The Complete Club Book for Women

This list has great possibilities for club study, especially if there is the encyclopedia, so essential for reference. With a very small membership fee, perhaps five cents a month, one new book may be bought every three months; with ten club members this can be done.

When the club is fairly going it may decide to select Dickens's novels to study, as a sort of popular beginning; a simple plan of work would be as follows:

Divide the club into committees of two, and to each give one novel to read and thoroughly master. Meanwhile the president may study the life of Dickens. If she has no book to use she should write to the State Librarian and try to secure a traveling library with this and other needed books in it; or at least she may get, if not a library, one or two volumes, sent by mail. At the first regular meeting she should give a sketch of Dickens's life and show any pictures of the author in the book. She should also try to find in an English history pictures of Canterbury, London, and other places associated with his life, and Westminster Abbey, where he is buried.

By the next meeting the first committee should be ready to give an afternoon program on one novel, say "David Copperfield." One member may tell the story of the book, mentioning the various characters; another may take these up in part and describe them. Then there should be readings, not only by these two members but by others to whom they have been given, illustrating the main points of the story. After the meeting the book should be loaned to some one who will read it and pass it on to the rest. And so with each novel in turn. There should be a discussion at each meeting, and members should tell why they admire or dislike this character or that, and what great moral lesson Dickens points out in each book, and so on. Such a study might well occupy an entire year and be extremely interesting.

Or suppose the club decided to study Longfellow's poems. Again the first meeting is to be on the life of the poet; the second will take up the first of the group of American poems, "Hiawatha," and have it read aloud; the discussion following may be on the types of Indians drawn by Longfellow and inquire: Are they true to life? The next meeting will be on "Miles Standish," with a paper or talk on the Puritans in England and America, and a description of the first winter in the colony.

The third meeting will take "Evangeline," with a paper on the Acadians. Later should come other poems of our own country, on slavery, and on village life, with readings from these, and from "The Wayside Inn." Later still, his translations should be read and discussed, and his little dramas. The season should close with an afternoon in which each club member should read her favorite poem. If clubs can buy one book it will be found delightful at this point to read aloud "A Sister to Evangeline," by Chas. G. D. Roberts (The Page Company).

Or, if the autobiography of General Grant were to be studied, a committee should go over the table of contents and divide it up into several parts; his early life; his experiences at West Point; the years between that and the Civil War; the great campaigns and battles in which he took part, and the great men on both sides with whom he came in contact, especially Lincoln and Lee; his Presidency; his trip around the world; his business venture, its ending; the writing of his book; his death and burial. All of these points should be illustrated with pictures where that is possible, and each meeting should have a discussion on the period presented. The one copy of the book must of course be loaned in turn to the different committees, but each one is not to read it all but only the part assigned, so there would be plenty of time for preparation. Such a study would open many different topics, especially those bearing on the war and on Grant's trip, and would be of a definitely educational nature.

Of course every magazine the club can get should be searched for articles of value for reference. One member might make it her work to go over them each month and make out a list, copying the titles on a large sheet of paper, which could be hung up on a door at each club meeting; or a card catalogue might be kept. In a short time this would make a real, if small, reference library. History, essays, articles on science, sketches of travel, and poems would all be of some use sooner or later.

Other subjects may be treated in the same way as those suggested. History, especially different periods in English history, makes delightful study, and books on nature, and travel, and phases of woman's life and work are easy to get and interesting. Nature study, gardening, bee raising, the care of poultry and other practical subjects may be introduced with the other work.

III – VALUE OF COMMUNITY WORK

And then, aside from working for their own development, there is the other work a club can undertake, that for the community, which is of immense value. The newly coined phrase one hears to-day in connection with farm life is: Better farming, better business, better living. How to help bring about these three great ends is one of the best things a club can study.

The first subject which will come up will be: What are the principal difficulties we have to meet in our homes, and how can we overcome them?

