Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-08-12
WOMAN IN CLUB AND CHARITY.

Not a little criticism has been offered
of late of Mrs. Decker's assertion that
the General Federation of Womens Clubs
is not for reformers, but rather for
women who need to get out of themselves.
What Mrs. Decker really said was that
she believed the woman's club is for all
kinds of women, working women, women
who are interested in philanthropy, moth
ers who want to learn how to make better
homes; but most of all, for women who
need to get out of themselves. There
comes a time when a woman's children
have grown-grown out of her arms-and
gone into the world. or, perhaps, have
passed on into another world. She has
tired of society. She can not pass the
time with needlework and sad memories
for company. 1t is at such a time that
the woman's club saves her.
While it is true that the club is not
for reformers, it is equally true that the
General Federation is one of the greatest
reform agencies of the day and this get
ting women out of themselves" rousing
them to something beyond their own i'm
| mediate interests, is the secret of it's mar
velous accomplishment. The federation
l
it did not take up and endorse woman
suffrage at the ST. Paul biennial, but
such criticism could scarcely come from
women who are thoroughly familiar with
this great organization of nearly 800, 900
women combining variety of interests
! including everything to which woman is
| giving her attention. Conceding that
woman suffrage, more than any other re-
| form, Is engaging the investigation of
! women today. il should also be remem-
| bered that there is more prejudice against
1 the acknowledgment of women than
against any other depression women have
made or attempted to make from the mar
| row groove prescribed for them back in
| the days when they were considered by
| men little more than chattels and the
] experienced woman will think twice be-
| fore asking the General Federation T., en-.
| cumber itself with a prejudice such as
tbe endorsement of thiS reform would
entail, particularly as tHere is in existence
one great thrttyyttng association organized
solely for/ the advancement of the polit-
zeal Interests of women.
I The fact that the federation embraces
| music, art and literature has protected II
from much that 1t would have had tc
meet considering its activity along Other
InSTt TdulCdl lines ana with all thai
the clubs have to do in the interest OF
women and children. 1t would seem the
polite thing for them to avoid radical
methods until such time as they can bet
ter afford to declare themselves for tn,
principles that the majority of them now
support.
The long and exasperating fight Of tn,
Chicago teachers for their withheld sal
aries came to a picturesque end last week
Forced by mysterious deductions of pa,
to investigate the financial system a larg,
body of the teaching force organized al
the Chicago Federation of Teachers unde
the leadership of Catherine Goggin anC
Margaret A. Haley, sued some of the grea
public utilities corporations They wer
opposed by the taxing officials, by tn
city government even by the school boart
all obviously in the interest of the cor
porations and other financial interests
but after fight of five years in the court
they won a decisive victory. The con
crete evidence OF this victory was mad
public with the close of last week by tn
payment to the teachers who had joine,
In the suit, of the sums which had beef
clipped from their salaries five years be
fore
The circumstances of this payment wer
impressive, but they did not at all indi
cate the good. service which that FEEDER
alton of Teachers had performed Thos
payments showed no more than that the,
had won their own fight and got thei
own money. But, incidental to that fight
the Teachers Federation has in many di
rections performed most valuable work TO
the city OF Chicago Without mentionin,
anything else. II was theirs more thai
any other one influence that made pos
sibie the successful campaigns for munic
} ipal ownership of the traction system
They have proved to be one of the most eff
, ficient, devoted and disinterested civil
bodies in the United States. In strugglin
for their own rights as public employees
their members have learned the lesson O
disinterested citizenship.-The Public.
The annual convention OF the Dougla
County Women's Christian Temperate
union will be held at Waterloo Septembe
Is instead Of August l3, as announced. Tn
w.