Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-02-18
WOMAN'S
civic CLUB
With Large Membership Formed
in Mineral Point.
AN ADDRESS BY
MRS. J. A. AWKWARD
First Meeting Held in the Municipal
Auditorium on Tuesday Afternoon,
February rs, 1915

February 10, 1918.
A Women's Civic club has been or
ganized in Mineral Point. The meet
ing of women in the auditorium. Tues
day afternoon. was very largely attend
ed. A report of the meeting will be
given in The Democrat next week. The
following synopsis of the address of
Mrs. John A. Alyward shows the pur-
poses of the organization:
FROM THE ADDRESS.
Through a clnb and it's associations
there comes broader vision of life, a
wider love of humanity. [ know of
nothing that so develops human sympa-
thy as a democratic woman's club.
know of nothing that is such a.destroy-
er of social, religious prejudices as a
democratic woman's club. While card
clubs, dancing clubs, thimble clubs,
church societies, all have their well de-
served place in the community life, in
all these the membership is restricted
by social or religious lines.
Is it not a splendid thing to have
come into community an organization
where all such artificial baraiers are
broken down and all can come together
and work together for some common
need? We hear much about the uni
versal brotherhood of man-such CLUB
:a oh hn theory
can be put into practice and one of the
many delightful compensations of such
a club is the friendships formed, often
with people whom we would never
know intimately in any other way
May | say that believe they are diff
ferent from the friendships formed
about the card table or over the tea
cups, or even those that come from
reading and studying together in pure
ly literary clubs? The friendships that
come from working together for some
common good have quality all their
own. Working together for a noble
purpose brings out the best qualities in
people and therefore results in the rar-
est and choicest friendships.
The question comes up, Can the
women of any enterprising up-to date
community afford not to be a part of
this great forward movement? By
your presence you have indicated your
interest, an interest which no doubt
will be crystalized into a club which
will do for Mineral Point just what
clubs all over the country are doing for
their particular communities.
1t is pleasant, comfortable thing to
feel that when we keep our home in
good order and furnish wholesome food
for the table and take good care of the
children that we have done our entire
duty. May l state emphatically that
any club that interfered with such
efficient management with home is
not worth while. A club that is full
filling its mission, however, should
broaden the interest of its members and
create a desire to heelp those less
fortunate to improve their home con-
ditions.
For the sake of our own homes then,
we must reach out and help to secure
good conditions, morally, physically, in
our town: Individuals and clubs who
do such work have what is called
social consciousness, a civic or com
munity interest, and the more you
think about it the more you realize that
home interest and community interests
are strongly interlaced. When you are
once aroused, to it this community in
terest takes possession of you. Do not
think that it makes the hearth stone
any the less attractive.
Each city has its own particularly
pressing needs, but there are few
needs that seem to be universal. Com
munitv health is one. We all realize
now that no windows can be so care
fully screened, no garden so closely
helged as to keep out the malignant
microbe or germladen fly. 70 conserve
the health of the home, we must con-
serve the health of the community.
But their are children, no doubt
many even in Mineral Point, who can
truthfully say, I'VE haint got nothing
to do and no where to go to-" In larg-
er places, the Juvenile Court and Pro-
baton Officers can tell the pitiful tales
that result from too much loafing time.
Every community has then a leisure
time problem, and you can help take
care of these boys and girls by supply
ing your school ground or some other
playground with play apparatus, by
arranging for story hours at the City
Library. by getting from the University
educational lantern slides to be shown
Saturday or after school. Commercial
interests have long since taken advan-
sage of this leisure time and have sup
rlied dance halls, pool rooms. picture
shows and vaudeville. This gives