Club Minutes: Mutual Improvement Association, 1925

Charley Forest January 1, 1925 815th Meeting.

The Association began the New Year well by holding its 815th meeting with India J. Downey at Charley Forest. The warmth and cheer within were the more appreciated because of the bleak wind and forbidding sky outside, and our appetites were fitted to do justice to the delicious dinner set before us.

When we settled to the business of the meeting, in the absence of the secretary, Rebecca T. Miller was pressed into service, and as the hostess of the last meeting, Sallie Janney Adams, was also among the missing, Sarah T. M. Adams was chosen to conduct the proceedings.

The December minutes were read and with slight correction adopted, and the minutes of the last meeting at Charley Forest were also read.

Fannie B. Snowden brought a baby doll, such as she had read of at the last meeting, and it nearly broke up this meeting with its sweet voice and winning smile, the Association proving to be composed of children of not enough larger growth to be proof against its charms! The call for the report on Social Service brought thanks for the Christmas stockings provided by our members, which turned out six instead of the four promised, and in the absence of the Chairman, Margaret C. Bancroft, Mary M. Tilton read the always interesting and wonderful statement of the S.S.L. field worker. 1,100 Christmas seals were sold.

The Chairman of Education sent a communication from the County Chairman asking our action on several resolutions concerning the introduction of drawing into the public schools. The proposition to supplement, if necessary, the official appropriation for a drawing teacher's salary, by using for that purpose the money formerly devoted to bearing the expenses of one girl at the State University, met with approval, as did the general proposition of instruction in drawing, and we further, commended the teaching of music in the High Schools, wishing that it might be extended to all grades.

Mariana S. Miller told us that with the help of the Association and others she had raised money to buy four sheets to be sent to the Hindman Settlement School, and they were received with thanks.

A letter from our namesake club in Osage, Iowa was read, and its original year book examined with interest. The Secretary was directed to write an acknowledgment of their courtesy.

Ellen Farquhar will be the next Association hostess at The Cedars.

India Downey gave us a good send-off for the year with the following sentiment: - "An unkind word is like a stone that is started down hill; it may do no harm or it may start an avalanche of trouble."

Sallie R. Janney read from the diary of her father, Edward C. Turner of Fauquier County, Virginia, a part that was written during Christmas week, 1862, in which he contrasted holiday conditions then and before the beginning of the Civil War. Written in the simplest, most matter of fact style quite free from bitterness it yet brings home to us the anxiety and suffering of those terrible days, and especially the anguish of mind of a man not in sympathy with secession, but yet forced like many another Virginian of the time to take sides with the Confederacy by the severity of the Federal Government towards Virginia at the beginning of the war.

Our program was much more homogeneous than sometimes happens, for following Sallie Janney's reading Elizabeth T. Stabler gave us another extract from the Turner diary, - a wonderful statement of Mr. Turner's political sentiments: - "I was a Union man for several reasons. In the first place, I had no confidence in the party that advocated secession. I saw in its leaders men . . . . . who were the authors of all the political heresies that for several years past have been disturbing the peace and endangering the safety of our country, and I did not choose to act with them or to be found in their company. The Charleston Convention was composed of such men . . . . . In the second place, my border locality would ever deter me from being a secessionist, because I know that ruin to myself, my friends and state must be the inevitable consequence of a dissolution of the Union. In the third place, I had many friends and . . . two brothers on the Northern side and I did not desire a state of things that would separate and make us enemies. Fourthly, I had a holy horror of seeing the government which our fathers established and cemented with their blood, and as the richest of all legacies bequeathed to us, disrupted by a party destitute entirely of virtue, principle or patriotism." This was written November 14, 1862.

From the same source Mary M. Tilton read of the concealment of the Washington family silver which was hidden in the pigeon loft in the garden at Mr. Turner's home, Kinloch, where it rested in safety throughout that troublous period of the Civil War.

To round out the Turner cycle Julia Hallowell told us that Benjamin Hallowell had once said that 'if he had a favorite pupil it was Edward Turner.'

Mariana S. Miller's contribution from our archives covered minutes from March to May 1861.

Pattie T. Farquhar's offering was concerning the effect of our work and our religion on our character.

Fannie B. Snowden brought a set of New Year Resolutions concerning the welfare of children for the business man, the tired mother, the worried father, the school superintendent, the teacher, all very much to the point. She also told us that a superannuated flour sifter may be useful as a strainer.

