Club Minutes: Mutual Improvement Association, 1896-1900

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Albina O. Stabler read from the Kitchen Magazine an excellent essay upon the subject of making this important room more attractive and contrasting the time and care bestowed upon some parlors, rarely used, when a little of the beauty would have been so highly appreciated "below stairs". From her second selection we copy one sentence "The secret of thrift is Knowledge, knowledge of domestic economy saves income, knowledge of sanitary laws saves health and life". Elizabeth G. Thomas gave a part of an address by Dr. Rankin of Washington on the life and character of the lamented Frances E. Willard. Mary E. Moore and Sarah E. Stabler were appointed to represent "The Association" at the coming Congress of Mothers in Washington.

Adjourned to Magnolia

Mary Bentley Thomas sec.

5/20/1898 The Association met with Mary T. Bond. The guests were Hannah B. Stabler, Anna Mae. T. Stabler, Mrs. Christian, Ella Hartshorne, Florence M. Bond, Beulah and Ellen Thomas and Frances Osborne. This might almost have been called a rose carnival so many beautiful bouquets of this queen of the floral kingdom were to be seen either from the garden of the hostess or brought by her friends. Her sentiment was from that excellent childs paper "The Youths Companion" which is relished by many children of a larger

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growth. Honest expression is said to be good for the soul, your secretary will unburden her overladen conscience when copying the minutes after an interval of months.

She made no note of the pretty poem read by Mary T. Bond because the paper was taken at Belmont and it would be easier to do it there, but when did it ever fail to happen that the desired paper was not preserved? Although she looked for it in a day or two, and found all the other May numbers, that particular one was gone and after trying to find it in several other homes she is obliged to omit this months sentiment, and record her own misdeeds instead, as a warning to all future secretaries who do not realize that the present only is ours and that "Miss Ophelia" in "in Uncle Tom's Cabin" was right in her philosophy the time to perform any duty is now!

Mary E. Moore Began our regular exercises with an article entitled "Candid Seeing". Each individual temper sees differently, those who look for straight lines generally find them, and those who seek the crooked are not disappointed, the moral being to shut our minds to the defective, resolutely. Beaulah L. Thomas read of the curious marriage customs of the Chinese. Florence Bond described the wonders of Baltimore, the magnificent Vanderbilt estate near Asheville and exhibited some fine photographs of the same. All sorts of local charities are aided by Mrs. Vanderbilt not the least of which is a free Kindergarten for colored children. The chicken interest at Biltmore is apparently a hobby, the buff erchins are the favorite breed and 3000 young chickens were seen

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in their wire enclosures. Elizabeth G. Thomas read, from Drummond, "A Royal Wedding" - that of service and religion. Out of the researches of chemists and scientists has been brought something which might as well be called love. Huxley said he no longer wished to speak of anything as unknowable. Martha A. Holland had an excellent scrap upon "Giving". What one does not possess he can not impart and the same principle permeates the whole of life. The father who cheats and the mother who deceives will never raise an honest son or daughter. Sarah T. Miller read for Anna F. Gilpin, an article on the subject of concealing ones ailments which brought out a spirited discussion of Christian Science, a number endorsing the lines.

"Talk health. You can not charm, interest, nor please by harping on that minor chord, disease". and others considered it an eminently proper and safe cure for the vast procession of invalids who have nothing the matter with them except imaginary complaints. Margaret S. Hallowell read an amusing story "Helping Sally to count forty" and a little poem of merit " Life's Stages" embodying the idea that those who pick violets in spring time, roses in summer and apples in autumn will not lack the cheer and comfort of a hearth fire in winter, reminding the secretary of an inscription over the fire place in the beautiful Womans Bldg. of the Nashville Exposition

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"Blow high, blow low, not all the winds that ever blow shall quench our hearth fires ready glow." Sarah E. Stabler gave us "The most beautiful love story in literature" that of the Brownings as lovers and as husband and wife. Sarah H. Stone read of a naval officer whose trust in a higher power than the wind and wars made him calm in danger. Anna Mac. T. Stabler recommended a climbing rose "the garden chain." Mary G. Colt read "Two extracts of a subject" which told of a girl who was drowned because she wore long skirts and a girl in bloomers who was spanked by an old man when her wheel knocked him down in the supposition that she was an ill mannered boy. M. G. Colt also had a piece upon the burning of books. Nearly all present had suffered the loss of favorite volumes and many acknowledged their lack of moral courage to ask for the return or to ask the payment of small debts which had been forgotten by a friend or relative. Eliza N. Moore read "A Yearly Rose" the annual dole to the heirs of a Colonial nabob named Steitzel who had given a church in Penna. for this small return. This eccentric character lived at Easton Pa. and seems to have been a curious mixture of kindly impulses and singular deeds. Lydia G. Thomas told us that "Fools cap" paper was so named when Cromwell disdained to use Government sheets. Sarah T. Miller had a lovely poem "Be patient with the children." After a hurried inspection of the beautifully kept garden we adjourned to Sunnyside and departed in a drizzle

Mary Bentley Thomas sec.

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6/30 1898 Upon one of the warmest days of the summer the Association assembled at Sunnyside, and on the shady side of Sunnyside, and with a breeze fluttering the curtains, it was hard to realize that the thermometer registered about 90 degrees and was destined to pass the hundredth mark on the following day.

Our guests were Harriet Ramsay, Hannah B. Elizabeth Mary Stabler, Margaret Bond and Sarah T. Moore, Mary Osborne's sentiment was from "Life's Golden Lamp"

"Great is faith, and great is hope but greater than these is love. Would you get out of a man the best that is in him? the appeal must be made to love which travels everywhere without a passport". Albina O. Stabler's offering was much in little, "He who knows how to speak, knows also when to speak". Mary T. Bond read of an envious Genoese custom, several families are partners in the ownership of a fine carriage and pair that are used by each, for a day at a time, there being as many carriage doors emblazoned with coats of arms as there are owners to the turn out. Harriet Ramsay gave by request an interesting account of her daughters home in Southern Wyoming, Sarah T. Miller asked for donations to the Temperance Camp Mtg. to be held shortly, and she read from "The Kitchen Mag.", an amusing poem "Eatable Brown" the color preferred by a little girl because it was the shade of buns, cookies, fried potatoes and caramels. S.J.M also had a clipping telling ot the Womans Press Com. of Georgia which is accomplishing much good in a quiet