Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-02-13
SERVICE is NOW The
CLUB WATCRWORD
Self Culture no Longer Sole
Aim

with sure and STEADY StrlQe the cluD
movement in America is getting away
from the old form of self-culture,
which the earlier clubs attempted and
entering new fields of service, and
there are few womens clubs to-day
which exist purely for literary culture
The watchword of the present day
club is Service" and the vast major
ity of the clubs which make up the
membership of the general federation
of women's clubs are attempting some
thing in the way of civic or social
welfare work. This work is sometimes
confined to the narrow limitations Of
the lectre course which brings to
the community able speakers upon Wit
al topics of the day, but more often
the club women, recognizing some real
need in their city or town, bend their
efforts, in cooperation with already
existing forces, toward some definite
form of civic betterment, says Mrs.
Mary 1. Wood in The Ladies' Home
Journal.
There are clubs" she continues,
(which have manifested great interest
in the external appearance OF their
home cities. Such a club is the wo-
mans club of Dubuque, Ia. This clab,
with the desire to preserve to the city
its beauty and to rid it of unsightly
billboards, has purchased a beautiful
bluff in the heart of the city and has
established a small park in connection
with it. Notwithstanding the magni-
tude of the undertaking, which cost
$4,000, the club, during the past year,
has also supported, at an expenditure
of SITS, a public playground, and has
contributed $3.50 toward the mainten-
ance of visiting nurse.
"The Womans Improvement club of
Roseville, Cal, has planted 400 trees
upon the public street; has set out
1000 Gala lilies and roses, and
magnolia tree, to make beautiful a
park near the railway station; has
made a park at the triangular inter
section Of three streets and planted it
with date palms, and has provided
eight sanitary drinking fountains for
the public schools.
"The Civic Club of Nowata, Okla,
secured 20-acre park and now has
1000 trees growing in it, while over
in Shawnee, in the same state, the
civic council of women has made great
improvements by employing land
scape artist to lay out park in the
center of the city. In the hands of
the members of the council this park
has become a thing of beauty. A
sunken garden is one of it's chief at
fractions. Cash prizes were offered by
the council for the best kept lawns
and alleys throughout the city.
Just opposite the town of Daytona,
Fla, is an island which is being CON
verified into public park. The Pal
metto club has raised the funds, 50, 500
to carry on the work, and has been
able to contribute nearly $500 more to
kindergarten for colored children.
"a most gratifying result of a Sc
rious effort on the part of the members
of the Womans club of Trenton, Mo,
followed it's offer of 25 cents hun
dred for all old cans which were max
ing unsightly the waste places of the
town. The offer met with such gen
erous response that the town author
tiles, moved to action at the sight of
the many thousand cans which were
collected took upon themselves all ex-
penses incurred and instigated a gen
eral cleanup campaign, The club ex-
pended the money thus saved to it IN.
on the school grounds and public
suare."