The San Francisco call., 1906-06-24

nentiy&nd favorably in mind and heart
by thinking of her work and connect
ing II with her sometime sobriquet,
Madame Momentum" Madame Mo-
mentumi Is not that a good one for the
woman who pushed her fine idea of the
good that womans clubs could do out
in the wide world. which, of course,
cannot be ever wholly separated from
the home life where woman presides-a
forceful push that gave feminine
team" work a good send-off and mo-
mentum which the old lady's influence
still helps to maintain.
True. there had been woman's clubs
in England previous to ours, but
Madame Severance did not borrow her
ideas from them; and 1t is true that
the truly great thing about the
woman's club idea was to start them
going in America, for as James Bryce,
who knows our country by heart and
better than we know ourselves, has
stated: No country seems TO owe so
much to its women as America-to owe
SO much to them for what is best in its
social institutions and in the beliefs
that govern conduct" That bit of wis
dom from Bryce reminds me of a SINH
lar idea-about the more perfect power
women in America have to mold affairs
upward and on than in any other coun-
try-which was expressed by the elo-
quent French priest. Father Hyacinth,
in a letter TO woman who was leav-
ing France for America. 1 would like
to quote you the extract from Father
Hyacinth's letter batim, just for the
sake of the way ii was worded; and L
could but for the aecursed fire. How
ever. il you have mot already seen It.
you may run across it in your reading
later, and you will notice then that il
is one of the most inspiring paragraphs
possible to utter to the woman's club
movement in America.
Just for brief suggestion of the un-
known quantity of good things which
Madame Momentum" has sent agoing
in the world, take this one that hap
pened right here In our own part of
the world. Kate Douglas Wiggin wrote
in a Christmas book thus: ITO my
dear friend, Mrs. Severance, who set
my feet in the paths traversed by this
little book, and who kindled the best in
me by giving me to the work which my
heart needed"
The book was the first number in a
series, The Republic of Childhood"
and was written in collaboration with
her sister, Nora A. Smith. who was her
hearty and capable comrade in the first
free kindergarten in San Francisco. es-
tablished by Mrs. Wiggin and DR..
Adler This was the since famous Sill
training classes many of our best kin
dergartners have graduated. That lit
tie eloquent inscription will interest
the many people who have friends In
Los Angeles, where once Kate Douglas
Wiggin was temporary resident and
where she wilf be recalled as a gen
erous and brilliant contributor to it's
early social life"
The extent to which the Mother of
Clubs is appreciated by thoughtful
people is suggested by a number of
cuttings from letters OF famous people.
I recull for you these few lines from
Charles Ferguson. the author of THE
Religion of Democracy" and The
Affirmative Intellect" Surely ii must
have done her heart nice little wave
of good TO receive such a neatly play
full little rendition of homage from
such a lover of humanity as Ferguson
is His letter begins thus:
Dear Gentlewoman: Always your
self, as the whole world knows. 1t
would perhaps be worth while to have
a broken head or a broken heart just
for the sake of coming to you to have
II mended."
(Baumgardt Publishing Co. Los An
geles)