Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-08
STUDY CIRCLE
PROVES WORTH
PARENT-TEACHERS' ASS0CIA-
TONS SUCCESSFUL
CALIFORNIA LEADS IN NUMBERS,
ACTIVITY AND SCOPE
Women Participating In Noble Work
Keenly Appreciate Results Achieved
since inception Of Present
Movement

cluding child study circles and parent
teachers associations, has been pre-
pared by Mrs. stephen Mayhew, presi-
dent of the Union avenue school as
ISOLATION. 1t is considered Of great
value and interest by the earnest,
self-sacrificing women who are en-
gagged in this noble work. and in or
der 10 insure general distribution The
Herald herewith produces the paper in
full 1t is as follows:
The California congress Of mothers
Is a federation Of parent-teacher as
sociations, child study circles and
clubs having child study sections.
It is a matter of pardonable pride
that the California congress is the
greatest in the United States in num-
bers. activity and scope OF work. The
headquarters of this splendid organ
ization are in Los Angeles. and the
chief officials are citizens of this city
also They are: Mrs. Chalmers Smith,
president; Mrs. w. w Murphy, honor
able president; Mrs. Frank Stoddard,
recording secretary; Mrs. Frank w.
Blair, corresponding secretary; Mrs
c. c. Noble, treasurer; Mrs. +. l..
Scofield, auditor. Other officials of
the organization are: Miss Elizabeth
Young. Hollywood, parliamentarian;
Mrs. Myra Kingman Miller Long
Beach, historian. Vice presidents: Mrs.
d. X Trask and Mrs. katherine
Pierce Wheat, Los Angeles; Mrs. d.
q. stevens, Santa Monica; Mrs. A. L.
Hamilton Pasadena: Mrs. e. q. Tai
liant. Santa Barbara; Mrs Mary
O'Neal, San Francisco; Mrs. L. w.
Baker, Pomona, and Mrs. Charles
Adair, san Pedro.
TO Mrs. Thomas Birney of Atlanta,
Ga. is due the credit of founding the
congress of mothers. She conceived
the idea Of cooperation between
and teachers for the benefit
of tho children whose homes may be
said to be in the school room. The
first steps for practical operation of
the plan were taken fifteen years ago.
The movement began to grow imme-
diately and many organizations were
formed The National Congress of
was the result.
Los Angeles fell into line in 1900. The
scheme first was begun in the kim
dergarten department. Miss Mary Led
yard. who then was superintendent of
the kindergarten, was appointed city
organizer by the national congress.
She called a mass meeting, which was
held in the Congregational church,
May S. 1900 Prof. James A. Foshay,
then superintendent of Los Angeles
public schools, presided at the meeting,
bsing in strong sympathy with the
At the session a resolu-
tion declaring in favor of federation
was passed, and on May "a a constitu-
tion was adopted. Mrs. w. w. Muir
ply of Los Angeles was made the first
president. On August II of the same
year the board Of directors of Mothers
clubs met with Mrs. Murphy. At this
meeting Mrs. Murphy declared that the
dignity of Mothers clubs was assured
by the cooperation of the board of
education and other civic authorities.
She prophesied that the clubs would
become great uplifting forces in the
Organization Renamed
Then followed the first regular an
nual meeting held in Simpson auditor
ium when. in addition to an enlighten-
ing program, The organization was re-
named the Confederation of Child
study circles.
ON May II, 1901 tie Los Angeles fed
Grafton decided that IT was time to he
represented at the national congress
of mothers. Miss Mary Ledyard was
appointed delegate and sent to the
congress. About that time the feder-
alton presented a resolution to the
board of education more clearly de-
timing the relations as existing be
tween the two organizations. The gath
of November, 1901, brought the follow
ing reply;
Now therefore, be it resolved, that
this board of education heartily indorse
tho work of the federation and trusts
that it may he a perpetual Urganiza-
tiou. and be it resolved further, that
it stands ready and at all times to
render any possible assistance"
At the third annual meeting, Novem
bcr 49, 1902, forty-siX circles in the city
and fourteen outside were reported to
be doing splendid work. AT this ses-
sion il was voted to organize a Cali
fornia congress Of mothers and child
study circles, As had been requested
by the National Congress of Mothers.
April II, 1903. under the new name,
came new duties and different rela-
I tionship with the national congress.
From this time on the organization
grew, reaching out it's arms to shell
ter. protect and aid in many ways and
directions. New problems arose to be
worked out under the rapid growth of
the city
At the meeting Of January 13, 1903,
the president reported that, through
the efforts of the congress, one of the
results of the year had been the es-
tablishment of a juvenile court and the
of the ordinance prohibiting
children from entering pool rooms. The
fourth annual meeting was held No
vember - of that year and by this
time the work had been so successful
that our central organization, with
headquarters, included more than sew
enty circles in various parts of the
state. At that time we stood in sec
ond place as regards number of
circles.
Honor Mrs. Murphy
The fifth annual meeting was held
10, 1904, when reports in
cluded Arbor day celebration and a
grove of young trees which were dedi-
Gated to Mrs Murphy, the president, to-
and to the children of our state.
In March of the following year the
board of directors announced with
much pleasure that Mrs. Murphy had
been appointed national vice president.
AT the directors meeting, held May
20, 1905, Mrs. Chalmers Smith, now pres
ident Of the state congress, suggested
that the circles as a whole endow a
bed at the Children's hospital at a cost
Of $3.50 for the first year and a less
for each year thereafter. This
was done
The sixth annual meeting was held
in the Woman's club house November
81. 1905. At that time it was expected
that the national congress would be
held in Los Angeles the following May.
The San Francisco disaster, however,