At this point a book should be read aloud in the club, a chapter at a meeting, with discussion afterward; it is, "The Report of the Commission on Country Life," and is a presentation first, of the farm problems, and, second, of how to meet them. The chapters on the work of the farmer's wife, with its difficulties, will be of especial interest, but all of it is important to read, for hygiene in the home, gardening, the school and church, social life, and many other topics of practical interest are dealt with there and will suggest lines of study for the club.

The first topic to treat is that of home hygiene: discussion of how better ventilation of sleeping rooms, better protection from flies, better cooking, better sanitation can be secured. This will probably occupy several meetings. Then will come the topic of beautifying the home, and this will suggest the cleaning up of the farm yard as the first step to take. Later on, when community work is begun, this will lead to a house-to-house visitation with the request that all the neighborhood should make their premises more inviting in the same way.

IV – IMPROVING THE PUBLIC SCHOOL

After this the public school will be studied. The building may need repairs and modernizing, especially the outbuildings, the playground and the surroundings of the schoolhouse. A chapter in the Report will be of inestimable value next, for it points out the need of a redirected education, one which will give the child of the farm some study of nature, of agriculture, health, sanitation, domestic science and similar subjects which fit his life. It suggests that the school-teacher and district superintendent should be called to conferences on this subject and asked to help in carrying out plans for the betterment of the school.

The next thing for the club to do is to make a social center of the schoolhouse. The crying need of farmers' families is for social life. True, the grange tries to supply this, but the women's club can also help by having lectures and concerts and addresses at the schoolhouse, with stereopticon shows, dances, tableaux, and whatever will make the community happier and better. They may also carry out the suggestion of the Commission that the school should be brought into direct contact with the State Agricultural College, and professors should come to give demonstrations on farms, and traveling lectures on orchards, dairies, farm pests and other topics should be given.

V – TALKS BY EXPERTS

When the time for the county fair comes the club may have, as one Illinois club did, a series of talks on all sorts of live topics, given by experts to all who would come, the men as well as the women. Farm Life in the Old World, The Farm Boy and the Farm Problem, Bringing Home and School Together, Home-Making for Men and Women, were given, and also practical demonstrations on preserving, bread and butter making, and other domestic subjects. Besides these there was a fruit and vegetable show with prizes, given by the children.

Then there is the beautifying of the little village. The club may clean it up, plant shade trees and shrubbery, freshen up the paint of the railroad station and make its driveway attractive, take charge of the cemetery lots which are neglected, make a common in the middle of the town if possible, and have flowers and trees there, and, most important of all, create a sentiment among the people which will lead to abolishing the loafing places about town.

The club may also help the village church or, rather, churches. These are a problem in every farming community, for there are usually too many for the population, and no one of them is well supported. It may be that some clubs may be successful in having a union church; but, if not that, at least they can frown on the spirit of jealousy between the churches and establish coöperation. The buildings may be freed from their mortgages, the interiors freshened, the choirs improved, the minister's house papered, the Sunday school modernized, the women's societies assisted. There is always plenty to be done to help a struggling country church.

A town library may be started by the gift of one book by each family, and club women may take turns in giving out the books one day a week and providing entertainments to raise money to buy more.

Clubs may also help the town celebrate fête days: Arbor Day, the Fourth of July, Harvest Home, and the birthdays of local celebrities or of Washington and Lincoln. The schoolhouse may be used for such meetings.

The motto of every rural club should be: Coöperation. As one kind of work is taken up after another it will soon be seen how much women can do if they work together for the good of all. The little club nucleus may draw to itself the men of the community, the young people, and even the children, and together they may build up something fine, something of substantial value. Country life has its problems, but far more, it has its great, glorious opportunities.

These are some of the helpful books to be bought, or borrowed from the State Library:

"The Report of the Commission on Country Life." (Sturges and Walton.) "Coöperation Among Farmers," John Lee Coulter. (Sturgis and Walton.) "The Rural Problem in the United States," Sir Horace Plunkett. (Macmillan.) "How to Live in the Country." E. P. Powell (Outing Publishing Co.) "A Self-Supporting Home" and "The Earth's Bounty." Kate V. St Maur. (Macmillan.)

