The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-06-27
How the Woman's Club
Organized in jacksonville.

Va 6UAAoS0 AS VNSssS~As'AAAS
The Equal Franchise League of
Jacksonville held its first public meet
ing Tuesday evening, scoring a sue
cess which promises to extend
throughout the State before many
months have passed. The meeting w?s
called to order by Mrs. Katherine
livingston Eagan, who at the frs,
meeting held seven days ago was
elected temporary president.
AS was previously announced. tn"
program for the evening consisted OF
speeches by various ladies more
prominent in the movement. Mrs.
Eagan leading off with an address
which described the present move
ment and the hardships encountered
in getting started. Her address was
in part as follows:
when women began to form into
clubs it was with fear and trcm-
bling of the criticism that would BE-
made. recall the efforts first made
/ by myself in starting the Woman )
Tub Of Jacksonville invited a
number of ladies to my house many
times for this purpose without ac-
c,mplishing good results. One Gay
three or four ladies would come, very
enthusiastic, the next time they
would be absent and another group
present. Finally in desperation
three of the number who had been
constant attendants, Mrs. ID. t.
Fletcher, Mrs. Lawrence Haynes and
myself, decided that We would not
accomplish anything by these meth
DDS. SO we sent one hundred postal
cards, unsigned Not one of us want
ed to stand sponsor for the move
Ment
Mrs Dodge, of the Windsor hotcl.
a most progressive woman, gave us
the use of the parlors and the popu-
larity of the movement was shown
by about fifty ladies attending. OF
course, we did not get all the wom-
ell We wanted to join. Many women
have no moral courage, born from
years of dependency on mans views
and ridicule, which is strong fac
tor with the weak mind. Then many
women, from strictly world view,
wait to see what their fashionable
neighbors say
AS you all know We might say
the Woman's club Of Jacksonville
has proved itself strong factor in
the public life of jacksonville. MANY
PEOPLE saying that IL occupies the
same place to women that the Board
of Trade does TO men.
I'm woman's suffrage, one of the
most quoted and most abused figures
of speech is "Womans place is in the
home" And | am sorry TO say tina;
many women quote this as glibly as
the men themselves. without even
Understanding what the home means.
have heard many women say thai
they hated housekeeping; knew moth
ing about sewing; could do nothing
with their children, and still stood
strong for a home. Isn't that a para
COX? We all know that good house,
keeper naturally makes good citi-
zen. A woman who has discipline and
executive ability and can manage her
children with love and firmness
would take an interest in all chill
dren. Women who are free to look
on life with their own eyes, think
their own thoughts, who live in a
real world of struggling, suffering
humanity, are the most effective
mothers who ever lived.
What about the women that have
no homes; that have to 60 out and
earn their bread, and often that of
their children? Conditions have
changed from the day when women
and girls were sheltered and pro-
vided for in the home. With the
high cost of living many women are
forced to help bear the burdens OF
the family. and while the father en-
eourages and gladly takes what they
earn, it is his voice that joins in the
cry, "Woman's place is in the home"
|, would be humorous if it were not
"a tragedy"