Art'' by Mrs. d. E. Roberts,
of Milwaukee, and Care and Cultiva
! ion OF Lawns" by Mrs. Edith Alban
Lewis, of Rhinelander, were SO full OF
practibility and suggestions as to the
beautfying of the homes surroundings
that they were accorded the utmost at
tention and will be helpful to many.
Between the Lines at Stone River
a classical and elecutionary reading by
Mrs. +. |. Drake, of Amigo, was very
entertaining and was enthusiastically y
received
The session was closed by Miss L. Z
| Stearns, of the state Library Commits
sion, whose paper was entitled "What
of it?'' Hers was considered by all as
one of the gems of the convention and
we regret that we have not the space to
more fully comment upon it.
Wednesday afternoon Karl Mathie,
Supt of the city schools, discussed the
value of a kindergarten and explained
how to get one in a small town. He
afterward held conference with sew
eral ladies who are interested in this
| work and who are desirous of securing
such departments in the schools of their
home towns.
Music and drawing in Public
Schools was cleverly and thoughtfuIly
presented by Mrs A. Chave, of Toma-
hawk At this juncture the visiting
ladies were taken on visit to the
schools, returning in Swo hours and up
on re-assembling the program was
again taken up by Miss Rosalia Bohrer,
assistant principal of the county train
ing school for teachers.
The paper upon Expansion of Rural
Life Thru the County Training School"
read by Miss Bohrer, urged the neces-
sity of broadening of rural life thru the
education of the child in his impressive
years She emphasized the feasibility
of carrying out as fully as possible the
plans of those educators denominated
the committee of twelve who were ap
pointed in 1895 for the purpose of in
vestigating the rural school problem.
The suggestions of that committee were
urged regarding the making of the
actual and living environment the con-
Meeting link between the child's present
and future life. The teaching of prac
teal as well as scientific physical ge-
ography, arithmetic, agriculture and
even literature would secure that re-
suit Such results could best be secured
thru the medium of training school
whose sole mission was to prepare
teachers for rural schools, as the state
rcr114al schools had in no wise been able
to supply the large demand for such
teachers. Reference was made to the
| important position which the agricul
tural and domestic science county
schools occupied IN connection with the
training school in the expansion of
rural life. The telephone, electric ear,
and free rural mail service were also
recognized as great Instruments of prog
ress in that direction. The great con-
centration of business might tend in
the future to rob even the present over
| worked country woman of the part
which she now performed in the line of
butter making, cheese making, fruit
canning, aud laundrying and reduce
| her to a state of degeneracy because no
| longer necessary factor in economic
production New intellectual and physi-
cal fields must therefore be opened to
her chiefly thru the present efforts OF
| the schools mentioned, that the strength
of both men and women of the rural
districts who replenish the cities might
! be preserved. Quotations were given
| from Olive Schreiuer who has so ably,
reasonably, and scientifically treated
| the subject of the causes OF parasitism
of woman and the consequent degener-
acy of the whole race as exemplified in
the history of all time.
/ Miss Emma Conley's paper on "Scien-
titic and Economic Housekeeping, was
of-the utmost importance To the ladies',
and brought out the following truths
/ All over the country, schools and uni
versities have come TO the realization
that something important, essential and
vital has been lacking in our educa-
| tioual system for girls aud new courses
have been added TO complement and
supplement the old This study, called
| domestic science, assumes that a
woman is responsible for the home and
that she must be educated to meet this
responsibility.
Our educational system has been arti-
| fetal, has lacked definite purpose. II
must be made practical and Mt girl
not for the pleasures of life alone but
for its duties. The natural instinct oi
a girl is homemaking This instinct
must be developed aUd not curbed by
making her the aggressive, ambitious
/ strong minded bread winner OF
society's butterfly with a few superficial
4 accomplishments
There must be more definite plan
4 of life and of education. Household
duties must be made lighter and home
keeping made SIMPLER by the elimIn
alton Of much that is now considered
necessary to hold an artificial position
in society Too many lives are yeneered
Studies made in the causes of poverty
4 crime and drum nkenness show that i'm
proper food, bad cooking and IN