The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1907-01-16
OPINIONS OF WOMEN CLUBS
VIEWS OF MRS. RUSSELL SAGE
AND MRS. KATE UPSON CLARK

Say Women Start Clubs With an OBJ
iect i'm View, and Men Do So Only
for Material Comfort.
From time to time one hears dis
cussions regarding the object of wo-
mems clubs, their usefulness and
their relation to the home and the
community at large. Much has been
written on the subject and to some
incredulous persons the answers
seem never to satisfy, which can
have but one meaning, and that is
there lies behind it all stubborn
unwillingness to believe in women's
clubs, when the very fruit of their
labors is evident from day to day.
Mrs. Sage's View.
Mrs. Russell Sage says that the
difference between women's clubs
and mems clubs is that women
start a club with an object in view,
an ambition to attain. Men have
nothing in view beyond material
comforts. Mems clubs certainly do
not make for good citizenship. If
woman had the suffrage she would
appreciate it more than to sneak off
to a country club on election day.
Kate Epson Clarke, in consider
ing womens clubs in relation to the
home, admits the many weaknesses
and some of the shalloWneSs to be
found in some clubs, but she says
that after all there is nothing for
helpfulness like getting together and
comparing notes"
Many BEST Ways"
Discussion of the varied "best
ways" to make a home, she says, is
mot only mentally Illuminating, but
it is good fun" Continuing, she
says: "You may love your husband,
but if you have only their society
from weeks end to weeks end you
are more than likely to become one
of those patient, self-effacing drudges
and ciphers who were the saints of
former generation. They were
good, their self-abnegation was
heavenly, but they were not, to use
the modern phrase, interesting.
"The mother who can be most
helpful to her children is, in Mrs.
Clark's opinion, one who can discuss
with them their studies and their
debates, and can help them with
both. She is ever ready to help
them in every way-but they do not
impose upon her nor look down up
on her. She is their comrade, for
she is learning how to keep her
health and youth and control her
| nerves. She laughs with them,
reads with them, goes with them.
/ She is not told that her views are
| old-fashioned. Her ideals may be
the old ones. Indeed, the ideals of
/ clubwomen, whether they live up
to them or not, are not new; they
make for the old bible ideals and,
in the practice which they have at
their clubs, the women learn to ex-
press those ideals as women have
never known how to express them
before.
Among other gains by club life
are cited the fact that woman learns
in the clubs to tolerate and even
respect opinions different from her
own. Thus a new and distinct ele-
ment of harmony and breath has
come into domestic life, and, as the
interests of women have gone out
to education, art, science, they have
met men on a different footing from
any ever before known. Sex has
been more forgotten and possibilities
have been realized of a noble com
partnership and mutual helpfulness
in furthering the great common OBJ
jects of humanity. Women have
learned to measure small things
small and large things large" and
to realize that a wife and mother
can hest do hor full dufV IN bar
home, not by sinking entirely he1
own. personality, but by strengthen
ing and ennObling that personality
so that she may better impress her
own lofty ideals upon her growing
family. Thus and thus only can she
make her home the joy and delight
to her husband and children that il
= ought to be-"