Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-04
AMERICAN WOMEN'S
SOCIETY OBSERVES
TENTH ANNIVERSARY
NotabIes Of England and United States
Aid In Celebration Of orsaniza-
tion's DecennIal of lts
Inception

LONDON, April 3.--It was impos-
sible to mistake the Enthusiastically
American atmosphere which pervaded
the proceedings that in the Hotel Cecil
the other day marked the tenth an
niversary luncheon of the Society OF
American Women in London. In the
tenor of the speeches, no less than In
the accents of the speakers, 1t was
agreeably in evidence.
"All the gentlemen present, whose
wives do not object, may smoke, an
nounced the president, Mrs. r. Noyes
Fairbanks. as the repast reached IT'S
close. "As 1 look around this table l
feel a most comfortable sensation or
nesting right under the eagles wings,
said the same woman a few minutes
later as she led off the speaking. And
so the mode of much of the days ora
tory was set. Among the guests OF the
afternoon were the American ambas-
sador and Mrs. Whitelaw Reid. Lord
and Lady Monkswell. Sir Gilbert and
Lady Parker, Mr.. and Mrs. Ridgley
Carter. Captain and Mrs. Cloman, Com
mander and Mrs. Gibbons, Madame lie
Plongeon, r. Newton Crane, MISS
Glare Howard and Miss Maud Allan. A
letter of regret for absence was IN
timated from Mrs. Mary Anderson de
Navarro, who, it was announced, was
in Rome.
In asking the assembled company of
about 100 women and men to join with
her in celebrating the tenth birthday
of the society, Mrs. Fairbanks said
they were flattered by the presence of
so imposing a group of the unfair sex,
the vice presidents of the society, be-
eadse, as Americans say, "all husbands
are vice presidents" But let them not
unduly magnify their office They
were aware of the story of the man
xutn frI1 xyifa would rather he
right than president to which the
woman retorted, You'll never be
either
Husbands Attend
But the husbands attended in another
capacity as representing another So
ciety of Americans. There were two
American societies in London. One Is
the American society," the other Is
the other American society Which
was which depended on their point OF
view" Personally, Mrs. Fairbanks said
she belonged to the one that had the
clubhouse.
r.. Newton Crane, speaking as
representative of the American society,
described the circumstances under
which that organization was founded
number of years ago. During the last
year more than 1000 Americans had APP
piled for assistance at the society's
doors. OF that number more than one
tenth had been sent back to America,
800 had been relieved here and more
than ESQ had been found to be abso-
lutely unworthy of relief and had been
placed on the black list. They could
indulge the grateful recollection that
no deserving American need go. hungry
or without a roof so far as the chari-
table organization of their society went.
After an address by Ambassador
Whitelaw Reid, Mrs. Fairbanks in
stalled the new officer bearers Of the
society, welcomed a number of addi-
tional members, intimated the society's
philanthropic work prospered and
steadily increased and mentioned that
project for founding an American cot
in the Waterloo Hospital for Children
and Women was under consideration.
Miss Clare Howard, the first partici-
pant in the society's scholarship
scheme, gave some impressions of her
student life at Oxford. Nothing, she
said, could exceed the kindness she, as
an American, received there.