The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1912-07-31
Civic League Column
EDITED ny PRESS coMMIrrHE.
Meetings Second FRIDAY of Each Month

VI A@<ASh nAonAHa
Under the head OF Civics,
Mrs. Caldwell spoke on only
four branches OF this subject:
Women's clubs and their evo-
luton; The Civic Ideal; What
Women's Clubs h av o
done in civics; What a civic
club should mean and what it
does mean, to q community.
Beginning with the forma.
ton of Sorosis in 1868, Mrs.
Caldwell traced the gradual
evolution of Women's clubs
until the formation of the Gen.
eralFederationofW Women sClubs
in 1892, since which time meet.
ings of the Federation have
been held every two wears and
the membership has increased
until the General Federation
now numbers 1900 clubs and
declarations, representing ,0OO,-
900 CT ub women. In the
beginning of he women's
club IN o v m ent the
ideal of the clubs was largely
self-culture, but gradually the
ideal of service superseded the
ideal of self-improvement and
the key note of the club move
ment today is service; its
motto Unity i'll Diversity.
The General Federation is
divided into l2 departments;
Art, Civics, Conservation, Civ
il Service Reform, Education,
Household Economics, Indus
trial and SocialConditions, Leg
islative, Literature, Library Elk
tension, Music, Public Health.
Each club composing the Fed
Grafton does work under some
one or all of these departments
under the supervision of the
General Federation.
Mrs. Caldwells hearers fol-
lowed her with enger attention
as she expounded to them the
Civic Ideal, which she epito-
mixed in the phrases: Univer-
sal Brotherhood; Prevention as
the only sure cure. With these
ideals uppermost in the minds
of a community, she showed
the wonderful things that were
being done in the way of sani-
tation, public and private; the
formation of health depart
ments and health boards; pure
food regulations, industrial ed.
ucation, vocational training;
improved school conditions,
parks, shaded avenues, we'll
kept public grounds and pub
lie buildings, Fairgrounds and
recreation centers; organized
charity; and she drew beauti-
full picture of community in
which the civic ideal prevailed
in { h feeling of universal
brotherhood, which would be
as if the members of that com
munity were arrayed in long
lines the noblest and best at the
top, with their right hands
grasping the hand of the Infin-
lite, while their left hands reach.
ed d wn to clasp t h o
hands of their weaker brothers
just little below them, while
these in turn, width their right
hands securely clasped in their
stronger brothers, reached with
their left for the hands of their
weaker brothers, and o on
until the man in the gutter felt
the clasp of q stronger brother
pulling him upward.
Passing from the ideal to the
real, Mrs. Caldwell took up the
third head of her address: What
Women's Clubs have done in
civics. She first sketched the
wonderful work done by the
General Federation and then
passed to tho work being done
by the Virginia Federation,
which was OF especial interest
to her hearers. Among the
many things done by the Vir-
ginia Federation, the thing of
which it is proudest is the es-
Establishment Of rural school
fairs. She touched on the work
done by the individuaf clubs
composing the Virginia FEEDER
ton in the way of improved
| livin0r cor difinna In nunru non,