The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-01-28
FARM WOMEN MAKE
RECORD IN CLUB WORK
Remarkable Accomplishments of a
Year in North District" of
OF Arllnuton.

Year in North District" of
Of Arlington.
! Following Is a report Of the actiyi-
ties Of the Battenkill Women's club,
North District, Arlington, VT. made
In answer to a request for such report
from Mrs. Gilbert F. Davis, general
federation director for Vermont:
The Battenkill Women's club is un-
Ike most Women's clubs In that It's
members are all residents OF the couw
ty, ard not Of either city or village.
With very few exceptions, all Of its
members live on farms, in small val
ey in southern Vermont 1t was or
ganized to do whatever useful work
ceemed possible for women in group
to do, and IL has turned from one act
ivity to another according to circum.
stances. During the war, 1t was, Ike
almost all other organizations entire
ly concentrated on war-work. As its
membership is small, not more than
ten ever attending meetings, the
amount of work It accomplished Is the
more remarkable. In October 1917 it
voted to send $500 to France where
one of it's members was engaged in
war work That 6asne year $1,000 was
sent TO the Manchester Red Cross. and
the same amount to the Arlington
Red Cross In the next year, 1918,
$1,000 was sent to the Vermont J NJ.
C. 4. and $500 TO the Arlington Red
Cross. During this period of course
an intensive haste was made with the
sewing and knitting for the Red Cross.
al, the members co operating In this
work, and often working TIL late at
night.
In 1919 knitted blanket was sent
to the Bennington hospital, the mater
ial Of which cost $1,000 and the usual
amount OF layette making for the Red
Cross was done. In 1919, as the war
strain was over, the Battenk'll club
turned It's attention to matters at home
An unusual number of little children
we're expected in the district school,
and the members OF the club, talking
things over with their neighbors, de-
cided to try to arrange the school so
that the instruction would be more
adequate for them. An entertainment
was organized, given with the help OF
all the neighborhood, both in Man
chester and in Arlington, and the sum
realized was enough to pay for an ex-
ira teacher for the smaller children.
But there was no place for such
class The club held mass-meeting
at the school house, attended by many
men OF the district who were generous
in the offer of material and help. Mr..
Richard Miles, then living in the
North District gave the lumber and
boards from one of his mills now dis
mantled many men gave their time,
and with rush an addition to the
schoolhouse was put up. The finish
ing touches were put on, in Neigh
borhood Bee. when all the men as
sembled for work, outside, the women
for work inside, and to prepare the
outdoor Mnch, spread for all on long
tables In front of the school house.
The state commissioner OF education
honored this meeting with his pres
ence, and made an address to the peo'
Pile gathered at the tables,
The Battenkill Woman's club from
this time on. took the district school
as It's special field for activity Dur
ing the winter of 1919'20, a beginning
was made for the plan of serving not
lunches to the school, but 1t was PLAIN
that fund was needed for this purl
pose. During the summer OF l92O the
club members undertook to raise the
money for this fund, They arranged
the school house, now tasteful and
attractive tworoom building with a
sheltered porch, as a ways re Tea
House, run by the members OF the
club.
Each day, one momber OF the club
took charge and served what she WISH
ed TO the tourists who stopped to IN
vestigate the quaint and unusual little
building, A part Of the profits were
to go for the school hotlunch fund'
and at the end of the summer, the Bat
tenkill club had almost eighty dollars
as result Of their work for the
school. They had also during this
time, tried the experiment of running
moving picture theatre in the village
but this was found, while not unprofit.
able, to yield too narrow a margin or
profIt to make 1t worth while for such
very busy women to handle. For 1t
must be remembered that all these act
ivlties are not carried on by leisure.
class women with we'll trained servants
to do their work; but by women on
farms whose endless work everybody
knows to Be enough to tire out most
women. But by cooperation and meth
cd and system, these Vermont coun.
try-women have found time outside