The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-24

= HE women in our cities value their (
clubs but most of them have no
idea of what the club is TO their /
sisters in the small towns and villages. I
There it is truly mental joy and sal
vation-often the only joy of many sad
and barren lives. No one can compute |
the intellectual light and happiness
which has come to thousands of re
stricted, gentle, Woodworking women
IN our country towns through the Wo-
mans club.
\ few women's clubs are openly aris- /
tocratic; but the great mass are found !
ed boldly and uobly upon the demo-
cratic idea They are exactly in Linz
with the underlying tenets of the found
ers of our nation. There is no influence
at work today so well calculated to
promote good citizenship and lofty pa
triotism as the Well-cOnducted WOman's
club.
This is largely because of its intense
democracy, and because the mothers
of the land SO influence the young.
The woman's club must not for an
instant be COMPOUNDED with the club
idea which prevailed before women be-
gan 10 unite in sO-called club" work.
Enjoyment is at the bottom of the
club idea, in all cases, il is true; but
In the case of the woman's club the
enjoyment is primarily and perenniaHy
Standardization without the Scautest
admiXture of the delights of sense
There Is no more pathetic testimony
To the long miHd-starVation OF the sex
than the way in which women almost
in a body, threw themselves thirstily
upon this rising tide a score or more
of years ago. The tears must come
To the eyes of every WOmdu-slnd man
of imagination, when one reviews the
long black centuries when the mass of
women could rot even read. Those who
visit the far east are equally moved to
See the condition of women of the past
were not greatly worried by their ig-
nOranCe-as the oriental women are not
greatly dissatisfied at present One has
got 10 know something, in order to
have the divine discomfort" which
leads TO emancipation. The slaVehold-
erS before the war were wise in their
generation Wh=n they kept their chat
tells in ignorance. 1t is said that WO-
men have never. by their own motion,
thrown off any disability. This is prob
ably true. Women as a class are too
gentle, too timid, too much the slaves
of custom, TO institute reforms. 1t Is
To our noble fathers and husbands and
brothers inspired by the Christian
Golden Rule ON one side and the great
Anglo-SaXon love of fair play on the
other. 10 whom we are chiefly indebted
for our wonderful privileges here in
Americana thus indirectly for that
remarkable institution, the Womans
club.
How is it democratic?"
Because its memb= rship is based on
Individuality and personality.
Thus the first essential 10 member
ship in any good WOman's club is un-
exceptional moral character. The
typical clubWoman must be as Caesar
wife.
The next essential is intelligence.
It is necessary that the typical club
woman be able to prepare creditably an
essay upon the common subject and de-
liver il fairly we'll
After these two Indispensable attrib-
yates, her manners. her birth and fam
ily connections, for fortune and other
matters are considered. But the great
triumph and the great strength of the
Womau's club are that i'm the vast ma
jority of cases it is the intrinsic and not
the eXtrinsic which guides in the selec-
ton of club members.
The burning question with half the
clubs is this. What's the good of join
ing the federation"
In a great general gathering. like a
meeting of the federation, the great
general principles are defined. II your
special club, under the influence, per
haps of some powerful local trend, has
swung away from these, you find il out,
and can see your way 10 "a closer align
ment with the best and the highest.
The mingling together Of women from
all over the laud-wOmen from fash
ionable clubs and from those less so
cially successful, but probably strong
in other respects; the exposition of diff
feTent methods of OratOTy; the demon.
stratiOn of the amateurishness and tri-
Vitality of some organizations i'm con-
tTast with those of greater breath and
culture; the general inevitable increase
of a common interest and solidarity, in
these days when sectioualism is becom-
ing so bitter and fun of jealOusies; the
promotion of confidence among women
I'm other women; the friendships and
loves-the good cOmradeship" which
come 20 bind distant clubs and mem
berS together, and, most of all, the
tendency toward the abolition of the
idol of caste-all these form an unan-
sWerable argument for the existence
of federation of clubs, and for the
joining of such a federation by every
state federation, and of such indepeu-
dent clubs as are admissible.
IL is impossible within the limits of
an article like this 90 enlarge upon all
of the causes for joining and i'm every
way supporting a general federation OF
Women's clubs. Here are some of
them.
l. All beings who have common aims
are rendered more intelligent and are
brOadened and encouraged by meeting
together and discussing those common
aims. I'm connection with common
methods and problems. This is especial
~ true of Womeus clubs, on account of
the novel nature of their experiment
the peculiar character of their mem
bership. and their as yet largely unde-
fined field and scope.
.. WOmens clubs stand, as a rule, foI
the highest democracy. Hence this idea
which underlies our very government
is promoted by anything which
strengthens the club movement. IN
union there is strength" applies here
as elsewhere Patriotism and good citi-
Zenship are increased by the gathering
together of clubs cherishing this idea
whether they do this consciously or un-
consciously.
g. In another and even more definite
way, patriotism is strengthened by
such gatherings, In the solidarity Of in
terest thus revealed i'm different section.