The Topeka state journal., 1908-05-23
HYVOMEN;S4
&al UBS.s sl

clnh .sosS Tie tal-end of the local
uo season (most of the cIuhs arc
iauJournlng for the summer, the met
hao the most important event
- Ge year or of a number of wears II,
oIai ciun circles. the visit of Mrs. Sa-
cana. Decker, president of the
Idi FederatiOn of Women's clubs
although Mrs. Decker was in To-
peha' once before about ten wears ago
II was before her election to the presi-
oency and she is the first general fed
aIion president to make Topeka an
oHlclal visit. Mrs. II. o. Garvev
chairman of the club extension com,
mlttee had been invited by Mrs. F. w.
watson, city federation president. to
take charge of the June program m
meeting of the federation Mrs.
IGaIvey suggested an evening meeting
lot the husbands and for those mem
pers of the federation who are busi-
Eness women and usually unable TO
near the federation program. This is
especially true of the two or three
tclubs composed principally of teach
fers
As Mrs. Decker was coming TO Kan
sas to attend the state federation
meeting at Manhattan Mrs. Garyey
consulted Mrs. Watson about advanc-
ing the June meeting on the calendar
20 colnclde with Mrs. Decker's visit
ana wrote the national president ask
ing her to give Topeka a date while
she was in Kansas. The result was the
! meeting at the First PRESBYTERIAN
cnurch Monday night which took the
pace or the regular June meeting and
closed the work of the year for the
Guy federation with great eclat
Mrs. Garvey is always particularly
nappy In her choice of a program and
the program meetings during her ad-
minlstratfon as president of the To-
peka federation were the best and
| most notable in the memory of this
L nj ier1
was also exceptional and the meeting
was thorough success. Mrs. Decker
delighted her audience and gave the
best speech ever made by a woman in
Topeka-not the most intellectual, but
| the most popular, the cleverest wit
tfest, most entertaining and best
adapted to the mixed audience includ-
ing many people not especially inter-
| ested in the club movement. Chief
Justice Johnston, who in the absence
| OF Governor Hoch, who is in Balti-
more and Washington, gave a well
come to the distinguished visitor paid
an eloquent tribute to the work Of wo-
mems clubs in Kansas. Mrs. Eustace
| H. Brown of O1athe, president of the
state federation gave a characteristic
| little talk, as brief as it was bright.
Mrs. Garvey presided gracefully. Mrs.
| George W. Parkhurst and Mr. Harry
| Pribble vocalists, Mrs. Robert d. Gar
yer, organist and Miss Irma Doster.
tviolinist, contributed notable musical
| numbers.
| The social entertainments in honor
of Mrs. Decker and Mrs. Brown were
| a reception given by the federation
at the Country club Monday afternoon
| from to 5, Mrs. w. A. Johnston 9
! luncheon and Mrs. c. o. Knowles din
ner. Mrs. j. c. McClintock took the
visitors for a ride in one Of her tour
| ing cars. They were entertained by
| Chief Justice and Mrs. Johnston at
| Elmwood Place during their stay
which lasted from Monday noon until
| Tuesday noon when they left for Man
\ haitian.
| The reports from Manhattan where
| the state federation meeting was held
| this week. beginning Tuesday night
| and ending yesterday. all indicate a
| of Mrs. Decker lent exceptional inter-
| est and the programmes were all above
| the ordinary. Everybody spoke of
| Mrs. Browns gracious. charming per-
| sonality and her sweet womanly dig
nifty which makes her so attractive as
a presiding officer. The Manhattan
people outdid themselves in the enter
tainment of their guests who were en-
| thusiastic over the pretty little town,
its delightful people and the State
Agricultural college, one of the best
educational institutions in the west.
! There were 152 delegates and about
| $50 visiting club women in attendance.
| The constitution was overhauled a
good bit and the first vote taken on a
number of changes, the most impor-
! tant being one to define and restrict
the voting value of the individual
| member. Last year at Kansas City
| it will be remembered there was an
awful fuss over the attempt of the
hostess federation to pack the conven-
| ton with individual members who
| Joined the federation at the eleventh
hour in order to elect Kansas City
woman president. At Manhattan
posed to give individual members the
same representation as that of clubs
one vote for every fifteen members.
The individual members constitute
club-at-large whose officers are the
officers of the federation. The vote
was in favor of this clause and if it
receives a majority vote at the next
annual meeting it will become part
of the constitution.
Besides Mrs. Sarah Platt Decker's
address the most interesting features
of the Manhattan meeting were Mrs
Browns resume Of the years work, a
talk on DELINQUENCY in Girls" by Mrs.
Julia B. Perry, superintendent of the
State Industrial school at Beloit: w. L.
A. johnson, state labor commissioners
talk on "Child Labor" a discussion of
Forestry by Professor Ropert E.
Eastman Of X. S. A. c.; the Wagner
musical programme and the domestic
science demonstration by the domestic
science department of the college.
Mrs. F. w. Watson, president of the
city federation, who was called to
California a few weeks ago on account
Of the illness of her father. who has
recovered, is expected home the first
OF June.
The Current Literature club met with