Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-01-10
MISS VITTUM IN
HELPFUL TALK To
RI. CLUB WOMEN
Speaking on Subject of Munich
pal Housekeeping She
Brings Suggestions.
HAS WIDE EXPERIENCE
Advises Members of Civic Departmen mt
of Responsibility of Suffrage
Weapon.

Ths civic department of the Won
ans club of Rock Island and members
of the club at large listened to a most
helpful. inspiring and intensely inter
esting address yesterday afternoon in
Broadway Presbyterian Sunday school
rooms, by Miss Harriet Vittum OF the
Northwestern settlement, Chicago,
and who is also chairman of the de-
partment of industrial and social con-
ditions of the Illinois Federation of
Women's clubs. The address was Civ
ELI under the auspices of the civic de-
partment at the January session.
Miss Vittum is woman of most at
tractive personality, alive and keen in
her work for the betterment of social
conditions. thoroughly familiar with
such conditions not only in her home
/ city, and her state. but the nation at
large and countries of the old world
as well. She is fluent speaker with
/ fund of information that is limitless,
and upon which she draws with judg-
ment and keen intelligence. Her sub
| ject was Municipal Housekeeping"
and few people are better qualified 10
speak on this subject than Miss Wit
tum, who has had years of experience
/ in the municipality of Chicago. She
! began her talk by expressing her pleas
ure at being able to address her hear
/ ers as fellow citizens" privilege ac-
corded women in this state only within
! the last half year. One of the first ar
guments urged against suffrage was
that it took woman out of her normal
life-that of a homemaker. 1t was
argued that she should stay In the
home, rear her children, look after the
needs of her family, their morals, edu-
cation, etc, but this very argument
was one OF the strongest and best
weapons in its favor. The fact that
the purity of the home is strong in
the mother has led her to take meas
ures to purify the city and state and
country of her hom-. Her daily as
ISOLATION with home life is her best
qualification to take care of larger
things. The ballot to women is a sa-
cred and precious responsibility and
its use should be exercised with the
greatest of care.
Timid Women Brought Suffrage.
Many women are timid about leav-
ing the privacy of their homes to take
up public questions and do not want
the ballot, but these timid ones have
helped to give to women suffrage be-
cause of the greater need. The re-
sponsibility must be taken seriously
and slowly, and the intricate way
through politics taken step by step
until municipal and state life is put
on a different basis. A city should be
as clean as a home and as safe for
the youth of the land.
Miss Vittum then told OF the work
o. the Chicago City club and its re-
suits. The men of the city asked the :
women to assist in cleaning up politics
with the result that domestic science
civic club was organized with defenite I
divisions in each city ward. !
The first division organized was a /
child welfare committee. 1t is a la !
mentable fact that one in every four
children dies from preventable dis
ease. This is due largely to the ig-
nOrance of the mothers, and children
are dying by the thousands because
o. this fact. A house to house can
vess is made now and the poor mother
questioned and then advised on the
proper care of her child. A police sta
ton committee was another division.
According to Miss Vittum the police
stations of Chicago are in a worse con-
dition than any other city in the world
with the possible exception of those in
Italy. As chairman of this committee
she made a personal investigation and
found conditions that were appalling. II
All rules of safety, ventilation, light
ing and hygiene were violated. In II
striking contrast are the stations of
The Hague, which are spotlessly clean,
well lighted and ventilated. as are
those in Paris, Berlin, Munich. etc.
Since the granting of the ballot TO
women in the state, conditions are
changing and already the doors of the
city offices are opening and staying
open to the women when they ask for
improved conditions. The city of Chi
cago will vote soon upon a bond issue
10 improve police stations and wipe the
disgrace from the city. Police women
have come as a result of the demand
of the women. They inspect the dance
nails where conditions have been in
.o!erable, where dances for profit have 4
been carried on to the ruin of boys
and girls who after a hard day of work
- there for recreation because OF the
ack of better forms of amusement.
The 20 policewomen are inauguratfng
supervision of these places and de-
handing the closing of the worst
they also are asking the supervision
II the moving picture shows. which
,ften are the hatcheries for awful
the pictures are terrible, the
fentilation miserable and the darkened
Dom a prolific source OF crime.
The playground movement has had
remarkable growth and today Chi
ago has the best system of play
in tht world. But only small
,art OF what is needed has been ac-
the percentage of terri
DRY reached is comparatively small
md the conditions are not as they
LIQUID be.
Garbage Question Difficult.