Anna T. Nesbitt brought us an amusing skit on Cross Word Puzzles, a propos[?] of which Mary Tilton told how Eleanor Relyea, known to most of us, had missed making a fortune by giving up making such puzzles, while her friend, who had kept up the work for the New York World had become rich at it!

Emilie T. Massey read from the diary of our long-time friend, Mary C. Brooke's grandmother, dated 1833, which showed that even so long ago child labor, "flappers" and the suffrage question were abroad in the land.

Helen T. Hallowell's article was from a Metuchen, New Jersey paper, which spoke of Mary C. Brooke as "so delightful" and gave a very interesting biographical sketch of her. Helen recommended to us the Congressional Record's report on the Child Labor Amendment debate as very interesting reading, and said that much study of both sides of the question had confirmed her belief in the measure. She further told us that there is to be a rest room for girls and teachers fitted up at Sherwood and a cot, mattress, pillows and sheets were offered towards the furnishings.

Pattie T. Farquhar gave notice of a talk to be given at Sherwood on January 6, by Miss Roberta Carnes of Baltimore, Subject, Scientific Temperance.

Ellen Farquhar read from a very interesting letter from Alice V. Farquhar telling of her life in Framingham, Massachusetts, where she finds her New Englanders hard to get acquainted with, but the welfare work of the Dennison Paper Company, very interesting. In the factory they have 3,000 employees, and eight and onehalf acres of floor space. Their latest scheme is to give pre-graduation business

training to High School students in the region that they may be ready to do real work when they enter Dennison's employ. Cousin Ellen also inquired for a copy of the Messenger, 1833, which has an account of Poe in it, but no one could fill the order.

In answer to another inquiry we were told that the second and third volumes of the "Annals Of Sandy Spring" can be had a Pearlman's Book Store, Washington for $2.50 each.

Rose Gilpin spoke of the great satisfaction she had found in Bishop Freeman's sermons by radio, and of some other minister having condemned the radio if it had ever kept one person away from church! We were also interested to hear of her son Harold having been urged to attend the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City, and declined, wishing he had a Friends Meeting to attend.

Estelle Moore read us a New Year's Prayer by Temple Bailey.

Annie B. Kirk said she had read recently that 15,000 people a year are killed in this country by falling down stairs, most of the accidents happening in December, January and February.

Helen Shoemaker's bit of news was rather more cheering, -the Workingmen's Club of Bethesda has put a radio outfit in the Montgomery County General Hospital, with a headpiece for each room.

The last item on our list was the announcement by Mary Magruder that a regular trans-continental motor bus line has been established.

Then we adjourned.

Rebecca T. Miller, Secretary pro tem.

The Cedars A delicious luncheon, enjoyed by the members of the Mutual Improvement Association and guests, was the first order of business at "The Cedars" on February the fifth-our hostess, Cousin Ellen, welcoming us in her usual hospitable way.

The business meeting was presided over by India Downey, past hostess; Margaret Jones acting secretary.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved, and those of the meeting at this place, November 3, 1922, were read for information.

The Treasurer, Mary Tilton, reported that she had received this year's dues from all but five (5) members.

Mary Tilton, Chairman of the Social Service Committee, read an interesting report of the League during December.

The Education, Home Ecomomics and Resolutions Committees had no report. Martha T. Farquhar asked to be excused from the Resolution Committee, but the Association would not release her as they felt she was the right woman in the right place. Each member was asked to send suggestions for resolutions.

Margaret Jones, Chairman of Legislation asked if she should report to the State Federation the action taken by the Association on the Child Labor Amendment. It was thought best to say nothing at present.

Mary Tilton gave a very comprehensive report sent by Margaret Bancroft, Director, of the January meeting of the Executive Board of the Montgomery County Federation of Women's Clubs, each club being asked to send to the President the list of members of the club, also to send in Resolution before April first. For the Annual Meeting of the County Federation, at Sandy Spring, when the Association will be joint hostess with the Wednesday Club, the following Committees were appointed.

RefreshmentsMarianna Miller Helen Hallowell Mary Nichols Entertainment - Estelle T. Moore Margaret Bancroft Margaret Jones

Margaret Jones reported that the Annual Meeting of the State Federation will be held in Baltimore, April

Next meeting place, Avalon, the first Thursday in March.

Sentiment of the hostess: "A religion which does not concern itself with one's fellows is no religion at all."