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— .... Af* U B* JI T " E 6- IB ]^ R y) (®\ s s2£GEORGj*Z / ' Ms < : fc^J^£§ElgE& fx in in thf «tate> VOLUME ONE. NO. TWENTY-TWO . THE WORK OT WOMAN’S CiMS HE tendency of the times being to co operative work and toward the combined organization of individual effort it is but the natural outcome of existing con ditions that women in all walks of life should be inspired to unite together in order to accomplish results. The need for the proper direction of the influence and the force which is generated by ■ /w every right thinking, right feeling woman, has long been recognized by the leaders and thinkers of the sex, and it is to these leaders and thinkers that the club movement owes its origin and its present es- fective existence. Perhaps, too, one of the chief benefits to the individual woman is the contact with others of her sex who have lived different lives from her own and who have broadened and strengthened her own sphere of usefulness. Many women have been opposed to the club move ment; more men are still opposed to it, and various arguments are used as to the effect of Women’s clubs on the home life and its proper development. But the close observer who takes into consid eration all phases of a given ques tion has yet to prove conclusively and practically that a woman who is sanely and moderately interest ed in the affairs of the nation, and who has a strong, steady and unfailing love for humanity and for the human race of which she is a part has ever yet experienced anything but good from contact with other representative women, and a thorough knowledge of the great economic and social ques tions of the hour. The Woman’s Club is rapidly passing out of the realm of the purely literary or purely social organization and is becoming, with equal rapidity, a force to be considered in all cases of civic reform and in every movement for the ad vancement and improvement of a community. One strong evidence of this is to be found in the fact that whenever some new enterprise of a highly re formatory character is being considered. The South has been somewhat slow in adopting the sys tem of women’s clubs, and for many years the movement was confined to social or patriotic organ izations. Gradually, however, there has arisen the woman’s club in the South which is conducted on much the same line as those in northern cities, and with the formation of a General Federation of Woman’s Clubs the clubs of the South have in creased in usefulness as well as in membership and SJNO THEI'R RECENT BIENNIAL MEETING- THE.“LOG CABIN," CALHOUN WOMAN’S CLUB. ATLANTA, GA., JULY 19, 1906. numbers. But perhaps the best viewpoint for gen eral work as done by the women of the country can be had by a glance at the reports of the recent Biennial of the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs which was held in St. Paul, Minn. In that representative American city were gathered togeth es delegates from every part of the country, each individual impressed with the importance of her mission as a delegate from her own particular club and each one endeavoring at the same time to gath er as much information and inspiration as the oc casion permitted. To quote from the sentiments of a southern delegate in reference to the conditions at the General Federation, there was “ displayed a zeal accompanied by calm judgment and wisdom avoiding extremes, much more efficacious than an impatient, impetuous zeal. Those evils which could not be rectified were passed over for a more con venient season, but there was patience and con stancy which forbade forgetfulness and those things that needed righting are to be brought about in good season.” There were 71G voting delegates at this Eighth Biennial, while credentials were granted to 1057 delegates, alternates and members of standing committees present at the convention. The follow ing is a list of the Southern delegates present at the Biennial and it is to be regretted that it is not a larger list: Florida, 5; South Carolina, 5; Geor gia, 2; Louisiana, 2; Kentucky, 12; Arkansas, 3; Tennessee, 5; Maryland, 4; Texas, 13. Os this number, only three state presidents were present, those three being from South Carolina, Kentucky and Texas. The last Biennial meeting was held at St. Louis during the Exposition there, and naturally that meeting was a larger one than the one just over. The length of the session was seven days, lienee it was possible to accomplish some most ef fective work. Each morning session was charac terized by a prepared report and an address from some expert speaker or worker, this to be follow ed by an afternoon session devoted to a discussion of the subjects handled in the morning. All ex offieers of the Federation as well informal talks, thus giving the per sonal touch even from the most distant organiza tions. At the present time the G. F. W. C. in cludes forty-six State Federations, 846 individual clubs, 1 national society, 2 District Federations, and 6 City Federations with an approximate member ship in all of five hundred thousand women! Is it possible, therefore, to overestimate the force for good which this enormous number of women, all of whom are pledged to concentrated and effective work, can exert on the agairs of the country? A brief glance at the work of the Federation and of the individual state organizations allied with it cannot fail to be of interest. Separate morning sessions were devoted to the various branches of work undertaken by Women’s Clubs, and among these special fields may be mentioned, those of TWO OOLLAKf SXR. nvz. cf ~ *v'« v as the speakers and members of standing committees were given seats in the platform and this en abled the most distinguished mem bers of the Federation to come into closer touch, not only with each other, but with the assem bled delegates as well. Dr. Cyrus Northrup, President of the Min nesota State University, delivered a charming and cordial address of welcome, while Miss Breckenridge of Kentucky brought greetings from the Association of College Alumnae. The American Con gress of Mothers was represented by Mrs. Schoff; the American Civ ic League by Mrs. Upton and greetings were brought by Mrs. Ann Warner French, who repre sented the Club Women of Can ada, the Lyceum Club of London and the National Woman’s Suf frage Association. The Musical Clubs of America were represented by Mrs. Russell Dorr and the Ly ceum Club of Germany by Miss Mueller, each one of these distin guished women making delightful