Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-05-20

lou are right, my dear, she said
Especially if you feel that way. Ii you
have thought it all out and decided for
yourself, it is not for us to attempt to
dissuade you. l believe in clubs for
women; | believe in the work they are
doing. But l believe too many women
are OVERRIDING the thing; and you GER
tainly have nearly wrecked your home
life by an almost insane passion for ex-
element and the froth of club life"
THAT is the point, Mrs Henry" ad.
mitted. 1T was only the froth and the
excitement that / wanted. cared moth
ing for the actual accomplishment of
real good to the community. And. in
my humble opinion, neither do nine
tenths of the club women in this coun-
| try. But that doesn't concern me. What
does, is the fact that club life has so
| nearly wrought disaster in my home. |
am going to be genuinely happy without
clubs now"
81 shall stand by you," Mrs Henry
went on. I'm fact, | am glad to see one
woman with the courage Of her convic-
tions. What we need is women with
more courage; the American woman must
be honest with herself, which means the
doing of those things which are worth
many beautiful things to see, and has so
many great and uplifting projects reach
ing out for the hand of women to do, is
not the time for the American woman
TO be dishonest with herself, untrue to
her best instincts, and unmindful of her
uneAampled opportunities to strengthen
her own life and the lives which she can
make greater by making her own greater
and better III everything that she does
But you are not going to withdraw
from the clubs entirelv?" asked Mrs
Parsons. Our dear friend Lily Haven
has resigned; we know why But it will
| make an endless amount of talk if YOU
resign. 1t will be bad for you, and for
the club"
Il intend to do it all the same" / re-
piled; but when | came to talk it over
with Joe, much to my surprise, he ad-
vlsed me not to resign membership.
see the wisdom of it now. Two years
have passed since that day when | start
ed for club election and ended my
journey at Ashland Junction.
Mrs. Henry succeeded me as president
OF the Nota Bene, and under her wise
management the club raised the standard
OF work and became a great power for
good In the community. During that
first winter, l gave up wholly my at
tendance at club meetings. although pay
ng my dues and allowing my name to re-
main upon the membership rolls. But
the result of this was that | was accused
OF dropping the club as soon as | had
succeeded in making it the ladder to nv
social aspirations. For now both my
husband and l went together to many
society functions, where he became as
popular as / could ask.
In the spring we went abroad and re-
manned year, but when we returned
to Chicago, l began once more to attend
meetings of the Nota Bene.
Il want you to go now" Joe said
The club honored you with it's highest
position-a fact you should always re-
member. Besides, l can trust you now"
he added atfeetionately.
And so | went occasionally to the
meetings; but l never again lost my
head over club affairs. l neither admired
nor pitied myself any longer. | had
learned that a woman's life is much
what she makes it, and that true happi-
ness comes only with a noble life
saw little of Philip Haven after his
marriage, for several reasons: and no
one ever knew the results of Mrs. Par
sons Investigations beyond herself and
me. But between Mrs. Henry and my
self there grew an intimacy that has
done more for me than any other thing.
Have we yet found the true secret of
what constitutes the real beneficence of
assoclatlon'-at least, those of us who
belong to bewidering number of
clubs 7" | asked her one day. Isn't there
some golden means, some way of enjoy
ing the feast of good things spread for
the intellectual palate of the club woman.
without reaching the point where assim-
liatlon is an impossibility? Where we
gorge and scramble and rush until we
arrive at the end of the club season.
nervous, fagged-out, and suffering from
mental indigestion that nearly results
in club-nausea?"
The trouble is" she replied, chat we
have too many women who look upon
the club merely as the place where one
can see what other women do, what they
are wearing, what is the latest way of
doing up the hair, or, hayhap, if there
will be scrap They do not feel that
the club Is real vital interest in their
lives, nor that it entails upon members
any responsibility whatever. And if
there be women who take a more serious
view OF thlngs-so serious, in fact, as to
lead them to stand on their feet and
fight a wordy war for their convictions.
then these fence-sitters have lovely
time. And afterward they go home and
tell their husbands all about the 'scrap'
between Mrs. A and Mrs. b. and
he spreads abroad the idea that woman's
clubs are only places where the women
go to quarrel and backbite each other. |
The club to them is only a series of good |
times, when they 60 forth to club func- |
tons arrayed in gorgeous attire and in /
search of amusement only They are |
those who shirk duty by leaving it to /
those who like work, and act as club /
sponges to soak up the waters of glad I
ness set running by the untiring efforts
of others"
There should be a new beatitude," I