Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-09-05
WOMAN'S CIVIC LEAGUE
WHAT DOEST STAND FOR?
An Organization That Stands for
Public Spirit and Has a
Purpose.
PRINCIPAL USE NOT MONEY.
A Civic League With Public Spirit
Public Interest and Uplift Of
Community.
Communicated

Communicated
With the return of the fall, our
minds naturally turn once more 10
those activities OF life which lie be-
yond our own personal interests and
duties.
Among these activities is that If
the Woman's Civic League. 1t might
be well to ask what this organiza-
tion really stands for, or could stand
for? We might, too, preface our re-
marks by saying Of this, as of any
other like organization, that it stands
for Just what we have the public
spirit aud purpose to make it stand
forl
Nothing can ever be accomplished,
either for ourselves or for others,
without some personal sacrifice. If
we wish to be loyal, helpful citizens
and do our part may be in lesser
or greater degree-to help on the
public welfare, we must rise fro n
selfish inc rita and be willing to give
little of ourselves our time and our
energy-in fact, we owe this to the
community an Which, ~ ptCoScS Us W
live.
If the Civic League, through whose
organization we are, presumably,
given the opportunity to d. our little
part towards the public welfare, is
not of any use, either through our
own shortcomings or otherwise, then
it is an incumbrance and al such,
should be done away with at once--a
waste If time and energy.
One thing we can confidently state,
and that is that Civic Leagues
elsewhere have been of great use in
other communities. Let us then
first look into the question for mo-
ment as to the real and primary use
of a Civic League, and then let
each woman of our community decide,
in her own mind, whe ther or not it
is d good thing for us to have, and
if the decision made is in favor of
it, let her at once determine to
give small portion, at least, of her
time and energy towards its sup
port
OF course, we are not speaking to
those few among US who have already.
sc decided. There is a widespread
Misunderstanding as to what a Civic
League really stands for. One often
hears the self-satistied remark 81
paid my dues r. as though that were
the chief end of their me mbership.
1t is the smallest part. One misses
the whole spirit and Inspiration Of
the organization when holding such
thought
Its principal use-the main thing
that it stands fUr-is not money.
We are taxed for that purpose. but it
is to represent and stand for public
spirit and public interest and pdblic
betterment. This is the power be-
hind the throne this is what makes
an attractive, clean, moral happy
city. If, as community, we desire
certain things that make for better
and more healthful conditions, moral
| ly and physically, we will get them.
Every City Council is, or should
be, ready and glad to respond to the
real demands of the people. Since,
too, the people give their money for
the up-keep and up-lift of their city,
should they not have such conditions,
as they, as a community. wish? Now
how can this concerted public desire
| for such objects avail itself except
| through organization? Individual
effort goes for very little these days.
The controlling authority wants TO
know the people want.
Now, we come to the inevitable con-
| clusion that the pekrIe must have
| some organization through which
| they can make their wants known
hence the principal use of the Civic
League or any other organization
which would accomplish this purpose.
Therefore, our Civic League is worse
than useless unless it represents the
people. In other words, not only
that it must have large membership,
| but it's meetings must be well at
tended in order to be representative.
Otherwise it carries no weight and
is useless.
In many cities this organization,
the Civic League, is composed of
both men and women. In our town,
when the Civic League was organ
1 lieu, tueEt dlIcnuy cAtBlcu OH VI Sdu1-
cation representing the men-ouI
Chamber of Commerce, and so the
membership of the Civic League OF
| Annapolis was limited to women.
| Through this organization the wo-
men of our town are given the oppor-
tuaity of knowing one another, OF
exchanging ideas on all public mat
tiers of interest and welfare, and Of
determining on such things as they
as women citizens, consider well fol
the betterment of the city as the rep
resentative wives and mothers Of
our town, surely they are no mea Z
force in the life Of the community.
/ We can see, from the foregoing
that il is folly for handful of mem
bers to coEAe together to decide ant
try to promote public schemes whei
they are not enough in numbers to b
| representative. The same holdl
good with our Chamber of ComHerce
These are not charitable orgariz a
] sfonsf Charity can be dispenee,