The Pulaskian., 1921-06-02

Madame President, Ladies and Gen
 tlemen:
 It is indeed pleasure to me to talk to you on Community Club Work, :" for it is a subject am vitally interested in. Notwithstanding the good accomplished by various organ izations, l feel confident the Com munity Clubs will eventually do more real constructive and lasting work than any other organization that has been tried, especially in the rural districts.
 The Community Clubs help not only the immediate community in which they are organized, but all communities contiguous to them. A great many clubs specialize in cer- tain kinds of work, the community club does not, but does all kinds and any kind that is for the upbuilding of the community and the betterment of humanity. While the community clubs are yet in their infancy, still, we look forward to the day when there will be no other clubs anywhere that can surpass them in the good done throughout the world.
 l would not attempt description of the benefits one derives from be- ing a club member oneself, especially a club like ours.
 While our club is small in num- bers, 1t is large in enthusiasm and in terest and every member is also a club booster. Why shouldn't club be a success with such spirited mem- bers? Of course, as in all other things, there have been few knock CTS, but, l am proud to say, only very few, and we have found the best thing to do is to ignore the knocking and work so hard 1t can't be heard.
 Miss Bonslagle wrote me letter saying she wanted me to talk on the Sweet Home Community House, how 1t was built, and what we are doing" but the programs printed in the Gazette and Demsocrat gave my subject as Community Club Work, !" and in justice to our club members l want to talk few minutes about our club when it was first organized and the work done before we built our clubhouse.
 Will say in the beginning that our community was as hard to convince that a club would be benefit to the community as any place in the world. Time and again the suggestion had been made that the ladies organize a club of some kind, but everyone was too busy, and most all thought there were so many more important things to do at home than could pos sibly be done at club of any kind and so we tarried-until September 2l, 1917, when the great world war walked up so many people to their responsibilities, we realized that we, too, must be up and doing, and rous- ing from our lethargy, we organized our first club with seventeen charter members. Of course, a few went back to sleep, but at least twelve out of the seventeen were awake and alive to the needs of the times, we gradual ly built our membership up until we had at one time 20 on our roll, but a number of them were not active members, only associate members. However, we began war work imme- diately and had the distinction of turning in more knitted garments for our soldier boys than any club in the county and probably more than any other in the state. We always over subscribed our quota in Liberty bonds, war savings stamps and all funds connected with war work. It was during this time, after we had discovered there was much to be gained (and learned) at our club meetings that our president expressed hope that when the war was over we might have a community hall" There was some applause at the sug- gestion. However, the possibility of such place seemed so impossible to some that there was not much en- thusiasm about it at this time.
 After the armistice was signed, we relaxed. The reaction was so great that most of our members were just on the verge of collapse, as nearly every club member conserved in ev- cry way possible, and no one kept any hnIr nnIocr .A ...an .LlI