The Washington herald., 1920-05-30

Two sides of a woman's nature
are constantly fighting for express
sion. and to be happy a woman must
give each self a chance to live
This is what Miss Mary o'Tocle,
Irish immigrant, self-made woman,
president of the Woman's City Club
and Washington lawyer. told a re-
porter of The Sunday Herald.
what Club Life Means.
Every woman has the instinct of
the home and of social life. OF COM
panionship. Against this there is
the tug for self-expresstoa in the
business or professional world, the
desire to accomplish. something in
a mans world.
out of American life and this
dual yearning has grown ar insti-
tuition which gives to tnc Modern
woman the ch lnce to satisfy both
natures-the woman's club"
The woman of society or the
woman who is tied down at home
comes to the club for mental in
complish a definite, concrete wol k
which she feels is adding a bit to
the progress of the world: the bust
ness woman seeks there the social
relaxation and friendship which she
fails to get in the office and the
daily contact with the world. This
IS Miss O'Toole's explanation of
how the club has become the me-
dium of satisfying conflicting de-
sires on the part of woman.
Books Her First Friends.
IF only 1 had known such an or
ganization when i first came TO
America. it would have made an in
calculable difference in my life" she
says. Il came from Ireland in 1900
as an immigrant girl. 1 went first
to Western New York. where my
only friends were-books. No"-and
her voice caught slightly-'there
was cne school girl there who was
my true friend on sight and who re-
mained so until the day of her
death.
But with that one exception I
knew no one-only my books. l
literally read shelf after shelf Of
them. 1 remember when I first went
in the library 1 didn't know what
to select, and so decided to start at
a shelf in one corner. From that
shelf l read a long way around the
building.
AT the best. though. books are
slightly cold friend,, and suppose
you don't care for reading? can
easily see how these poor little girls
here wander up and down the
Il -
Is n Bank Director.
Sixteen years ago Miss o'Toole
came to Wasbin gton. She entered
the Washington Collese Of Law and
was graduated in 1908, EoiLg West,
where for four and n half years shc
was in the government forestry
service. In 1918 she returned and
began the practice Of law IN Wash
ington. She was made a director OF
the Chamber of Commerce. In 1917
and a director of the. Citizens Ss,v-
ings Bank of Washington N 1912.
Last October Miss O'TcoIe was
largely instrumental in bringing
the woman's City Club hero into
existence. and was :cs first presi-
dent. Recently she was re-eieclad
president. The club, in the past
eight months. has grown 10 a metn-
bership of 5000, and Is second In
size only to the Parents club in
Boston.
you will notice" she says, that
the highest per cent 9f insanity is
among farm women, although with
the advent of the telephone and
rural mail delivery his has de-
creased. The answer u this IS in
the fact that the woman en- the
farm is so much mo-e isolated than
In the, city. To be normal 1t is
necessary to have contact with
other minds"
Despite the International plans OF,
the club. Miss o'Toole "a an ardent
American.