Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-04
WHAT CLUB WOMEN ARE DOING
Eastern Woman Talks on Serious Bus
mess Of Club Press Committee.
VACATION FAIRGROUNDS CLOSE
Girls VIII Hold Bazaar, Selling Home
Made Candies aud Refreshments-
value of Grounds Thoroughly
Demonstrated This Year.

btApAS a EdAllNAAllk VI ~ NAAANN -
Gently an ex-president Of one Of the large
eastern declarations discussed the problems
Of the club press committee. as follows:
In the first place, the serious business of
a press committee is too often overlooked
by the committee. itself. There Is apt to
be an expression that their chef duties
consist OF being nice" to the reporters
that attend the meetings and other func-
tons of the clubs, preparing a list of
guests and providing a program. a per
functory account is sent to all the papers.
The committee quite Ignores the fact that
one paper may not use the items. but
would use an account of the real work of
the clubs and publish reports of important
committees. Even at the General fedora
sent out to the whole country, the press
committee had little or no typewriter ma
terial of reports or addresses.
The report Of the state presidents was
a typical example. Two minutes was al
lotted to give an account of the splendid
work of hundreds of clubs. Each presi-
dent should have furnished to the press
committee q typewriter account OF the
principal doings of the clubwomen of their
teresting and valuable data and put the
club movement before the whole country In
a deserving and effective manner, but the
So 1t is in each city. Club members
work faithfully along lines that are Of dis
tinct interest to the public, and feel ag-
grieved that their reports get but a few
minutes of time on the crowded program,
but when l have asked them for an adj
dAlN tbbN VI Aitll AOBOlNs III OAhtA AAibN
an account might be compiled for the
newspapers, little attention was paid to
the request.
Clubwomen. like everyone else working
for public improvements, must have public
opinion behind them, and the only way to
get 1t is by systematic and intelligent work
of a press committee. But few members
of such a committee in a woman's club
take the trouble to inform themselves Of
the requirements of the newspapers. 1
am advocating a conference of the chair
men Of all press committees of our New
YORK clubs, TO evolve some general circular
TO be sent out to club officers, to chairmen
of important committees, and to speakers
who have been invited to deliver addresses.
II is my hope that state declarations will
take this matter up and see to il that COM
petent and experienced women are put In
charge of the press work.
While the appointment Of press commit
tees is a gratifying step forward on the
part of the larger clubs and declarations
there are still a surprisingly large number
that fail to realize that the relation be-
tween the press and the club is reciprocal
and not merely a one-sided convenience for
the club. 1t is safe to estimate that every
club column" prints more matter of alb
s~olutely no news value, such as notices
and announcements of club meetings and
other things for the exclusive benefit of
club members. than really live news that
would be interesting to its readers gen.
orally. Happily the day of excluding re-
porters from club meetings is almost past.
buc there is still need of a more intelligent
attitude on the part of the club toward
the press. No club committee can decide
for a paper what of the proceedings of a
meeting is valuable to the paper, and where
a meeting is accorded the recognition that
the presence of a reporter implies, unless
the proceedings are of an essentially pri-
vate character, the reporter should be adj
mitted without question or restriction.
Play Grounds Close.
Hundreds of boys and girls will regret
the closing of Juvenile City, the public
playground at Nineteenth and st. Mary's
avenue, tl.at has afforded recreation pro-
vided Nowhere else in the city, since the
close of school last spring. The formal
closing exercises will be held this evening
and the public is invited to attend. Super
intendent Davidson and others will speak
and the girls will hold a bazaar. selling
candy and lemonade and other things they
have made. The opening of school next
week makes-the continuation of the play
ground unnecessary this season. Club wo-
men have had a large part In making the
playground possible, having made a sub
stantisl contribution of money each year
and lending their support in other ways to
promote it's success. Those in touch with
il are enthusiastic over the development OF
the Fairgrounds this summer.
An average Of $50 children have played
there daily under the supervision Of a d.
rector. the swings and other apparatus pro-
viding entertainment for the older children,
while the story telling. sand piles and other
amusements were provided for the smaller
ones. The Playground association holds the
moral Influence of the grounds beyond es-
innate and feels that having demonstrated
it the city cannot afford not to establish
the playground as a permanent institution