The Penn's Grove record., 1921-05-20
WOmen's Clubs
State Federated
Social and Health Problems Dis
cussed. New Building For
WOmen's College

At the fortnigtly meeting of Penns
Grove Woman's Club Tuesday after
noon, Mrs. John F. Randolph. who was
expected, did not arrive because she
had quit club work.
Mrs. John NJ. Summerill, the presi-
dent, gave an interesting report of
what she had seen and heard at the
18th annual convention of the State
Federation of Women's Clubs, in At
lantic City, May 18th to 18th.
On Thursday afternoon, 18th, she
heard the Hon. Frances Perkins. who
spoke on Industrial and Social Condi-
tions.
She spoke of the complexity of
modern life and the whole social sys-
TEN. The feeling of unrest results
from the fact that the whole founda-
ton of u system and method of liv-
ing had been changed. She said, we
have this helpless feeling of What is
the use of trying to save and remold
the world"
Social institutions were formerly
dependent on individual production,
but now everything is made on the CO.
operative system. Formerly each fam
lily was a unit to themselves and the
home was the whole economic system.
only so far as it serves the
ity. There has been such an eXpan-
sion in industrial life and such changes
in methods, that if all industries were
run at full capacity they would create
as much in eight months as could be
consumed in twelve months. The work
in tho 11onHaJ11 foO+C,.x- +aloyr = ~ ,,oa
otonOuS system. 1t is not l%aborious.
Just sit and wind a bobbin, work a
shuttle or drop a screw into a GER
tain place all day. But there is
nothing to engage the mind OF develop
creative ideas, or any outlet for crea-
tive impulses. She said nothing was
better than change of occupation and
physical training for creative activity.
1t stimulates enormously for study
and we + Gained and soothed after
a change. She told of a little girl who
could not do her problems in arith-
metic and became nervous and puz-
zled.
She said the psychology of human
happiness was the development Of
character. Be happy and you will be
good. Be good and you will be happy.
No altruism is possible until it has an
opportunity to thrive. A few years ago
when people took up settlement work
they had no scientific methods, Just a
religious impulse and the feeling about
the horrible inequality of the oppor-
t~unities of the people. The tenements
were unfit to live in and the people
were being exploited for their wages.
At the same time, organized, syste-
matiZed methods of relief sprang up.
Better housing facilities were taken
into consideration and by favorable
environments peoples ideas were in
fnitely changed and their creative i'm
pulse given opportunity.
She said new social workers will
specialize on psychology and will I'M
derstand adult nature just as a
teacher understands the nature of a
child. She told of a man who had an
accident, became neurotic. He is sent
to a nuerologist. They find he has
dementia. Then he has hysterical
blindness. There are intricate family
complications. He is taken to pleas
ant environments and family compli-
cations remedied. His blindness is
overcome.
The next speaker spoke on v%enereal
diseases. She said this disease was
more prevalent and more infectious
than smallpox. There is much to be
done for young peoples amusement
and work to divert their creative i'm
pulses from unwholesome to other
channels. We should have a normal
amount of scientific information re-
garding sex and reproduction. They
suffer from lack of information thru
timidity. We can not call Ignorance
innocence.
We should have women police or
probation officers. 1t is a common
practice for girls or women to be
brought into a police station for some
offense and have no woman to look
after them. We should teach the
young regarding sex, life and repro
duction, and we should be willing to
spread in our community greater
knowledge. E,
Mrs. Murdoch asked to have good
music made popular and popular
music made good.
Mrs. Douglas, Dean of the State
Women's College, at New Brunswick,
gave a report of the progress made
since that institution opened in Sep
TENDER, 1918. The first year the Leg
islature appropriated $4,000, last
year $50 1000, and this year 800 600:
The college now has buildings which
cost 1920 1000. The new scientific
building to be erected by contributions
of the Women's Clubs will be of
Georgian architecture and will cost
$685.
The Women's College opened in
September, 1918, with Sd students;
September, 1920, with 1874.
Newark has 10 Clubs with about
1000 members. East Orange has over
1000 members and bonded treasurer.
South Amboy has a box into which
any question may be put in.
Caldwell Club has 235 women and
80 men who pay 81 each yearly.
Metuchen has half a dozen organ
lied Clubs. Asbury Park has raised
1000 towards a $4,000 Club house.