The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-04
ITEMS OF INTEREST
TO SOCIETY WORLD
Interesting Story of an Ala
bama Woman
EVENTS OF THE DAY
House Party at Redondo Beach, Cal.
Art Exhibition to Begin Tomor-
row-Godowsky This
Evening
EVENTS OF THE DAY
nx MYRTLE MILES

BY a strange anomaly almost all of the
wooden houses in Cambridge, says a Boss
ton exchange, set in their bits of lawns,
bear a resemblance to virginia homes.
The interiors, however, do not carry the
illusion further unless it chances that
one of these dwellings, is occupied by
southerner.
At 40 Irving street is one of the rare
mansions in question, for it is the nome
. of Mrs. William David Gay of Mont
gemery. Ala, the regent of that unique
organization, the Southern club of Bos-
ton.
Some years ago there existed in Boston
a Boston Southern society, composed en-
tirely of men, and headed by such men
as DR.. Councilman and Dr. Christian,
both former deans of the Harvard Med
ieal school
When Mrs Gay arrived in Cambridge
from Alabama, about six years ago. she
began to receive" on certain days, stu
dents who hailed from her beloved Ala
bana. out of the Alabama contingent
grew what was known as the southern
Social club of Boston, a nama chosen =
distinguish 1t from the Southern society
In a short time the Southern aociety
ceased to exist and the Southern Social
club of Boston abbreviated its name ana
became the Southern club of Boston, Mrs
Cav serving as it's first president.
AT a. recent "club" tea at her house.
she enterfains all members who choose
to come to her every Sunday afternoon
it was a difficult thing to get the CHARM
-. h nxrr11 rs
IN the establishment of the Southern elop
In this latitude.
20, I thought first of lonely Alabama
boys and girls, so far away from their
homes and families. and then, then-it
Just grew itself. like "Topsy,'" she said,
in reply to a question.
You know, they all accuse us south
erners of having the social instinct al
most abnormally developed I am sure
these young people need social life along
with their work. and this is what makes
our Southern club distinctive.
at has neither literature nor the fine
arts. nor intellectual uplift. nor philan-
thropy, nor charity as motifs IT Just
staEds bravely on its real foundation,
which is social life and enjoyment Tor
students, who might be very lonely other
wise
"Don't You think lack of the right
amusement sometimes makes young peo-
pie go rather far af1eld for what is not
precisely the right kind?"
Here was really the unheralded, unac-
lxnowledged motive back of ell this aIl-
parent1y purely pleasure seeking gather
ing.
"There is Miss s., she said a moment
later "She has been studying abroad
such a beautiful voice-and over there
that girl in blue is quite a linguist. In
decd almost all of them speak French
prettily, and some of them have literary
culture, II not talent. You see, we have
a li,dicious admixture of allthese things.
but we don't hang our club on any of
them.''
'sYour preponderancy Of the masculine
element disproves the often repeated
statement that men can't be made o
come to teas" remarked her guest,
pointing to the throngs that were swarm
Ing about the girls.
Mrs. Gay laughed. Southern social in
etinct again, maybe she said, and then
she added Mrs. Eben Draper, who was
q Kentuclxian and one of our first patron
esses, once said she wanted her daughter
elected to membership in the Southern
club because it was the only club in Bos-
ton that could count six men to every
girl in its membership. That is an asset
these days, isn't it? 1t is nice, too, for the
girls.
sfWho were our first patronesses?. Let
me see, it isn't easy to remember accu-
rately for five years-we are just five