Evening star., 1946-03-24
WOmem's Unit
OfRebubHcams
SeeksD.C.Site
Benefit Party
Next Friday
BY Gretchen Smith
Women's Club Editor.


The League of Republican Women
Is planning a new home-not merely
a rented place where meetings will
be held, but an honest-to-goodness
home with comfortable living rooms
and bedrooms to accommodate visit
ing Republican women.
The Lady COP Elephant" is
bringing all her well-known re-
sourcefulness to program to raise
funds for this purpose and the first
affair will be a benefit card party
and tea to be given at Pierce Hall
Sixteenth and Harvard streets NV,
on Friday from to o'clock. Mrs,
Joseph McGarraghty, entertainment
chairman, is in charge of the affair.
Mrs. William Culbertson, president
OF the District League, will receive
the guests, assisted by members of
the Clubhouse Committee.
Building Fund Committee.
A few days ago Mrs. Culbertson
held a meeting at which she ap-
pointed the committee to be in
charge OF the building fund. They
include Mrs. Charles L. Curtiss. ir..
chairman, with Mrs. Lindsay Raw
ley co-chairman; Mrs. Elmer O,
Leatherwood, Mrs. Cooper B.
Rhodes, Mrs. Howard S. LIE Roy.
Mrs. Rudolph Harrell, Mrs. M. D.
Nohowel, Mrs. Gertrude Bowman,
Mrs. Gilbert Grosvenor, Mrs. A. E.
Carter and Miss Elizabeth Howry.
The committee is not daunted bv
the present housing situation and
frankly states it desires a build
Ing containing an assembly room,
dining room and kitchen facil-
tiles, Offices and bedrooms for visi-
tors. They wish a building large
enough to share with other organi-
cations and an assembly room at
tractive enough for private parties
and dances.
IT it is impossible to find a build
ing for sale which will fill their re-
quiremeats, the league plans to pur-
chase land and erect a building of
their own design
A building fund has already been
startaa with a $2,5O0 War Bond
auocaLed from the league treasury.
Proceeds from life memberships in
the league and special gifts and
bequests will all be donated to the
building fund, while numerous bene-
hts to be carried on throughout the
club season will be given for the
express purpose of swelling the fund.
Letters outlining plans and pledge
cards are to be sent to all members.
Incorporated in 1928.
The league, which was incor-
porated in 1928 with the late Mrs.
Virginia White Speel as it's first
president, has had two clubhouses
which were rented, one at Seven
teenth and N streets NV. and the
other at 1912 Rhode Island avenue.
At present the league is sharing
the clubhouse of the American
Newspaper Women's Club at 1904
Twentieth street NV.
Organized originally as a small
group of 81 women which met at
Mrs. Speel's home on N street for
the purpose of studying political
science, the league now boasts a
membership of approximately 700.
Only two of the original organizing
group remain active in the league.
Mrs. j. H. Branson and Mrs. Perry
Heath. Mrs. Branson is chairman
of the committee assisting in the
work of the National Federation of
Republican Clubs and is vice presi-
dent of the District League. Mrs.
Heath has been generous in offering
her beautiful home on S street
NV. for different league affairs.
The political study group is one
OF the most active units of the
organization and one of the objects
of the building program is to pro-
vide facilities for this educational
work. 1t is also planned to have
available space for the Young Re-
publicans, who have not had head
quarters here in the past.
Some of Washington's most PROM
tnent women have held the office
of president of the league. These
include Mrs. Edward E. Hartman,
who succeeded Mrs. Speel; Mrs.
Frank Mondell, Mrs. William Fitch
Kelley, Mrs. Gilbert Grosvenor,
Nine. Cantacuzene and Mrs. Edward
E, Gam, the immediate past presi-
dent.