The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-10
MWOMENSM
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The Good Government Club closed
its work for the year Thursday at an
election of officers by which Mrs. L. F.
Sherman was made president, Mrs.
Charles Hull and Mrs. Frank Lindsay,
first and second vice presidents, Miss
Eva Corning, secretary and Mrs. B. E.
Shumate her assistant, Mrs. w. H.
Kemper, treasurer, and Mrs. ]. d. Nc
Farland, auditor. After the program
and election of officers, a picnic sup
per was given on the lawn of the
home OF Miss Maude Mary Kline,
where the meeting was held. Miss
Kline was the clubs presiden last
year. and the members asked her to
serve a second term, but on account of
other important duties, she was UNI
able to do so. The Good Government
Club is the largest in the city, and is
a suffrage club, and is interested in all
that pertains to the proper administra-
ton of public affairs.
The Topeka Chapter of the Daugh-
tiers of the American Revolution will
hold a flag day celebration Wednesday
afternoon. June IA, at the home OF
Mrs. J. w. F. Hughes, in PotWin. A
program of patriotic numbers has been
arranged. The party will be held on
the lawn.
The Golden Rule Club bad a guest
gay meeting fTludy dlleI AOOH dl TIC
home of Mrs. J. c. Holland, 1905 West
Fifteenth street. The following guests
were present: Mrs ]. Linden, Miss
Edith Fuller, of Ottawa Mrs. J. C.
Nicholas. Mrs. L. Wilson. Mrs. l. L.
McSpadden, Mr.. ]. Kaho, Mrs. j.
Stoffer, Miss Eugenia Stoffer, Mrs. j.
C. Emery, Miss Mary Harght, Mrs. C.
L. Kerr, Mrs. C. A. christensen, Mrs.
w. NJ. McCanmon, Mrs. G. T. Williams,
Mrs. D. c. Hill, Mrs. Laur: Graham,
and Mrs F. B. Dams.
An article in the Ohio Club Notes
for May deals with civic lawlessness.
1t says, in part: Government can main
tain itself only by an obedience to its
laws. A Democracy faces many perils,
but none greater than an inclination
to disregard and override legal re-
straint We are told that the Ameri-
can people indulge in more law
that it is on the increase among us.
The beginning of the spirit of lawless-
ness is in the nursery, where children
are brought up without aspect for au-
thority. The first lesson OF civilization
to child is the recognition of govern
ment, and now we find that school
children have gone on strike in one
locality.
Again, a helpless sense of injustice
breeds lawlessnesS. The laboring man,
when he finds that law operates
against him, takes the matter of JUS
tice into his own hands, until the COM
| munity has to step in. Such lawless-
ness is not so much the evidence of a
| lack of civilization as of rampant in
dividualism. The people of this coun-
| try are thoroughly familiar with the
customs of civilized society, but they
have got in the habit of overrating
their own judgment and therefore, of
the propriety of taking TIE law into
| their own hands. All over our country
| the spirit of mob violence is just be-
meath the surface of our American
people.
Liberty and law are but different
sides of the one great necessity for
government The finest liberty is
| obedience to wise law. Each person
must act as though his own act would
turn the scale toward or away from
a stable government"
Mrs. Sarah Platt Decker writes the
following article on the subject, What
Every Club Should Do"
Every club, no matter how distinc-
lively literary and scholarly in char
acter should have Civic Committee.
1t is exactly as essential as that every
house should have a housekeeper and
every business a manager. because
civics is simply citykeeping and man.
aging on a larger scale than the home.
The committee should be given five
minutes at least upon every program
In that time, let them point out one
lack. as some unsightly spot, some un-
sanitary condition, some mclean mar
ket or grocery, some neglect of a city
ordinance; just one suggestion for i'm
DTovement at each club meeting, and
request for volunteers to endeavor to
| bring it about. The five minutes al
lotted to this committee will be like a
tonic and put new life into a program
of even the remotest dark ages.
! Every volunteer will gain in knowl-
| edge and in courage, in resource and
| initiative, while the three members OF
the committee will gain training thai
will fit them to sit in the seats of the
mighty when women take theil
proper places as cooperative house
keepers of the nation"