The San Francisco call., 1904-07-05

Club have set for themselves has
had justice done TO il in such accounts
OF the club as have been sent TO the
United States since its opening the
other day. Probably it has been stated
that the Lyceum starts with a larger
membership and finer clubhouse
than any other woman's club in the
world, and no doubt a good deal has
been said regarding the striking
y large number of distinguished
women-both in this country and the
United States-whom Miss Constance
Smedley, the bright girl who conceived
the idea Of the Lyceum Club. has sue
ceeded in interesting in the project.
The LyceUm is. Of course. open to
professional women of every nation
and aims 10 do for its members a lot
Of services such as no social organiza-
tiOn-whether made up OF men or
women-ever has undertaken before:
but the scheme of the young authoress
who founded il goes a good deal far
ther than that.
Ny ideal" said Miss Smed1ey to
the writer the other day, is a union
OF intellectual women workers the
world over which viii advance the in
terests Of ali Of them. That the Ly-
ceum Club starts and for the pres
ent has its chief headquarters in Lon
don is merely accidental-though we
hope 10 make our clubhouse here a
meeting ground for women workers of
every nationality. as well as a sort of
clearing house for their work. Our
hope is to have. eventually, Just as
pretentiOus quarters and equal facili-
ties for aiding members in New York
and the other great capitals"
A woman's trade union" some one
called the Lyceum in my. hearing a
few days ago. and that really sums it
an up. When Miss Smedley's idea of
an international club for feminine
writers. artists. musicians and other
intellectual workers was first mooted
il attracted no end of attention and
no sooner was ii known that Lady
Frances Balfour, the Prime Minister'S
sister-in-law, had become its chair
man, and Mrs. Moberly Bell. wife Of
the editor of the Times. its vice chair
man, and that half of the intellectual
women IN this country, including Mrs.
Thomas Hardy. Mrs. Craigie. Miss
Beatrice Harraden, Mrs. Humphrey
Ward and Mrs. Flora Annie Steel. were
in the clubs provisional committee
applications for membership came in
almost as fast as they could be record
ed. No small number Of them came
from the United States. and every
other civilized country i'm the world.
including China. was represented. too.
At the outset it had been decided
that the essential qualification for
membership in this club should he
active work for pay on the part of an
applicant the idea being 10 exclude
fashionable amateurs and beginners
who had so far shown no special prom
ise. and this rule has been adhered TO.
with the result that over 80 per cent of
-hcse applying were rejected The list of
members includes the names of two
Duchesses, several COuntesses and a
few Ladies, il is true, but each of them
is an actual woman worker For in
stance. the Duchess of Sutherland and
her Grace Of Leeds are both authors
1Se the Countess OF Aberdeen's work
= 5too well known to need any COM
ment. Mrs. Langtry's daughter, Jeanne.
is now, as Mrs. Ian Malcolm, one OF
the foremost liberal hostesses. but she
is a member Of the Lyceum Club solely
because she comDoses songs that get
published. The Countess Feodore
Gleichen. another OF the titled MEM
bers. paints and sells pictures. The
only exception to the clubs rule is
made in the case of the wives of distin-
guished men, and we have two Of these