CHAPTER XII

The History of England

In studying the subject presented, for general reference use "The Short History of England" by E. P. Cheney (Ginn & Co.), and Halleck's "English Literature" (American Book Company). All topics can also be looked up in the Encyclopædia Britannica.

I – DRUIDS, CELTS, ROMANS, AND SAXONS

Begin with some idea of the prehistoric conditions in Great Britain, and have a map study. Follow with a sketch of the Druids, the Celts and their folk lore and the Arthurian legends.

The Roman conquest comes next. Read Tennyson's "Boadicea." Discuss: What did Rome give England of permanent value?

The early Saxons will bring in the coming of St. Augustine to England and the history of early Christianity there. Read of Cædmon at Whitby and the Venerable Bede, as the beginnings of English literature.

Following this will be the stories of Alfred and his reforms, of Edward the Confessor, and Harold. Read from the "Death of Columba" (Bede's Ecclesiastical History, Bohn's Library), Bulwer's "Harold," and "Beowulf" (translation in Riverside Literary Series, Houghton Mifflin & Co.).

II – THE NORMANS AND PLANTAGENETS

The economic and political changes of this time should be especially emphasized. Domesday Book, Magna Charta, the development of the feudal system, chivalry, the rise in power of the nobles, the hardships of the poor, the Normans on the Continent, and the Crusaders, with their effect on commerce, are all to be taken up. Have readings from Charles Kingsley's "Hereward the Wake," Scott's "Talisman," and Maurice Hewlett's "Richard Yea-and-Nay."

The list of the Plantagenet kings is long and their reigns are full of interest, but the main emphasis here, as under the Normans, belongs to the development of the nation. Take the subjects of the building of universities; the growth of Parliament; the increase of learning among the people; and Chaucer, with the "Canterbury Tales" as pictures of the life of the times.

In studying Edward III read of his relations with Scotland and France, and give an account of his famous battles. With the reign of Richard II comes the Peasants' Revolt. Discuss: How did it represent the spirit of the age?

An interesting account may be given of Henry IV and Henry V. Give some idea of the Wars of the Roses, and close the period with an account of the Princes in the Tower, Caxton and printing, and the English Bible. Read from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, and Richard III; also Stevenson's "The Black Arrow," Rossetti's "The King's Tragedy," De Quincey's "Joan of Arc."

III – THE TUDORS

At this point the story of Modern England begins. Under Henry VII notice the attempts of pretenders to the throne. Read of some of the famous men of the time.

Henry VIII is one of the best known characters in history. Speak of his tyrannical rule, his matrimonial ventures, his quarrel with the Pope and its results; the Field of the Cloth of Gold; of the English Reformation, Tyndale's New Testament and More's "Utopia." Tell of the brief reign of Edward VI.

Mary and the terrible persecutions follow this, with the connection of England and Spain. Notice the fate of Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer; read the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey.

The reign of Elizabeth is one of the wonderful periods of history. Have papers on her religious and political policies; her relations with Mary, Queen of Scots; the war with Spain; relations with Holland; the Invincible Armada, and kindred subjects. From a literary standpoint the age is of supreme importance, with Shakespeare heading a long list of famous names. Discuss the Elizabethan stage. Have brief sketches of Marlowe, Ben Jonson, Bacon, and Spenser, with readings.

IV – THE STUARTS AND CROMWELL

The study of the Stuarts begins with James I.

When studying Charles I, take up the struggle of the King with Parliament, the "forced loans," the King's favorites, and the beginning of the Civil War.

At this time Cromwell becomes the most conspicuous figure in European history. Have several meetings on the Commonwealth, and a study of Cromwell as a man and a leader. Notice that Home Rule in Ireland first comes into prominence. Subjects for papers may be: Milton and his influence; Lovelace and his verses; The Women of the Civil War (see Traill's "Social England"). Read also from Carlyle's "Cromwell," "Evelyn's Diary" and Browning's "Strafford."

