Omaha daily bee., 1905-05-21


stood by some.
Among the measures passed by the last
Minnesota legislature was one making
fathers and mothers joint guardians Of
their minor children Minnesota is the
thirteenth state in the union 20 take this
action. AS has been the case in nearly all
of the other states the law was passed at
the instigation of the Woman Suffrage as
sociation.
The girls industrial classes at Tenth
Street City mission closed their work for
the summer, with their annual celebration
yesterday afternoon. There was a program
including recitations, music and a silver
medal contest, which was followed by re-
freshments, The day was also made the oc-
casion of the opening of the play grounds
in the mission yard. Miss Magee has sue
ceeded in enlisting the interest of friends
who have converted the yard into an alto
gether credtable play ground. high
board fence has been built with enough
oaroed wire at the top to effectively ex-
clude intruders Inside there are sandpiles,
swing, croquet set, hammocks and
other devices for the children. Miss Magee
will superintend the grounds and hours
will be set for the children of different
ages.
In another part of the issue of the
paper will be found a symposium of the
legislative work undertaken and accom-
plished by the state federations of women's
clubs in the states whose legislatures con-
vened during the winter.
Among all the replies and condemna-
| tion that have been hurled at Ex-Presi-
! dent Cleveland for his recent attack upon
| Womens clubs and especially the General
Federation, II has remained for vice
| president OF that organization, through its
| ofhcial organ, the Federation Bulletin, to
| md the really charitable explanation of
! Mr Cleveland's very surprising outSurst
! And it must be a little embarrassing to
Mr. Cleveland, to say the least, that he
| is excused on the ground that he had in
| nocently permitted himself to be used as
a tool in very profitable as well as SEN
sational advertising scheme. The Bulletin
says in part:
,., The truth is that Mr., Cleveland has been
Vlctimized by one of the most cunning Of
publishers-an old trick for this particu-
Eic lar publisher. but a new role for Mr..
a source which he should have scrutinized
| much more closely. When a distinguished
M man Undertakes to write about a subject
OF Whlch he knows nothing, the more dis
nnguished the man the more ridiculous
his failure. There are thousands of men
! club thoroughly. as Mr.. Cleveland viii
doubtless find out, but, not one of them
could be induced to say what he has
Cleveland does not = Does amo Mr.. Mr.
| Cleveland object to our incessant labor
nate M sVery nd state tat FOR the the unfortu
shelter and food and employment and
what is vastly better than this, securing
nPf
means of our insistence on direct personal
association 5s,o{ under the great law OF mo
to this the defense of the legal and per- Gu
sonal rights of all employed persons and
the rights and wrongs which ignorance
stances in our federation where a single
! club spends $4,000 every year in the above
work alone. But far above these we prize
our long suit, in cooperation with others
for raising the shameful low Rmit for the
legal age of consent for girls which has
not surprised that some men arc opposed
TO our organization or even to our very
existence. for this and other such reforms
have been long and bitterly opposed by a
certain class OF men. But when we find
our work publicly traduced as "virulent
club movements which have crossed the
even tenor of the ways of womanhood "
1t seems to us a strange confession OF
selfish short sightedness as to who really
constituted the womanhood of our land
Evidently the womanhood OF the land ir
this case stands for the old feudal idea OF
tne one Sneltered lire whose serene exist.
ence must not be disturbed by the bite,
fate of millions of her fellow country.
women, and their children. who have Ions
been the helpless prey of the greed, the
lust and the neglect of unb~idled men
Finallv do We do this ito retalintt
on the men?" No doubt it must apneaI
so to some men, but they are not the kind
| of men whom we know. Does Mr.. Cleve
land need to be told that we accomplish
all these things through our husbands, ou,
brothers and our sons? Does he know tha
one-fourth of us are teachers. and all th'
did not have the sympathy Of her hus
; band and her entire family in such worl
as this would be q strange execution [,
the ordinary rule? In short does he know
ANYTHING at all about the orRaniza ito,
which he SO shamefullv troduces and I
so. where did he get his inforn,ationo w
aro accustomed tn vilfcation from p Ger
tain nameess publisher hut did no
) expect such treatment from men