Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-01
DIVIDES FRIDAY
MORNING CLUB
MEMBERS WROUGHT UP OVER
PLAN TO BUILD
PRESIDENT OPPOSES SCHEME OF
COMMITTEE
designations Threatened Unless Pro-
gram as Outlined Goes Through.
Matter Will Be Settled in
Secret Session

To build or not to build-that is the
question.
The members of the exclusive Friday
Morning club are in the midst of
warm controversy over the desirability
of mourning large debt to build new
club house.
The answer to Hamlet's famous solil-
oquy was a simple question of adding
two and two compared to the soul rack
ing problem which the member of the
Friday Morning club are being called
upon to consider, and which will be
presented for discussion at the session
of Friday next. The club is buzzing
like a swarm of angry bees over the
situation, and in spite of all efforts to
keep the matter quiet the sound has
grown in volume and intensity until 1t
can be heard afar off.
Like house divided against itself is
this most exclusive of women's organi-
cations, and strange to say the leader
of one faction is said to be the charm
ing and popular presidents Mrs. Shelley
Tolhurst while leading the opposition
are members Of the building committee,
of which Mrs John r. Haynes is chair
man.
The bone of contention is Mrs. Toll
bursts refusal to sign the building
contract for the new club house which
1t has been proposed to erect on the
lot owned by the club at the corner of
Hoover and Adams streets and ar
rangements for which were nearly cons
pleted when the financial panic struck
Los Angeles last year.
Fears Large Debt
Mrs. Tolhurst says that in order to
erect a suitable building, such as had
been planned, the club will find it nee
IN if1a ~, It'd 81
something like 100000, and while the
Friday Morning club can undoubtedly
do this If the members are willing, IL
must be done by the club as a whole.
She will not be responsible in the mat
ter Mrs. Tolhurst is closing a most
successful third term as president of
the organization and will not accept
denomination.
On the other hand, the building COM
mittee pleads that their labor of love,
which has extended over long months,
be allowed not to go for naught.
we own the lot and have a part of
the money pledged" members of
the committee say. "The times are bet
ter than they were. Our membership
Is over 1000 and it is case of 'noblesse
oDige We have started the project
Shall we take our hands from the
plow?"
In reply. the intrepid president saws:
who's afraid? They are our own
minds, and / guess we may change
them If we want to- No one ever has
to do a foolish thing simply because
she said she was going to-
1t is whispered that if the plans are
refused and the project for the new
clubhouse is killed, the building COM
mittee will resign in body.
May Refit Old Home
The Woman's clubhouse, where the
Friday Morning club has foregathered
for years, is owned by outside parties,
and it Is rumored that a large block of
this stock is soon to be put on the
market, block representing fully So
per cent of the value of the property
and this controlling interest has been
offered the Friday Morning club for
100000. The purchase and Improvement
of this old home rich with associations
is said to be favored if not advocated
by Mrs. Tolhurst
One reason given why Mrs. Tolhurst
is not willing to push the 100000 in
debtedness is that even yet the lot at
Hoover and Adams has not been entire
ly paid for, and she is said to argue
that If the club members are not suf-
f1ciently enthusiastic, even to complete
this purchase, how will they carry a
larger one?
The matter is to be threshed out at
the next session, and all club members
are urgently requested to be present
The meeting is to be a closed one-re-
porters are not to be admitted.