The San Francisco call., 1906-06-04
WOMEN'S CLUBS
ARE QUICK TO ACT.
Members, Already Organized, Take Up With
Dispatch Work Of Aiding Fire Sufferers
and Accomplish Great Good,
BY ZOE GREEN RADCLIFFE.

-,
turned another page in the book of
fate. on that eventful April day the
reading thereon was strange to our
eyes, and we did not at first grasp its
full meaning. But now we are begin
ming to see that not only had we
reached the end of a page. but of a
chapter as we'll The whole social
fabric has been changed; the butterfly
has become a tireless bee.
With characteristic Californian cheer
fulness the people have accepted the
the page, and even little gayety is
creeping into the spirit Of things. But
it is the gayety of unselfshness, the
lightness of heart that accompanies the
helpful hand. Everywhere the spirit
of helpfulness, of kindness has been
evident in the individual. but it is or
ganized effort that has silvered the
ominous cloud of catastrophe.
The club as a means of social relax
alton for man was good in mans eyes,
but for womani-well. the women S
clubs have furnished men with subjects
for satire when deeper things were be-
yond them, but it is the women's clubs
and not their male contemporaries that
have been particularlyuseful in these
days of trial That thousands were so
speedily made comfortable is due in
were so many women already organized
and consequently ready at moment $
notice to do whatever was assigned
them to do. This in spite of the fact
that many of them had been rendered
homeless by the exigencies of the
times.
The Home Club was among the first
to offer its beautiful home in East t
Oakland to the relief committee, and
as the members made it their aim to
seek out and shelter women of refine
ment who were victims of the San
Francisco disaster, they were happily
able to relieve much real suffering.
Mrs. Granville Shuey was chairman
of the house committee and was ably
assisted by many other members of
the club. Mrs. Drake, matron of the
clubhouse, was an invaluable aid, and
among others who were indefatigable
in their efforts TO ameliorate suffer
ing were Mrs. Harry P. Carlton, Mrs
James A. Johnson, Miss Ethel Moore
and Mrs. Fletcher Cornwall.
The building in which the Oakland
Club has enjoyed delightfully."- pros
porous year was leased over its head
to a burned out San Francisco firm, so
they were perforce compelled to seek
another home. The Reliance Club, hav-
ing secured the new Armory on Twen-
tieth street for its headquarters gave
the women of the Oakland Club the
use of its rooms for few meet tings
but now all social gatherings have been
postponed until after the summer
months. The Oakland Club has been
working organization from its incep-
tion, so it very naturally drifted into
the routine of relief. The Maternity
Hospital has been given their help and
support, but the sewing circle at the
West Oakland Home has been their
chief center of activity. Each day
still finds scores of these society women
busily cutting out and sewing on gar
mentD intended to replace destroyed
wardrobes. These sewing bees" have
been even more faithfully attended
than were the gatherings that promised
social enjoyment and articles of cloth
ing have been made and distributed by
the thousands.
The members of the club met last
week in the Reliance Club rooms for
a little farewell reunion before dis
banding for the summer Interesting
stories of recent experiences, inter
spersed with an occasional bit OF
melody. made the afternoon rarely
pleasant one. Mrs. Edward Whitehead
sang-a treat by itself-and amusing
readings were given by Mrs. Maud
Henderson.
The board of directors of the Oakland
Club met at the residence of Mrs.
discuss business matters, and it was
decided to hold these meetings at the
homes of the board members until their
future abiding place had been decided
upon. The club is anxious to own it's
own home and ways and means are
being seriously considered. Mrs Cora
f. Jones is president of the Oakland
Club.
The long dreamed of Ebell building
promises to become an actuality in the
early future. The work of clearing the
site on Harrison street has begun, and
if the energetic members of the build
ing committee have their way-and it
must be remembered they are women
with women's wills-when the Ebell
Club convenes again after the summer
vacation it will be in its own attractive
home. The structure will cost $4,000
and will be a three-story building,
50x122 feet It's rooms are to be de-
voted solely to club and social pur-
poses, none of its space to be leased
for business offices.
Like all other organizations of the
kind. Ebell has been prominent in re-
lief work, being especially interested
in the free employment bureau, with
headquarters at the First Unitarian
Church. Mrs. ]. B. Hume, former presi-
dent of EbeIl, has been most active
in this work. The leaders have been
able to find employment for hundreds
of women, but 1T was, for the greater
part, clercical work, purely manual
labor. as at the factories and canneries,
being scarce right now.
At the residence of Mrs. J. H. Hunt
on Telegraph avenue last Monday the
members of the Etude Club enjoyed
a musical afternoon, before bidding
each other farewell for the summer.
The Erude, as its name indicates, is
devoted to the study of music in all
it's phases, with practical illustrations
by the members, all OF whom are more
or less accomplished. 1t has been a
source of amusement as well as in
struction and has been steadily grow
ing since its initial meeting a year ago.
There were about rhirty-five present
at the last meeting and after a discus
sion and revision or the constitution
and bylaws, the following programme
was rendered before the parting cup of
tea:
Quiz ......-..... Miss Scotchler
Piano solo-"Be Berceuse". ...... GODDARD
Mrs. o. c. Voss.
Song-"The Spring Has Come. White
Mrs. George Faulkner.
al tai,