Evening star., 1912-06-26
W0MEN'S CLUB WORK.
lin DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

even among society women who have no
interest in club work, but who desire to
have a knowledge of current events to
help them socially. This Is one of the
indirect methods by which the woman's
club has helped to raise the intellectual
standard even of women who do not be-
long to clubs
Another matter to which the literary
influence of the club women of the coun-
try is being directed is the elevation of
the public press. During the past few
months the president of the federation
has been called into conference several
times by prominent newspaper editors and
invited to secure the cooperation Of her
organization in lessening the demand for
the sensational features OF the daily news
Since the newspapers aim to give only
what the people want. the standard of
the press cannot be materially improved
until the reading public is educated up to
the point of demanding it.
In this connection will be forwarded the
effort to raise the standard of the comic
supplement which has already met with
such marked approval. The work for the
Improvement of the comic supplement
originated in the League Of American
Pen Women. a national organization of
woman writer's affiliated with the general
federation The chairman of this work
has secured the cooperation of many of
the leading club women in New York andS
other cities, and already publishers have
submitted to the comic supplement COM
mittee specimen pages for criticism, and
have evidenced desire to receive sug-
gestions. The fact that many of the
comic supplements accompanying the daily
papers, especially the Sunday editions,
which are presented for the amusement of
children, suggest dsobedience, irreverance
disrespect for the aged and many other
evil tendencies has strongly appealed to
club women in every part of the country
so that the MATTER is to be presented also
at this biennial meeting and an active
crusade is likely to be inaugurated.
No work undertaken by the club women
has been more productive of good results
than that of Ii
Library Extension brary extension.
Work Important. rance in ,ibrarv
extension in the history of the world has
been made during the last decade. and
to a large extent this can be traced di-
rectly to the influences of the women's
clubs. Hundreds of towns now have well
patronized public libraries which owe
them entirely to the women's clubs. Most
of the Carnegie libraries owe their ex-
istence as much to the club women as to
Mr.. Carnegie himself as it is their influ-
ence which secured the cooperation of
the town authorities. AS in the forestry
ana euucdIlOndl departments I0e CLUBS
have in most instances worked in Coop
Grafton with the library commissions in
towns where they existed and endeavored
to secure them where they did not.
Through their influences hundreds of
state, county and city library commits
sions have been established. Where the
funds for the supply of books has been
greatly inadequate to the demand, the
club women have frequently contributed
to it.
Travelling libraries in many states origi-
mated entirely with the Womens clubs
The state federations first sent out travel
ing libraries. containing an assortment
of general literature, to the village i'm
provement clubs of the smaller towns,
but as the towns began to secure libraries
of their own many Of these club libraries
consisted Of specially selected books suit
ed to the work of the club classes. The
womens clubs also contribute largely to
the libraries of the public schools and to
libraries upon special subjects for the
good of the town. not to be found in the
ordinary public library. The selection of
books for a health library is a matter to
which many clubs are now giving at
tention. and the bibliographies upon
health and subjects provided by the fed
erations make judicious selections of
books upon this subject comparatively
easy.