Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-09
CLUBSARE FORMED
Organizations for Women's
Good Result of Miss Boswel's
work in the Canal Zone.
HOW THEY FILL A REAL NEED
Four Departments in Operation Cover
Home, Education, -PhiIanthrophy,
Music and Literature.


Federation of Women's Clubs, COM
posed of eight clubs from as many
towns and made up OF 800 women,
says the New York Times. Miss Helen
Varick Boswell, who went down from
the United States at the request of the
canal commission to organize these
clubs for the benefit of the women
now making their homes on'the 18TH
mus, arrived in New York recently
from the isthmus.
with the Introduction of family life
there is now a stable community Oh
the isthmus of Panama, and 1t is quite
different from the. early days there"
said Miss Boswell The men have
their work to claim their attention,
they can meet evenings, but there is
very little to interest the women, and
that is why clubs fill real need.
with the tropical climate they have
fewer household cares than women in
the United States. Eating is simpler
more cold things and fruitS-and
there are fewer draperies and cush-
=
are very comfortably situated in the
married quarters. There are one. two
or four families in n house. The rooms
are prettily decorated with wicker fur
niture, and light, fuel and drinking
water are furnished. The only thing
to be provided is the food at the com
missary stores.
in Panama as elsewhere. and the eX-
perienced housekeepers have to train
their servants That will be one Of
the questions that will come up in the
household departments of the new
clubs. The servants are all colOred.
I The native cooking is too oily to suit
our tastes, but the servants do well
after they are trained. Some of the
younger married women have domestic
tragedies before their servants have
! been properly educated.
zone of these tragedies happened to
one of the colony of four young mar
| ried women who with their husbands
are at Camp Elliott. where the marines
are stationed Her mother. who lives
:
| isthmus, had sent her Il big porter
house steak. some fresh green lettuce
and tomatoes. You must know that
! like the experiences of the governors
of North and South Carolina. it is Il
! long time between steaks on the 18TH
mus. This one had come from the
! States, and it was Il treasure.
81 never was very fond of exam
lining raw meat the young woman
said in telling the story. but | assure
you we almost caressed that steak
| SHE took it to the kitchen and told
the cook that it was to be served for
dinner and left her to give out invita-
lions. Such dainties as that are not
to be eaten alone. Directions for the
cooking We're TO be given later. but al
II o'clock the mistress went into the
kitchen on another errand and diScov-
cred to her horror that the precious
steak, the lettuce and the tomatoes
We're all in n pot together boiling hard
''The poor young bride sat down
and wept, then telephoned for her hus
band. who came up and rescued the
half cooked dinner. but too late
land l was going to send you {. lee
of lamb said the mother of the bride
as she heard the story, and now
don't dare
lone little woman said at Il clul
meeting. after they had been well or
gained, speaking to one of the off
GERS:
Leads to Acquaintance.
"'You don't know what this clul
months, and / did not know any one
Then / received the card inviting me-
here. Now I know you all, you al
speak to me, and when l go to tho
commissary-every one goes to the
commisaary for supplies-there Is al
ways sumo one know to talk witt
j there, and now | feel as though
wanted to stay here always"
] Miss Boswell left New York on Sept
Z, reaching her destination on Sept. IL
Arriving on the isthmus. she set abou
her work. The organization was com
] pleted in the five weeks Miss Boswell
was on the isthmus. The eight clubs
J which are known by the towns il
which they are located. are the Cor
Lgona. Cuiebra. Empire. Cristobal. Ga
tun. Paraiso. Pedro Miguel and An
con. The federation, which is making
arrangements to join the General Fed
, GRAFTON Of Women's Clubs of the Unit
ed States, is called the Canal Zonc
Federation of Women's Clubs. The
women OF the smaller towns join tn,
! larger town, clubs
There are. four departments in th,
clubs said Miss Boswell-"home. ed
ueation. philanthropy and literature
and music together. Under those head.
We can cover almost everything. I'm
der the first department nurses from
the hospitals will give instruction il
home nursing, and the women are ais,
greatly interested In gardening an,
identifying their houses. They are in
terested in providing better education
al facilities for their children. and un
der the education head comes persona
work. and the. study of Spanish VIII b,
e1.~..4 H.. - 4