Club Minutes: Mutual Improvement Association, 1912-1916

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dissipation exciting many years ago.

Sarah T. Miller gave us both wit and wisdom in a brief survey of “The Woman with the Hoe”, today! The men of Holland for instance, are in the army receiving food, clothing and 8 cts. per day, but the hapless “female of the species” is left to support families and to assume all the burdens of practical agriculture. Early in the war the French Gov. advised employing women in every dept. where they could be substituted for men, and they are making their living by thousands in many trades and occupations formerly closed to them.

Sarah F. Willson wanted to know how to crochet rag rugs, which have suddenly become very much the fashion, - in fact they have invaded handsome parlors and halls and are welcome.

Estelle T. Moore was a sort of PastMistress of the art, as she had made 9 rugs, and one given by her to E. N. M. was exhibited and admired. The rags are cut about the same width as for carpets; if an oval mat is desired have a paper pattern and widen regularly by this model, - suitable needles are some at Woodward & Lothrop’s.

Ellen Farquhar read one of Walt Mason’s bright little rhymes upon, “The Accommodation Train.”

Albina O. Stabler had an appreciation of Jacob Riis of whom Roosevelt said, - “He was the nearest to being the ideal American citizen of any man I can name.” He established in 1913, a public celebration of the coming of the New Year, in Madison Square. He believed if people had a fair chance to sing they would not continue to tolerate the blowing of horns and general uproar that have made New Year’s eve a night-mare to law-abiding citizens of New York. 7000 attended the first gathering of the kind and, just before midnight, stood for one moment in complete silence, - then as the chimes rang out the hour, the crowd joined enthusiastically in the singing of

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"America." The following anniversary Jacob Riis had passed away, but 10,000 were present at the simple services connected with his name.

A second selection was "The Other Woman's Child", from which we quote,

"One thought she knew what must be done with every child beneath the sun - She had none. And ere her yarn had been quite spun Another's theories had begun She had one. The third was not so sure she knew But thus and so she thought she'd do - She had two. The next one added, "Let me see, These things may work out differently," She had three. The 5th drew on her wisdom store And said, "I'd have to think it o'er," She had four. And then one sighed, "I don't contrive Fixed rules for boys, they're too alive," She had five I know it leaves one in a fix This straightening of crooked sticks," She had six. And one declared, "There's no rule given, But do your best and trust to Heaven," She had seven.

Rebecca T. Miller had a bright article from the pen of Mrs. Eva C. Wheeler, Nat'l. Lecturer of the W.C.T.U. giving an acct. of her first experience as a woman juror in Calif. She spent 6 wks. in the Court House, five times she marched with 11 other jurors and 2 bailiffs to a cafeteria and ate with them. She sat on nine cases, acting as foreman seven times, and signing the verdict for the whole jury. She says she was never insulted, nor did she lose her love for home, husband, child, church, or society. No man in the jury room ever forgot there was a lady present, and when a verdict could not be reached for hours, she was always

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invited to read to the others. As Anna Shaw once said, "The woman who stands up and washes for 75 cts. a day might be thankful to sit upon anything, even a jury, at $2.50 for the same time." R.J.M. also offered a very clever parody on "How does the Water Come Down at Ladore," entitled, "The Book Cataract."

"How the new novels continue to pour: month after month how the big presses roar! Reforming, or storming or warming, Amusing, abusing, accusing, confusing! And so never-ending, they keep on descending, As if reading fiction our lives we were spending, And they stream ever more from the publisher's door And that's how the novels continue to pour."

Elma P. Chandler brought a letter from "The Sun," highly recommending bi-carbonate of soda for grippe, both as a preventive and cure, to be taken in water by the teaspoonful several times per day. Grippe was said to be a disease of the blood, and soda its antidote.

