The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-01
&C HALL 1 join a club ?"

~ nail L Join club2"
y This question comes to nearly
every woman INF these DAYS.
sooner or later She may even be called
upon To organize a club herself Be
lore she can settle the matter. she
should consider something of the origin
aud meaning OF the club movement.
ENery such widespread impulse has its
deep causes.
One of these, ia this case. was the
constant Increase of pressure upon good
men, The number of those who are
abIe honest and Industrious is small
Yet anon them devolVes she main bur-
den of the worlds affairs
II IS plain that our educated men are
Tar too busy. 1t is the commonest of
complaints among middle-ased women
that their husbands are so tired when
they come home at night that they are
unwilling and unfit 60 attend evening
receptions or gatherings of any
kind.
And not only society" so-called, has
TO get along with little help from the
busy lawyers, doctors and business
men, but the administration of the
great private charities, many minor
municipal duties. most of the training
of the children, and the entire conduct
OF the household, have been turned
should be included i'm this list the
whole religious polity of the commune
ty-since even church officers confess
that they depend upon their wives 90
Tell them what ought TO be done in
church matters.
This IS more or less true in even
our smallest towns. And the larger
the city and the tenser the strain of
life upon the men, the more the women
Ia no u
In response to this great demand
wOmen's clubs began TO spring up about
thirty years ago. The first TO organize
and declare themselves were in New
York, Boston. Philadelphia and Chi
Cago where the work of women was
most urgently needed, and where they
found IT most essential 10 meet to-
gether for mutual helD.
The social demand came first Visit
ing and receiving became almost Who'll
~ the concern of women. The thought
ful among them felt deeply the low
mental level of the conversation dur
ing calls" and at teas and sewing
meetings Chatter about servants,
symptoms and clothes failed to satisfy.
From the whole body of earnest women
during those early days there seemed
to issue an unspoken cry tor higher
topics for thought and for falkland
for some form of gathering where such
themes must come TO the front.
This was one great inspiration of the
club movement, and is still one of its
most powerful supports.
oh, what does il amount to-?
sheer the cynical. You hear a half
baked essay on Matthew Arnold and
go home and read his poems and his
mean old impressions Of America, OF
his Literature and Dogma and a
month later YOU forget most of what
YOU heard and read. How much better
is all this than baking tarts or turning
sheets?'
Such remarks are actually made.
The only Teply to be made is thai
while tarts and sheets should receive
a proper share OF every WOman's atten-
lion. and while one cannot hope 10 ge
"a thorough knowledge of any author
from a single half baked essay and {
few hours of reading, yet "A littl,
thought on such a subject is better thar
nOne-and many women would not sc
even that unless they belonged to {
club.
1t is the change from ordinary topics
the suggestion for new, impersona
and elevatiug thought, which is one
chief element I'm the value of the Wo-
mans club. For a few moments th5
weary, bewildered mother and house
keeper. and the tired teacher can for