With Charles II disaster came again to England. Read from "Old St. Paul" by Wm. Harrison Ainsworth (Everyman's Library). Have a paper on James II and another on the coming to England of William and Mary, the Battle of the Boyne and the new régime. Read from Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," Dryden's "Annus Mirabilis," Scott's "Peveril of the Peak," Blackmore's "Lorna Doone."

The time between this period and that of the Victorian Age should have several meetings. Study the Bill of Rights and its effect; also the reign of Queen Anne, the writers and the politics of the day.

V – THE GEORGES

Then turn to the Georges and give an account of their curious court life.

The reign of George III touches on our own history. Take up our Revolution and that of France. Notice the great industrial changes in England, and read from Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations." Napoleon, the war in Spain, Wellington and Waterloo, England and the Slave Trade, and Lord Nelson, should all be emphasized.

Study among others, the painters Gainsborough, Romney, and Reynolds; have one meeting on these and another on the furniture of the times and its famous makers, and Wedgwood china. See "The Secret History of the Court of England," by Lady Hamilton (The Page Company).

VI – THE AGE OF VICTORIA

Several meetings must certainly be given to the reign of Victoria, one of the most celebrated in history. The first paper may deal with her as a woman in her home. Then take up the politics of the times. Have papers on the different wars: the opium war in China, that in Afghanistan, the Crimea, the Sepoy rebellion, General Gordon and his work.

Add to these, papers on the expansion of England's colonies and their development; social and moral progress; the Reform Bill; the growth of democracy; the increase of industry through invention, and the great expansion in scientific fields, physics, biology, botany, medicine, and sociology.

The Victorian period is remarkable for its writers. Trace the development of the novel as shown in the works of Thackeray, Dickens, and George Eliot, with readings. The trend of poetry and the influence of Tennyson, Browning, and Swinburne may follow this, and then have the Pre-Raphaelite movement with its ideals of art and poetry, and a study of the Rossettis. The essayists must be noticed, especially Macaulay, Carlyle, Ruskin, and Pater, and the subject of painting and music studied with its various exponents.

VII – THE PRESENT

Last of all comes the study of England in our own time. Begin with papers on Edward VII and George V, and their ministers, especially noticing Lloyd-George and Asquith; speak of the Welsh Disestablishment Bill, the Education Bill, and the Ulster Question. Notice the English laws concerning women and children; speak also of suffrage. Close with the great war which began in 1914, its causes, leading men and principal events.

Have several meetings on the novelists, poets, playwrights, and artists of to-day. A special study might also be made of the cathedrals of England. See "The Cathedrals of England," by Mary J. Tabor (The Page Company).

CHAPTER XIII

Woman's Problems of Work

INTRODUCTORY

The outline given here may be amplified by taking up in the same general way the conditions of life of women in several representative countries, both the rich and poor, the workers and the women of leisure, closing the year with an outlook on the whole woman question of the world.

The first point to be taken up is the life of the primitive woman. She was the great laborer. The man hunted and fished and fought, and the woman sowed and reaped, did the drudgery of the home, made clothing, prepared food, and bore the responsibility. As civilization slowly crept in she relinquished many of her out-of-door tasks and developed greater ability to meet the steadily increasing problems within doors.

Notice where savagery still persists, women remain in the same condition as in primitive times. Read of the African women, and the Bushmen of Australia.

The study of the Hebrew women is the next point, for they advanced from a comparatively obscure position to one of honor. The Greek women may be compared with them. Read of the life of the Roman women. Next will come the study of the Anglo-Saxon women, working with their hands, but intelligent and forceful. Study the women of the next period, that of the Crusades. Read of the romantic lives of some, and follow with a paper on the women in convents and their occupations. From this point on, women's work remained much the same for the leisure class; but as life grew socially more complex, work became more intricate and varied.

