The Washington herald., 1913-03-02
By FRANCES sHAFFER.

/ As time goes by. we read all sorts of
pleasant words regarding the modern
clubs for modern women. and tribute
after tribute goes their way for the work
that they are doing.
They are said to be in the foreground
Of useful work. are complImented for
their interest in public affairs. and are
approved and appIauded on every hand.
Now. some folk are rather skeptical OF
the influence that these clubs WELD, quite
doubtful Of the good that they do. They
say that women lightly skim tho surface
stir things up a bit. make a lot of noise,
and let 1t 90 At that
But IL any one seriously questions the
standing Of women's clubs he IL re-
spectfully referred to the newspapers and
the magazines and to the things that
they say.
The Impressive Thing.
Of fulsome praise are all very well, but
the thing that really impresses us in re-
gard to the force Of women's clubs is
this:
When it happens that something comes
along requiring steady. united action.
something affecting the whole social fab
rfc, first We hear a whisper
why don't women take that up In
their clubs?'
Then the whisper becomes a chorus
IT women's clubs would act together
on this question they would hold the
situation in their own hands and could
mako whatever terms they liked"
women in their clubs could take hold
and bring about reform
That little matter would certainly
be set Alright IL women would start
the ball a-rohing in their clubs
That is what they say. and they say
II pretty often and pretty seriously. too
And the point of IL is. they say 1t be-
cause they know right well what these
organized women have accomplished in
motto of their clubs. And when they say
H." they do not speak 1t with a sneer.
because they have only to look back upon
things that have been brought about to
know the things that may be done.
Could Force Down Expense.
Just now they are telling us that wom-
en-. II they liked and IL they would.
could clean up this sorry epidemic of
high prices, which is worldwide in its
reach Housewives. in their clubs and
in their leagues. could go to work in
every city. as they already have in some.
ana CoulC lOrCe GOWN the COst VI liNlHS
10 a comfortable plane.
We'll. maybe they could. And one
believes this almost the best compli-
ment OF all. Because this question of
high prices involves a great many i'm
portant things. things with which the
average clubwoman or the average
woman. anywhere. has not been in close.
working touch as yet. There is big
tangle somewhere. a tangle not made
by woman's hands or women's clubs. and
II certainly is tribute to the work that
clubs have done, and the work that they
are doing to say that women can
straighten it out
Yes. it is a tribute. but when the tribute
has been paid. there is something mors
10 be said. Because it is not exactly
fair to expect women to begin at the
finished end and pick out that tangle.
long in the making. For the dropping
OF the old-time market basket is not
back of the prices We must pay. In
spite of all that is said. Indeed. it is
much bigger figure than that.
The fact is that housewives are al
ready working at the problem, but 1t is
not a problem OF their making.
Power They Might Weld.
There is no lack of things that the
clubs have done. and as We think of