Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-08
WOMEN'S CLUBS HAVE
SERVICE AS THE GUIDING
SPIRIT OF THEIR WORK
Mrs. Josiah Evans Cowles, New
Head of National Federation,
Defines Purpose of Organ
ization
USEFUL ACHIEVEMENTS

Ask any woman what she regards as the
greatest rival for her husbands affections.
and ten to one she'll answer unhesltatingly:
His club"
Recently the tables we're turned. Thou
sands of women from all over the United
states Journeyed TO New York to attend
the biennial convention Of the National
Federation of womans Clubs. In almost
every case their husbands remained behind
to champ their bits and bite their lips and
spend their spare time wondering what the
world in general, and woman in particular,
Is coming to.
But the womans club Ia on far higher
plane than the mans. The history of the
womans club movement in the last so
years shows 1t to be its own justification.
Read the records of their achievement, and
If you have been one Of the dissenters, for.
ever hold your peace.
Mrs Josiah Evans Cowles the newly.
elected president of the federation, is re-.
sponsible for this defense of woman's clubs
If any defense can be said to be needed
Hundreds of thousands of women all over
the Country-almost 60, 900 in Pennsyl-
vania alone-will look to her for guidance
in the accomplishment of the tremendous
work laid down for them at the recent con-
vention
In her hower-embowered apartment at
the Astor Hotel in New York. Mrs. Cowles
deferred the pressing business of n national
club president and showed aside the bushel
or more of congratulatory kilograms that
cluttered her desk in order to give few
minutes of her precious time to chat about
women's clubs-and also mems.
HER HUSBANDS PHOTOGRAPH.
And what do you think was the most
dominant article In that room. II we elmi-
nate Mrs. Cowles herself? The American
Beauties standing waist high on their tall
stems? The perpetually tinkling telephone?
The kilograms? No Guess again and miss
1t for you surely will. 1t was picture of
Josiah Evans Cowles, eminent physician
and surgeon, and the lady-club presidents
husband. A photograph is not SO real as a
husband, but when you're thousands of
miles away from him it's mighty comfort
ing. At any rate, that's the way Mrs
Cowles looks at 1t.
"a womans club is always a more
serious organization than a MANS" she
said. You'll find that men usually belong
to this or that club because of the social
features It offers Golf, chess, tennis cards
social prestige. with a woman's association
It is different. Organized women are always
doing something along cultural and other
wise helpful lines. Their purpose is usually
for some educational, moral, sociological or
civic good.
"The motto of one of the clubs that I
belong to in San Francisco Is Ich Dlen
which, translated, means. I serve The
spirit of that motto, / am sure actuates
most other womens clubs. We serve All
of our aims and ambitions are toward serv-
ice. Virtually every topic that was dis
cussed at those wonderful meetings of the
convention had to do with ways and means
of serving How could we the organized
women of the country, help with the serv-
ant problem, the matter of peace suffrage
child labor, educational and Industrial tan
giles generally?
"a man goes to his club to play; a woman
to hers to work. Our clubs do not alienate
us from our husbands That old chestnut
is comparable to the mother-in-law joke.
Few womens clubs have any meetings at