The Washington times., 1914-06-25

years aro, 1t occurred to a group OF
women journalists. Of Which the
leading spirit was Mrs. Marian
LongfelloS o'ponoShue, niece of the
poet Lcngfcllow. that the worlo
needed an organization OF pen
worncn-not one confined to the
press-but cne which should INCLUDE
journalists. poets. writer's OF nction'
art, music, philosophy. and socioi-
ogy.
Illustrators were to be ;ncludcd as
being naturally and intimately AT
fliated with the writers; therefore,
on June q, 1877, in the old Lehman
building. on New York avenue, the
Icaero Of American Penwomen was
organized.
The purpose Of the league was for
mutual benefit, but over and beyond
the pleasure ami ucneht derlvcd
from the intercourse OF conGehlal
spirits. evolved, quito naturally
CORPS d'esprite. an essential, orac-
tical purpose i'll keeping with the
spirit of the times, the personal IN
tcrest. encouragement and generous
aid given one member by another.
This is entirely natural. for among
literary people there exists n splr1t
of cameradcrie, n sympathy that
does not obtain in any Gtner pro-
fession.
The league presents a practical
demonstration Of this spirit OF ap-
preciaticn and announcement IN me
chance afforded It's members to come
Iefore the public in the open meet,
inEs, where, mayhap. some rejected
manuscript may raise its battered
head and be healed of It's wounds
Encourage Real Reform.
That the league NAV claim a not
too servile dependence upon the
powers that b." IN our profession
is pardonable. am quite certain
the powers" Themselves will agree
when they hear the trials and trio-
ulations experienced by many writer's
before they arrived. For example,
some OF the manuscripts OF James
Whitcomb Riley went almost the ell
tire round OF the press before they
were accepted.
Rudyard Kipling also suffered the
most humiliating experiences before
success came to him and many otners
might be cited IL space allowed. In
art il is the same. who has the
gift of provision. .hat he dares to
come forward to tell us the work
that shall live?
Another purpose of the league Is to
encourage every real reform. making
public its favorable attitude through
the adoption of resolutions in favor
of the reform approved. which rtso-
lutions are placed wherever they
may be most effectively sed.
have had the good fortune to be
member of this league for the
past two years. The first year. 1912
to 1913. under the presidency Of Mrs.
Edith Kingman Kern. carried the
league one step further in its dieni-
fled progress toward : al which
should be world wide. IL may oe
said TO be an unw-ittel law mat this
one step farther shall be taken by
the league with each nav incumbent
Of the chair.
The particular work to which Mrs
Kern directed her splendid "nergy
and in which she was warmly sup
ported by the league, was III" I'm
pTovement OF The comic supplement
of the newspapers. She -ecelved n
most gratifying Iepsonse from those
TO whom she appealed. We sincere
~ hope the work o: improvement
will continue until all vici0usness is
eliminated from the comic sections
of all the newspapers.
Copyright Laws.
The next president, Mrs. Annie X.
Wilde". made an earnest and sue
cesSlul effort to bring those members
to the front who were in need OF
recognition. Especially did she en-
deavor to bring into the open meet
ing the S-oadening influence OF the
musician and the artist, the philoso-
pher. the astronomer and the travel
er. Eut the work near est her heart
was the improvement or the copy
riSht laws. 10 the end that increased
protection should be given 10 authors
in their right 10 a just share OF
The profits arising from The sale of
their books.
The work of the following year.
'sli-15. will be auspicatcd by our
n"w president. Mary Hannah Jchn-
son Mrs Philander p. Claxtonl.
This work will be TO make the
league dynamic factor in the
growth oc three great world move