Evening star., 1939-01-18
Women 'SFederation
Hears Criticism
Of Programs
Mrs. Whitehurst Says
They Are Too Long and
Lack Continuity


Three universal shortcomings in
club programs were reported by
Mrs. John l.. Whitehurst of Balti-
more, first vice president of the
General Federation of Women's
Clubs, at the opening session of the
organizations Board of Directors
at federation headquarters today.
More than $50 women from the 48
States, the District of Columbia and
Alaska are attending the three-day
conference. Represented are State
directors, members of the Federation
Executive Committee, Board of
Trustees. State presidents and de-
partment, division and committee
chairmen.
First order of business was the
ratification of 13 members of the
board. Mrs. Lloyd w. Biddle, past
president of the District Federation
of Women's Clubs, was among the
women officially ratified.
Mrs. Whitehurst, who made the
opening report at the closed meet
ing. said that in her visits to clubs
in 38 States during the last three
years she has found three Short
comings in programs. She said the
programs were too long, some OF
them scheduling 20 speakers for one
meeting. The women. she said, sat
on the edges of their chairs with
prepared speeches and because the
program ran SO long were never
given an opportunity to speak.
Programs Lack Continuity.
She noted also, she said, q lack
in the continuity of program build
ing. The programs, she explained,
included bit of international af-
fairs, few minutes of fine arts
and maybe a touch of legislation,
BY the end of the afternoon, she
said. no one had gained anything
worthwhile.
Her third criticism was that the
programs are presented by clubs the
same way as they were so years ago.
She urged that club programs be
dramatized by means of original
thinking and presentation and
forum discussion.
The federation is too big, too, in
elusive in its interests and types of
women to have one-objective pro-
gram, Mrs. LaSell Dickinson of
Keene, N. H., second vice president
of the federation, told the meeting.
Rather than concentration only one
program, she explained, the greatest
contribution the federation could
make would be to turn out leaders
for humane projects such as tuber-
culosis and cancer campaigns,
syphilis education drives, material
and child health programs and pro-
gressive movements in education.
S187,386 Reported Raised.
Mrs. Ernest M. Galloway, Sanford,
Fla, chairman of the board of
trustees, reported that $187 1886 43
has been raised for the S1,0OO,OOO
foundation fund, the interest of
which will be used to expand and
extend the work of the federation.
She explained that since per capita
AoCo Vi 1CuCl q UlOll lllClllDClo d1C Ollly
10 cents, other money is needed to
promote the work of the federation.
The District of Columbia has con-
tributed $740 to the foundation fund.
Reports showed that Maryland has
contributed $1,45O35, while $1,72O.77
has been sent in from Virginia.
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt was to
receive the membership of the board
at the White House this afternoon.
Tonight she will address them at a
meeting at the MayfloWer Hotel on
"ClubWomen and Their Responsible
ity to Democracy"
Other reports at the morning
meeting were made by Mrs. H. B.
Ritchie of Athens, Ga. recording
secretary; Mrs. j. L. B. Buck of
Richmond, Va, treasurer; Mrs. Row.
land H. Latham of Asheville, N. c.,
chairman of the budget, and Mrs. A.
L. Blackstone of Waukesha, Wis,
dean of directors. Mrs. Roberta
Campbell Lawson, Tulsa, Okla, i'm
mediate past president of the fed
Grafton, and Miss Florence Dibert of
Johnstown, Pa, honorary chairman,
greeted the board. Mrs. Sadie Orr
Dunbar, Portland, Greg, presided
at the morning meeting. She is
president of the federation.
Citizenship to Feature.
An open forum on American
citizenship led by Mrs. F. H. Clausen,
chairman of that department, was
to be a feature of the afternoon
meeting. Reports at the meeting
were to be given by Mrs. Merrill F..
Proctor, Ludlow, VT, chairman of
the presidents council; Mrs. William
E. Chapman, Cheboygan, Mich,
chairman of the directors council;
Mrs. Frank P. Bennett, Saugus,
Mass, chairman of the War Vet
erans' Committee, and Mrs. S. Blair
Luckie, Chester, Pa, chairman of
the Advisory Committee on the
Social Security Act. maternal and