The Elbert County tribune., 1907-12-26
Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowies.)

Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles)
copyright, 1906. by Joseph B. Bowlesl
Mrs. Jeanie Gould Lincoln, widow of
the late eminent surgeon, DR.. N. S. Lin
Washington, where she is also prominent
in society. Her first book. ,'Marjorie's
Sea4s ago. ater aer book PTfc er wosS
ington Season." was one of the first writ
ten in the now popular diary style. Her Her
and AN Unwilling Maid" were received
with favor by the public. OF her verses
which have been set to music the best
known is Tender and True.')
At the opening of the twentieth cen
tury, realizing the wonderful strides
that progress and enlightenment have
made, perhaps there is none more
gratifying than the increased and far
reaching influence attained by women.
Who, when the nineteenth century
was yet in its infancy, would have
been bold enough to predict to our
grandmothers, whose stately heads
still wore turbans and whose erect
figures scorned even the support of
high-backed and most uncomfortable
chair, that their descendants would
don automobile caps, lounge even in
drawing room, become active pro-
moters of clubs and other female or
ganizations, even cast ballot at the
polls and be elected to public offices?
No doubt the dear old DANES would
have shuddered at such pronounced
advancement; but extremes touch"
and never more easily than in the de-
lightful being known as the up-to-date
woman.
What boon to many have been the
clubs, from the modest societies of the
working girls in our great cities to
the genealogical clubs-the Daughters
of the American Revolution, the Co
lonial Danes and the Holland society!
These wonderfully successful organi-
cations have conclusively proved that
women are competent to direct public
work, and to go hand in hand with
men in the honor roll of progress.
But with this infinite number of
clubs, historical and genealogical,
there appears to be none combining
the political and social in a manner
which If properly inaugurated might
show that the twentieth century is
still measure in advance of the nine
teenth and include among the active
workers those whom the world at
large is somewhat prone to regard as
the drones of the human beehive.
There is a very large class of
women in the United States who from
environment, traditions and certain
shrinking from the publicity attendant
upon female suffrage are debarred
from showing the interest they take
in politics and from putting that inter-
est and energy into practical use.
Taken in the proper form it would
seem a possible task to develop that
latent force and to make it of consid-
cradle service to our Republican gov
ernment by forming a woman's league,
which might be called-unless some
bright woman suggest better title
the League of the Golden Rod.
Twenty-Five years since in England
few members of the conservative
party, desiring to add to its strength
and influence, proposed such a plan,
Ind out of compliment and in memory
of the late earl of Beaconsfield the
present powerful and able Primrose
league was named for its fayorite
flower The first movers in the form
Ing of this political organization were
Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill
and Sir Henry Wolfe, ambassador to
Madrid. Possibly the quick wit of the
American woman was the germ which
appealed to the enthusiasm of her
British sisters. The danes of the
Primrose league, which began In a
small circle of London drawing rooms, |
now number their thousands and are |
found in "habitations'-the English |
synonym for our American chapters
all over the tight little island
AS woman's influence is supposed to |
purify and ennoble the ballot, great |
power for good government might be |
evolved from an organization whose |
center should be In our capital city,
where, although we have no suffrage,
its principal officers could administer
with fearlessness and ability. Its