Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1915-11-10
ORGANIZED
WOMANHOOD,

pspt,s yylsifer) Of Our Neigh bor hood cluS
Old Town, delivered before the Ellsworth
Womap's club ct its meeting st the home
y, Mrs. John A. Peters, Nov.1.l
II must be readily understood that one
no really loves the scenes OF her child
HOOD could not return to these scenes and
r,set the people and converse with them
.,,bout many personal "reminiscences.
/, ia also nearly Is impossible, with this
lave OF childhood associations bubblirg
ov.r when facing these scenes. to have
.nv talk, even though It be dignified BY
,he name OF address, without much more
ala personal note than good form would
,ender permissible. Therefore, IL the per-
.onal pronoun 10 too prominent on this
occasion. do forgive me, as you surely will
:, you keep in mind the fact that many Of
me memories that give me the greatest
,ov are the memories Of you yourselves, or
ottbose who have been dear to each OF us.
Every year 1t Is greater Joy to mention
the name OF an Ellsworth person who led
in some good movement-who stood
promine Mt in educational circles, or those
who once fought the good fight that
entities them to rest from their labors.
One Of the pioneer movements that
often comes to my mind is one that some
Of you may have forgotten and OF which
others have not heard, an effort made by
Mrs. Ellen Grant Aiken to place two girls
In some State institution, that they might
receive some guidance and instruction
and be in q measure shielded from the
temptations OF the street. 30 little used
were we people here to such work, that
for woman and Q mother-as Mrs. Aiken
then was-to make move to take children
from their home seemed to indicate to Us
that she herself should be placed under
restraint. While the worth OF the home
and proper estimation OF 1t were and are
Of great value we then lost sight OF the
fac, that where the right homo does not
exist, the institution Is better than the
street.
Years after this work Of this Ellsworth
woman. Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones, OF Chi
cago, gave most stirring address on the
need Of the home and not The institution
q. The demand OF the hour. And 80 it is
to-day, but II the home IL lacking, 1t Is
good civic work to see that the institution,
which each year grows better and better,
should have the girls or boys before they
have gone wrong, for in this way they
may be kept from evil.
In noticing this change Of opinion as
illustrated by the "reminiscences, we are
brought to the ideas that formerly pre-
vailed in regard TO the word "ciyic". 1t
once meant some great work long way
OF, in some large city, for some famous
person to do, and had no connection what
soeyer with Us in the small city or town
or on the farm. To-day, however, we
realize that .'civic" means everything
that pertains to every man, woman and
child; yes, more, 1t means the conditions
OF the cows, the hens, the streams and the
woods, for by each and all OF these are we
benefited or injured.
A child cannot be born into the world
without at once facing civic conditions,
and this is not putting II strong enough,
for no child is conceived without civic
conditions influencing what will later
become the boy or girl.
Undoubtedly every one OF these state
msnis are as familiar to you as to me,
but We sometimes repeat some truism in
order to bring closer home some other
truth. Aud this brings US TO the ques-
ton which is sometimes asked: "what is
tons, the women's clubs, some for study,
some for music, some for converse, and
Others for q combination OF effortse"
We are glad Of this question, and we en-
JOY hearing women answer it, Tor it is al.
ways answered in some original way,
and new truths learned, and the answer
lam going to give you to this question is
partly original, partly quoted, and all, to
the best OF my Judgment, true.
1t was men who had the first club. This
we grant, and II has been said that the
reason OF the mems club was because
when these men came from the Office or
the shop they desired quiet for reading or
meditation, and the woman who had been
home all day desired q favor OF the out
side world, and she SO piled the man With
questions that he cohld neither read,
think nor sleep. So the clubs began to be
formed, and woman was left still more
alone to solve the problems OF the family,
and OF the world, and to longer and more
stronger yearn for companiouship. Then
she herself began to organize the club,
which proved to be the need. OF many
another woman than herself, and 1t grew
and grew, until to-day, in our own State,
there are nearly 1000 club women, and in
The United States, by the figures OF the
General Federation, there are 100000.
Some say that when msn. found him
self alone in the home with a chance for
quiet he has come back to 1t, and thstthe
mems clubs are growing more and more
unpopular, but II this 10 true it 10 not be-
cause man is more alone in the home, but,
because OF the women's club and the work
II has done, he finds when he comes to
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