Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-12

whom purposed organizing a circle of
housewives. Each letter asked one chief
question: When would the Friendly
Neighbors" be ready to begin shipping
goods?
With that for a starter Monday, things
have been moving this week at dizzy
pace. Mrs. Turner was out again Thurs
day to report that twenty-seven families
In the twin buildings In which the Tur-
ners have their apartment had signihed
Mrs. Turner has called meeting for
next Tuesday afternoon. to address
, which Jane Is to make a trip into the
city.
One Of the two women from whom Jane
had letters early in the week has writ
ten again to say that she will have no
trouble getting ten or twelve families In
her circle, and she wants to know par
ticularly II they can be assured OF con-
tinuous supply Of fresh eggs. and II they
can get their winter potatoes. paying for
the latter on the installment plan.
Jane has replied that they can feel safe
in the matter Of eggs. and that she Will
take up the question of potatoes and let
her correspondent know next week:
Now we come to the point which threat.
ems to divide the Friendly Neighbors'
into two camps, the progressives. led by
Jane, and the conservatives. led oy-no.
no, for mercy's sake, not me! Tne point
Is that Mr.. Brown and several others OF
talked agree that the association ought
not to undertake actually to do business
until next spring.
Second Meeting Of Club.
A second meeting Of the club was held
Wednesday evening. and new members
representing ten additional families were
taken in, but that leaves our organization
less than a third complete OF course. a
hundred families may not be absolutely
necessary to the success Of the underta &
Ing. but that is the mark we set out for.
and II we fall down In forming our asso-
citation we are likely to fail In other re-
spects There are more than hundred
families within easy hauling distance OF
the station where we would have our
denot. and In order to make 1t truly a
community affair we ought to have prac-
ticaily ali of them within our ranks.
Hut even II we were able to complete
our organization at once. ~ Is now 30
anything to sell worth employment OK
the elaborate machinery involved In asso-
ciated selling to associated buyers. we
conservatives think that to undertake
selling before there was sufiacient vol
ume Of produce to Justify the over
head" charges. which would be SUBJ
stantially the same regardless OF volume.
would be to invite failure at the very
beginnins. We are afraid that before
next spring. when there would be abun-
dant vegetables and fruit for our Gus
toners, the returns to members would
be 40 unsatisfactory that the associa-
ton would go to pieces without any OPP
portunity to demonstrate Its benefits
We argued this question at the meet
Inp Wednesday night, and we think We
argued the opposition off Its feet: But
precious little good that did. II the
'.proRressives" are short on arguments
they certainly are long on get up and
hustle. There has been no let-up in
their activity. they declare that they In
tend to answer our contention that 1t
can't be done by doing 1t. feel it due
| to my sex to say that there are few
men lined up with the 'progressives."
No Real Unfriendliness.
Don't get the notion that there is dan
ger of families being disrupted by
the difference Of opinion or that there
LIS any real unfriendiiness within the
ranks Of Friendly Neigbbors." If it
was family matter now that was In
dispute no doubt the men (some of
them) would lay down the law and In
sist upon its observance. But this is
! club matter. The women are our fell
ow-members. with equal rights and
privileges and the only way we can
force them to do things our way is to get
a majority Of votes on our side. So far
there has been no test to determine
which side could command a majority.
and as not all the men are "conserva-
tive" nor all the women radical" there
will be no way to tell until a test does
come.
Those who are for doing things at
once are not wholly without arguments
on their side. They insist that now
the thing is started 1t cannot stand still
without danger Of dying from inanition
and that 1t would be the height OF folly
to reject the overtures that are coming
from the city. They concede that no
prospective customers until the member
shin roll has been COMPLETED and a thor