Evening star., 1951-02-05


ment of the members minds and
the club motto, Learning without
thought is labor lost" With the
passage of the years, however, the
membership of the Newcomb club
has become as civic-minded as
any in the community. The men,
bers worked for a library and bet
ter schools.
The Woman's Club of Bethesda,
"an earnest club for earnest
women" was founded in 1911.
Both these clubs are now members
Of the Montgomery County Fed
Grafton of Women's Clubs through
which they are able to make their
civic interests effective.
Bethesda has its branch of the
League of Women Voters, League
Of American Penwomen. Red Cross
Daughters Of the American Re
volution and its Community
Garden Club. It also has several
lparent-teacher associations and
neighborhood citizens associa-
tions.
In Mrs. Bradley the women had
an effective spokesman who kept
herself clear of involvement in
party politics. In one of her early
editorials she made her position
clear.
Spurned Republicans.
when the Records editor was
approached recently by Repub-
lican Party heads regarding the
possibility of the papers becom-
ing a mouthpiece of the Repub-
lican organization in Montgomery
County, the answer was an en-
phatic No." she wrote.
That didn't weaken the poi
shots she used to take at a fellow
publisher, Col. E. Brooke Lee, Of
Silver Spring, Democratic boss o.
Montgomery County. Col. Let
publishes the Maryland News.
When Col. Lee sought to defend
the county administration against
the criticisms of the League OF
Women Voters, Mrs. Bradley
snapped back In an editorial which
went:
Nov if the colonel, who created
this Utopia in the first place,
could admit even for a moment
that it isn't quite Utopian enough,
what can he expect of the Women
Voters? These women have ideas
Of their own about county gov
ernment and it just isn't human
to expect they would coincide with
those of the colonel. =.
After running Montgomery
County for Is years the colonel's
skin ought to be impregnable to
the remarks of handful of harm
less women. We are surprised
that he would take the time and
space to recognize them in his
paper. The colonel must be feel
ing his years"
Tells of Going to Town.
When Mrs. Bradley went to
town she would tell her readers
about it. An editorial of May Is
1945, just after the Truman sue
cession was entitled:
"Mrs. Truman and I Step Out.
| It read:
'Mrs. Truman and I stepped oui
this week; she to her first public
party since she became the FRS
Lady; and to my first meeting o.
the American Newspaper Women
Club of which I recently became
member. The occasion for both O.
us was luncheon in the Fedora
room of the Statler Hotel.
''I think I had better tim'
than the First Lady, although sh'
was the honor guest and wore
beautiful white orchid-the gift
of the club. No one gave me
second glance despite the fact thai
had bought new green hat fol
the occasion. ALI eyes were or
Mrs. Truman and many a voice
compared her with her predeces-
sor, or her predecessors for the
few old timers who could remem-
ber that far back.
Seated beside Alice Eversman,
president Of the club, Mrs. Tru-
man chatted comfortably about
cooking and housekeeping and
mending. A gracious smile and a
how do you do were about the
extent of her greetings to the
other guests. A quiet person, She
going to continue to be herself
The newspaperwomen like her for
it. After the luncheon we all
shook hands with Mrs. Truman
before getting back to our news
paper jobs. 1t was a nice party
for a first and hope Mrs. Tru-
man enjoyed it as much as I did"
Because owning. editing. writ
ing and publlSh1na a paper was a
pace that threatened to kill, Mrs
Bradley sold the Record last year
to Robert Jerome Smith, who also
purchased the Bethesda Journal
and combined them.
Mr.. Smiths name has been on
the masthead as editor. Next
week the name of Lila Thompson,
formerly of the Baltimore Suns
Washington bureau, goes up there
as managing editor. Mr.. Smith
has apparently learned that in a
matriarchal community it is best
to make q woman the boss.