The Tupelo journal., 1906-01-26
BY KATE UPSON CLARK.
president of the Wheaton Club, New
York City,

president of the Wheaton Club, New
York City,
Copyright, 1905, by Joseph B.. Bowles.)
At the door of a clubroom in a r1ch
western city, one member greeted an
other with enthusiasm. You are just
the one l want to see. You are inter.
ested in music. We are going to get
up a musical club. The details are not
decided, but there will be meetings
once a month, with some really good
outside singer present, and other pieces
supplied by members in turn. Only
ten charter members, and we want you
to be one of them"
II am honored," laughed the lady.
Thank you. Your scheme sounds at
tractive-but expensive. What is it
going to COST"
"Oh, something like $50 a year-that
is ALL"
The other woman gasped.
"That is ALI Why, my dear, | new
er can afford it in the world"
"But you subscribed 5000 to the Dol
ly Madison dancing class"
Every true, which is n reason why
| cannot subscribe to anything more.
You must remember that | have three
daughters, and they must have society
with all which hat implies"
but they ought to have music, too,
and you love it so! And you play so
wonderfully"
"My husband" laughed the lady,
says his mother got along very well
without any club at all, and she was
one of the best women in the world.
He thinks my modest two clubs are too
many. l should never dare to approach
him for anything more"
This case of this poor-rich woman
was not the only n which had come
under the questioner's notice. 1t lay
in her way to know the inner secrets
of many households, and these she kept
inviolate. But she often remarked that
it was the exception to find a woman
who had her OWL Independent allow
ance, such as all married women should
have. When such an allowance was
granted, it was apt to be only just
large enough to cover absolutely neces-
sary expenses. The richest men were
often the very ones who would not
grant any separate income to their
wives.
1t is a singular popularity of many
Emen of large income that they are will
ing their wives should u up large
bills with merchants, but are not will
ing to give them cash to spend. In
several cases that could be named, the
wives of rich men have gone to such
merchants and said something like
this: "Now, l am going to buy a bolt
of linen sheeting in a few weeks, but
just now l need the money more. Will
you give me the money, and put the
sheeting on this months bill and leave
it off on the next one?"
And sometimes the straits of these
women are such, that deceit line this
seems almost eXcusable.
The poverty of women is a great
drawback to the success of women's
clubs. The members become tired of
getting up fairs and preparing calen-
dars for raising money. A mans club
does not have to resort to such meas
ures. There are ample initiation fees
and yearly payments which keep a
weIl-managed club for men, always
paid up. Women, on the other hand,
are generally running their clubs, as
it were, under bare poles" They
want stirring outside speakers. they
want to hear celebrated musicians.
they want club houses, they want to
establish experimental kindergartens,
or hospitals or asylums of, various
sorts, but on every side one hears the
sad cry: "We haven't any money, and
we don't know how to get any!" One
club, composed largely of rich and in
fluential women, so-called, actually has
it in their constitution that they will
never pay anyone who speaks for them.
Probably there are others just as bad.
When this club was asked why they
had allowed such a "pauper" clause
to be inserted in their declaration of
rights, they explained that some of the
brightest women in their town were
poor. These women would not join the
club if there were to be heavy dues or
other expenses, and they were so proud
that if any assessment were to be
made, they would want to pay their
share, and they simply could not afford
to pay anything, therefore the consti-
tuition was thus formed.
But" it was argued, suppose a few
memherS who can afford If. should
wish to join together and present an
entertainment to the club quietly and
without saying anything about it to
the others. You have made it illegal
for them to do even anything of that
sort"
EYES," It was admitted. "But we
prepare essays ourselves and most of
us have distinguished friends and rela-
tives visiting us from time to time.
and we wiring all we can from them.
We really have a most interesting club
and it is cheap, which is a foremost
consideration with u.s."
There is much to be said in favor of
Mrs. Charlotte Gilman's views of
Woman and Economics" though, to
most of us, the practical difficulties in
the way of working out her theory
seem insurmountable. Surely, at least,
every woman should have a fund, how
ever small, of her very own.
Serfdom in Hungary.
In some parts of Hungary serfdom
of the old Russian type still prevails.