The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-02-23
A FIELD OF ENDEAVOR
FOR WOMEN.

TUX WON1ElN.
This country is filled with men who are
conservative 10 the point of being abSo-
lutcly non progressive They don't say
ii in so many words, but their opinions
when expressed on any subject which
has for its object departure from the
established order, are such as 10 give
one the impression that, to their way OF
thinking, society has gone TO the limit
of its powers for the moral and political
advancement of the world.
The present widespread movement
for the enfranchiSement of women is
one subject on which these ultra-conser-
yatives love to dilate. "Woman'S place
is in the home" say they, "and the
affairs of government were placed
by the Almighty in the hands of men. "
With this profound statement as pre-
mise, they begin TO expand. You have
heard them. They are all willing TO ad-
nit that women excel as mothers.
They have proved that fact TO the salts
faction of all mankind. Others, how
ever, have become soured over her
failure to make good as sister. They
can go back to an hour under the limpid
moonlight when some sweet girl made
compromise promise 10 "be sister TO
them" and they know that she has utter
ly failed. They forget their own fail
ures.
Thoughtful men in this day, however,
are gradually waking 10 the fact that the
right of suffrage rests upon no mere cir.
cumStance of sex, butinhereS in the very
nature of man, and that when from any
. cause this right has been withheld from
any portion of our citizens, ii should be
restored as soon as possible.
But the News did not start out TO ad.
vocate woman suffrage. Its object in
this article was simply to point TO one
field of endeavor where the women Of
this country have been doing things
and such things as we believe when
forced TO the attention of some of our
tra-conSeryative 'lords of creation
will compel even their admiration.
We refer 10 the General Federation OF
Woman'S Clubs, with IFS numerous
branch Federations scattered in AZ states
of the Union, the District of Columbia
and the Canal Zone-its membership
of over 500, 900 women attached to more
than 1000 local clubs
What are these club women doing?
II there is club in your town you don't
need TO ask that question. Here in
Putnam county there are several such
clubs-Palatka, Crescent City, Pomona,
Como, lnterlachen. Note what the
club women have done for these places;
and also note their plans for still greater
improvements and for which they are
laboring faithfully and intelligently. So
much for the local clubs.
But what of the accomplishment of
the General Federation of Women's
Clubs in the United States. These wo-
men, banded together for united effort,
have
Educated the public taste in art and
for reading by establishing art commits
sions and founding libraries; for the ad-
vancement of civil service reform, es-
pecially in helping TO place under the
merit system all heads and employees of
eleemoSynary institutions; have assisted
materially in securing the. enactment of
pure food laws and laws for the protec-
ton of birds; have stood out for the
preservation of forests; have furnished
trained leaders for an intelligent study
of social and industrial condition; have
worked untiringly for civic beauty-for
parks and school play grounds, for
boulevards and tree planting; assisted ma.
terially in the several states to secure
laws for the protection of the young,
the weak and the diseased; have created
special departments of public health
and brought TO the attention of careless
housekeepers the advantages of observ-
ing well-known sanitary laws.
These good women have done plenty
of intelligent work and the results are TO
be seen in every state. The world is
indeed waking up; the women are
calling the men TO breakfast.
The latest plan of the General Fedora
ton is 10 raise fund of 100000 as an
endowment, from the income of which
il is proposed TO send trained speakers
through the country TO arouse the wo-
men to even greater efforts for the
worlds betterment.
Given equal opportunity for manage
ment the women of this country would
lead an advance movement for civic and
moral betlerment that would soon star
tie the woodland more especially that
part of it which is so ultra-conServative
in thought and act as to frown upon any
and all methods which failed to receive
the special sanction of our "daddies."
s.---
Stock in the John Watson gubernato.
rial candidacy seems 10 be advancing