The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-07-29
MRS CORA HARRIS
COMMENTS ON CLUB LIFE.

VIC Va Vic NACNCIC8b OOECGNSI8 VI Z
American life today, and one Of its
most discriminating analysists is Mrs.
Cora Harris, who has spent the past
few weeks In Nashville, her former
home. This distinguished Georgian
Tennesseean is the author of the lead
ing features of the Saturday Evening |
Post of July Is an article headed "The |
Other Unit" which gives an account |
of the recent New York biennial of
the General Federation Of Women's
Clubs. This noteworthy gathering of
women Mrs. Harris attended as a
member of the Georgia delegation and
representative of the Cherokee Club
of Cartersv1ile, neighoring club to
Mrs. Harris country home, I'm The
Valley" says the Nashville Banner.
Mrs. Harris was much impressed
with this assemblage of over 10000
club women and to 4 Banner reporter
she stated:
"The impression I received Of the
women of the convention was that of
earnest, honest, patient and intelli-
gent service.
81 believe in woman's intelligence,
but think they should be careful to
develop the objective side Of the mind
IN proportion. The women Of this con-
vention impressed me because their
reports showed this Development
they are using their minds and their
experiences for practical purposes,
especially for the improvement of all
social conditions.
'T believe in women. I believe also
in men. believe in the race. While
there are many faults to be found
with both mn and women, if you con-
slider this civilization intelligently
there is more for which they deserve
praise than blame"
The chief defect of the great con-
vention, as Teen hy Mrs. Harris, was
the fact that it was strangled with
parliamentary rules, and she wisely
: comments along this line:
"Women, are, about the practice of
5 parliamentary rules, as a little girl is
about practicing her scales on the pi-
ano. She counts her one, two, three,
four, carefully, and comes down hard
l on the four, and she loses the rhythm
/ of the thing because she has not yet
got the use of her fingers. But give
her time and she may become an ac-
| complished musician. So these women
who thump out their rules and regu-
lations so awkwardly and conscien-
tiously are taking the right method
to become good governing force"
At the great biennial, equal suf-
frage, though a side issue, proved in
many ways a dominant factor, and of
especial interest are Mrs. Harris al
lusions to votes for women activities.
There is perhaps no writer in Amer
lea whose pen has done more for the
cause of equal suffrage than Mrs.
Harris, because her conclusions as to
its value both to women and to the
world are drawn after a dispassionate
reviewal of the "vitrolic hysteria" Of
some extreme advocates for the cause
and of the disadvantages that might
come from extending the franchise ia
women.
The deepest dyed of federation en-
thusiasts should render Mrs. Harris a
vote of thanks for this article in che
Post, since, despite its quota of whole
sale criticism, it contains two of the
finest tributes ever paid the great
army of American clubwomen. Ono
near the opening of the article is the
following:
"This body represents tire Other
Unit in American civilization, a unit
no less actively engaged in determin-
ing the character, quality and ideal.
of this civilization than the govern,
ment at Washington. It is in the
pioneer stage of development, withou!
salaries for its representatives, with.
out a treasury from which to make
appropriations the first govern.
ing body of this republic, when repre-.
sentatives made up in actual service
what they lacked in funds for appro-
pirations."