The study of cottage industries may be mentioned here. Have several papers showing the life of the time our own colonies were established, and the work done by women. The important thing to be noticed is that all women worked; idleness was not in fashion. They spun and wove, they knitted and dyed, they made candles and table linen, and cotton and woolen clothing. Some few still carried on cottage industries or taught dames' schools, and a few managed farms or kept shops or taverns; but most of them were employed in the home exclusively.

About the middle of the nineteenth century came the great world-wide industrial revolution which forever changed women's work, and for a time the work of men. Read of the introduction of machines into the English districts where the hand looms had been in use. Have papers or talks on conditions everywhere in this transition period. This was the beginning of the great work of women in factories. Especially in New England, factory work became a large part of life. Daughters of farmers, of shop-keepers, of the owners of the mills themselves, and many school-teachers in vacation, were employed from five o'clock in the morning until seven o'clock in the evening. There was no social stigma put upon them. Read from the early history of Mount Holyoke.

Mill towns were considered models of quietness and morality because of the presence of hundreds of women. Their life was full of intellectual stimulation; lyceums brought the best lecturers: Emerson, Lowell, and other great writers and orators often spoke; the women edited and published little newspapers of their own. Lucy Larcom was a mill girl; read her poem called "An Idyl of Work," and her paper published in the Atlantic Monthly, volume 48, called "Mill Girls' Magazines."

But the hours of work were too long, the boarding houses too poor, the pay too meager. Gradually the American girl was replaced by the foreigner, and this period of work was at an end.

From this point factory work, as we know it, will open before the club. Study it especially in relation to cigar and cigarette and candy making, and in clothing industries of all sorts. Describe conditions as factory inspection has discovered them; notice the unsafe buildings, the long hours, heavy fines, and low pay. Discuss what should be done to remedy such evils. Have some of these questions taken up: Should Women Enter Trade Unions, or Is Organization Unnecessary? Do Strikes Pay? Should Women Insist on Compensation for Injuries and Old-Age Pensions? Can a Woman Work All Day and Still Bear Healthy Children and Bring Them Up Properly? Should There Be Mothers' Pensions? What of Night Work for Women? Describe the life of the night scrub-woman in a city. Read "The Long Day."

Turning to the work of women in shops, notice that it was about 1859 when the first women took this up. Compare the conditions then with conditions to-day. Describe welfare work. Discuss the "living wage," and question whether this should not depend on competence. What of lack of recreation and social life? Does the low wage drive girls to immorality? What can be done locally to better conditions in our shops?

This all leads up to the enormous subject of women's work to-day. It is said that three hundred lines of work are open to them, and clubs should select what they prefer to study. Among the many books of reference to be found on these and similar topics are: "Woman and Labor," Olive Schreiner (F. A. Stokes Co.); "Women and Economics," Charlotte Perkins Stetson (Small, Maynard); "Women in Industry," Edith Abbott (D. Appleton & Co.); "The American Business Woman," J. H. Cromwell (G. P. Putnam's Sons); "Women's Share in Social Culture," Anna G. Spencer (Mitchell Kennerley); "The Long Day," D. Richardson (Century Co.); "Woman and Social Progress," Scott and Nellie Nearing (The Macmillan Co.); "The Girl Who Earns Her Own Living," Anna Steese Richardson (Dodge); "How Women May Earn a Living," Helen C. Candee (The Macmillan Co.); "The Business of Being a Woman," Ida M. Tarbell (The Macmillan Co.); "Mrs. Julia Ward Howe and the Suffrage Movement," by Florence Howe Hall (The Page Company).

CHAPTER XIV

Women's Problems of Work – Continued

I – TO-DAY

Clubs may begin this study with the problems of the woman in the tenement. There is the home itself. She is hampered by a small, crowded space in which to bring up the family; there is insufficient light and air, it is too cold in winter and too hot in summer; there are few conveniences for washing or cooking; beds are generally uncomfortable, the walls are cumbered with clothing, there is no space for the children to play and no privacy.

The first paper may describe the home in detail and be followed with a reading from "How the Other Half Lives," by Jacob Riis.