Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-17

The College Women's Club.
The College Wonlen's Club is composed
of the alumnae of nearly all the leading
colleges of America. Mrs. Justina r. Hill
of Smith College is president: Mrs. Frank
Wilkins of Holyoke. first vice president;
Mrs. David White of Cornell, second vice
president: Miss Emma Harper Turner.
Franklin George Washington, secretary
and treasurer.
The members of the executive commit
tee are Mrs Theodore Cole. Wisconsin;
Miss Mary o. Dean, Woman's College of
Baltimore; Mrs. w. Fl. Heron. George
Washington: Mrs Karl +. kellerman.
Cornell; Miss Mary Kirke, Swarthmore;
Mrs. NJ. a. Martindell, the Western: Mrs.
r. W. Sidwell. Eassar: Mrs; L. B SWORN
stedt Wellesley: Miss Edith Totten. Bryn
Mawr: Miss Emma Harper Turner. Frank
lin-George Washington; Mrs. David
White. Cornell; Mrs. Frank G. Wilkins,
Mount Hoyoke; Mrs. O. l.. Neerhoff,
Lake Erie; Miss Edna Stone, Woman s
College of Baltimore: Miss Fannie Man
ming, Vassar; Miss Edith. Westcott. rep
resenting professional women.
Excellent Arrangements.
The hour set for the luncheon was
1870 but long before that time the Au-
ditorium, where the luncheon was to be
served, was we'll filled. The luncheon
was a buffet affair, served by the officers
of the Sd battalion. High School Cadet
Corps. So thoroughly efficient were the
young men who had this work to per-
form that everybody was cared for with
remarkable promptness. In fact, all the
arrangements were excellent, not a hitch
occurring in the program.
After luncheon Mrs. Hill. the president
of the club; the members of the executive
committee. the speakers. Commissioner
Macfarland Capt. James r. Oyster, presi-
dent of the school board: William F..
GUIDE. president of the Chamber of Com
merce. and A. T. Stuart, superintendent of
schools. took their seats on the speakers
platform and Mrs. Hill called the meet
ing to order. When she had explained
the purpose of the gathering. Mrs. Hill
introduced, as the first speaker, Mr.. Cox.
MI. Cox Explains Pending Bill.
In a short speech Mr.. Cox reviewed
the progress of the movement for pen
sioring Washington teachers. He told
which he was chairman. and how it
studied the question carefully and finally
presented it's findings to the board of
District Commissioners, with the draft of
a bill which, the committee thought,
would meet the requirements of the sit
uation. This bill was indorsed by the
Commissioners and forwarded to Con-
gresS.
The committee. Mr.. Cox declared, had
come to the conclusion that to keep the
best teachers in the service il was neceS-
sary to act in the same way that business
corporations are now acting. and offer
inducements that will attract and keep
strong teachers. He quoted from letter
his sister had written to him from the
Argentine Republic. in which she told of
the high esteem In which teachers were
held in that country and how we'll they
mo n rod for
should pass a bill providing for the re-
tirement of the teachers of the District
after they had given the best years of
their life to their work, for the sake of
good economy, if not for the sake of hu-
manity.
Wisdom of Pension System.
Maj. PansbOrn. who followed Mir. Cox.
said that. he had not come prepared to
address so large an audience. He thought
he was to attend an informal conference,
where sort of conversational discus
sion would prevail. However, he added,
he was glad he had come and would do
his best. Maj. Pangborn has been con-
nected with the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road Company for thirty years. and some
time ago was directed by the president of
that road to revise its pension system 1t
was on the subject of the pensioning of
business corporation employees that he
spoke.
As one who had obtained in the public
schools all the education he ever got,
Maj PangbOrn said he was naturally a
strong advocate of the recognition of
service on the part of public school teach
ers. if not for the sake of charity then
for the sake of economy. Railroad COM
panies, he declared. had come to a reali-
cation of their liability for the injury or
death of their employees while engaged in
the performance of their duties. Some
1. Il
in irregular pensiOning. and when they
came to count the cost of a regular sys-
TEN the officials of one road decided that
$4,000 per year would about defray the
cost of such a system.
When they looked over the figures for
the preceding year they found that their
irregular system had cost them $500, 900.
On going deeper into the question they
found that the Pennsylvania railroad
paid out for its pension and retirement
department s6G0,OO0 a year. This Maj
Pansborn said. is now considered by
railroad men as the cost of maintaining
such a system for Il big railroad.
Corporations may not have souls he
said. but they have brains. 1t takes
men of brain to run them. and these men
know that for good service it is necessary
to have an esprit de corps among its
employees. and they have found that pen
sion systems are good investments. The
pension system of the Baltimore and
railroad companies which have such sys-
TENS are maintained by the company
alone. The employees do not contribute
d cent to them.
Senator Burkett Joins Issue.
The audience was treated to some
what of surprise, and not a partcu-
larry agreeable surprise by Senator Bur
kett He was introduced when Mai
Pangborn had finished. and starred by
making it clear to everybody that he
was not quite in sympathy with the plan
for pensioning the teachers. although he
declared that his mind was open on
the subject Some of his views. he de-
clared. did not coincide with those Of
most of the audience, but he hoped that
the right way out of the difficulty would
be found in the end.
For his mart the senator said he no