Margaret G. T. Moore told us of Indian Town 24 mis. from Richmond on the Pamunkey River, where dwell 110 Indians, descendants of the once powerful King Powatan, father of Pochahontas. They live in a little town and speak Eng. only, their native tongue has been forgotten. It is only nominally under state Gov., no taxes being levied, but each year the Va. Gov. is given a deer or a pair of wild turkeys as a token of friendship. A forefather's festival is held every Spring when the story of Pochahontas is enacted. The men are expert fishermen and cast their nets even as far as the Potomac, and Chesapeake Bay, selling their catches at various wharves, and the buyer often has no idea that the seller is a much truer specimen of an American than he.

Mary E. Thomas gave from "The Farm Journal" the story of a bird-lover who was not supposed to be quite normal mentally, but he spent the latter part of his life making innumerable houses for his little feathered friends, and

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in feeding them during the winter. On one occasion he told Jacob Biggle there was a flock of partridges that wanted to live in his barn during the cold weather, and receiving permission to invite them, it was supposed he did so by a trail of grain to the warm shelter, and they remained Mr. Biggle's guests for weeks. Their host said, "Who shall deny that the birds talked to this man in a language he understood?"

Estelle T. Moore read a beautiful little poem, "Dinna Forget." She also told us of the recent live meeting in Wash. of The Federation of Women's Clubs and she especially enjoyed Mrs. Pennypacker's admirable address, this lady is State Pres. for Pa. An English visitor informed the Federation she was greatly pleased to find in Washington State, homes provided for the teachers of Public Schools adjacent to the latter, and the plan is said to work very well indeed, ensuring permanency.

Annie M. Chandlee interested us in Miss Rose MacDonald, a former teacher in Miss Chandlee's school in Alex., but now Librarian of the Fish Commission, and the only woman who has taken a civil service exam upon the subject of Fish. Miss Mac.D. is an authority, and has made special study of the fur-seal, the fish that destroys mosquito larva, and of the pearl muscle. She distinguished herself as a teacher in literature generally, and Shakespeare particularly.

A.M.C. also gave a new verse for a Christmas letter and card.

"Now it is pick-ed and wrapp-ed and gone If you don't like it, do not let on!"

Alice G. Stabler contributed extracts from Epictitus and other good sources of which we only caught one line, "We all live on lower levels than we should."

The Sec'y had a verse which her son Bentley had copied from the wall of a guest-room in a Friend's house near Phila.,

"Sleep sweet within this quiet room

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My guest who e'er thou art, And let no mournful yesterday Disturb thy peaceful heart. Nor let tomorrow scare thy rest with dreams of coming ill. Thy Maker is thy changeless friend, His love surrounds thee still. Forget thyself and all the world Put out each feverish light The stars are shining over-head, Sleep sweet. Good night, good night."

M.B.T. then read, "Optimism Facts" from The Detroit Free Press, "The majority of men who borrow money return it. There are more decent people in the world than all the others combined. The fact that dishonesty seems to prosper corrupts only the few. If virtue were as unusual as vice it would get just as much publicity." And lastly, a true copy of the "Free Papers" of our old colored friend and nurse, Rachel Billows, - it sets forth that Sarah Warfield of Anne Arundel, whose will was probated in 1824 did give and bequeath to her niece, Clarissa Waters, a negro girl Rachel to serve her 18 yrs. and then be free. That the bearer thereof, negro Rachel, whose height is about 5 ft. 3 in., whose age is about 40 yrs., whos complexion is light brown, and who became free about 1843, is the identical person named in the said will, and that she was raised in A.A. Co. and freed there. In testimony whereof the Register of Wills for said Co. subscribes his name, B.E. Garrett, and affixes the seal of his office on the 25th day of Jan. 1858." Why she was so long deprived of the document we have never heard, but it would appear she served as a bond-woman after she ought to have belonged to herself. She never seemed to have aught but kind feelings toward her two mistresses, so let us hope they did not do her an injustice.

Adjourned to Plainfield, 2-3-1916 Mary Bentley Thomas, Sec'y