Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-06-16
Want IMPROVED CONDITIONS

Entire Body of Active Club
Workers.
Chicago, June 15.-Declaring herbe
lief that "club work is true religion
and proposing that the federation
Join In an earnest campaign for the
betterment of rural life, Mrs. Percy
V. Pennybacker, presldel.. of the Gen
eral Federation of Women's clubs
today addressed the Biennial conven'
ton Of the general federation.
Widen Scope Of Work.
She asked that the federation work
be widened by being presented before
at state declarations and primarily by
other organizations; BY conferences
Individual effort. ,.
LET us call for volunteers" said
Mrs. P~ennybacker," to carry the COS
pei of the general federation work to
every individual club at least once a
year. 1 would not hesitate to ask
these wOmen to offer their services in
the highest missionary spirit, for YER
lily the message they will bring is oft
entimes of q religious nature
IF you could hear as l have heard
stories of how sick babies had been
saved, Of how women to whom every
door t9f life was closed have had, their
lives made full of hope and courage:
OF how those %hungering in spirit have
been lcOmforted and refreshed you
~weuldhnot feel that l have ov%er-stated
the matter when l claim that club
work is true Ieligion.
Three Things Desired.
III we could bring about these three
things during the next two years,--lf
we could deliver our message before
every other state organization, ii we
could have a live general Federation
session at each state meeting, if we
could secure fervid, co%nsecrated wo-
men to carry a message to every in
diVidual club, we would find it easy
to accomplish any reform we under
took" v.
Rural 6%etterrnent.
The rural betterment campaign pro-
posed by Mrs. Pennybacker which
she declared would be iboth inspira-
tional and a concrete accomplishment,
looked toward providing comfortable
homes for country school teachers. w
a"As a country" said Mrs. Penny
hacker" we are almost united upon
the fact that the great question fac
ing us is the betterment Of rural life.
1t is not enough that for our rural
people to produce more in the fruits
of the field, they must have Oppor-
tunity to live nor If we, the mil
lion women in this federation, would
concentrate for the next two years in
an effort to bring about a model set
tlement, and especially to establish
teachers homes, or teachersages, as
they are called, in connection with at
least one school building in each
county, we would be serving the en-.
tire nation r. >"'
A Poet Will Arise
THE day will come when a poet
will arise to sing the virtues and I'm:
selfish service of the country teacher.
II the school is to be a real center of
the best social life in the community,
1t must be presided over by a teacher
who has at least some degree Of per-
manency. Nothing will sooner give
this permanency than a comfortable
house, with a plot of ground, where
the teacher car have a settled feel
ing.
Homes for Teachers.
by giving the teacher a home
v,horn 1hn r,iuhA ho,op,o lo.sx, )
force IN the community life, we'would
be giving every department in our fed.
Grafton a e avende for reaching the
people. Art, civics, conservation, civil
service, reform, home economics, in
dustrial and social condition, legisla-
tive. literature and library, music and
public health, would be called upon
to serve in such a community as this.
Way viii Open. a. u. ''
There are today other forces think.
Ing, planning and working along the
Incl have indicated, all stand ready
to cooperate with us in this service.
sa"1f you ask me how shall we go to
work to secure this, 1 would not dare
answer. We must study before act
Ing. But this xnow full we'll, If we
so at this conscieAtiously, thought.
fully, prayerfully, the way will open."
Are you willing to work for this
concrete accomplishment and two
years from now report what we have
been able to help to bring to pass?"
Increase Reported.
The national president told of the
Increase in the ranks Of the general
federation since the last biennial CON
yention, six hundred and seventy
Gibbs having been admitted, leaving
no state unrepresented on the feder-
alton roll. She spoke Of the routine
work attached to the presidential Of
flee and jokingly observed that it
might be we'll to have three presi-
dents, zone to stay at home, to an
swer the enormous mail, to think, to
study and to plan;;'a second to travel
and accept the host of invitations to
speak, and a third, a social and eat
ing president" "N ,~
Mrs. P~ennybacker touched feeling
~ ngthe help she had received from
former officers and from club women
throughout the country. She sug-
gested that the establishment of an
efficiency commission to work out the
problems of the federation would be
a step forward. &F.
Her closing words were: "Thankful
for the past, hopeful for the future, let