Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 217, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1917 — History of L. L. C. [ARTICLE]

History of L. L. C.

Continued from Page One. together and the first subject drawn would be the one used lor the next week’s meeting. Then you would have to get busy if you were put on the debate for we only had one week to prepare our subjects in; but you seldom saw any failures. The founders of this club worked every way to make it worth while and from the beginning they displayed ability and and were amply able to push it through., We had several university graduates to start with. There was Mrs. Dr. Deming, now of California, a Swedish lady and highly educated in the schools of Sweden and when she came over to this, country she entered our schools and became proficient in our language. She was a woman of rare culture. Misses Julia and Elizabeth Smith were also women who were highly educated. There were several more who were worthy of mention. At the beginning of this club I don’t believe there was a woman in it who was over 45 years of age, excepting the honorary ones. We had three of them, Grandmother Dwiggins, Kannal and Shortridge. These old ladies came often. All the rest were active members. We met at the homes of the members until 1885 and then we concluded to rent a club room and we rented three or four rooms over Babcock’s office and Mollie Babcock was the custodian of our apartment., She lived _in the rooms and took care of them and we paid the rent. She had some fuij niture and with what we had donated our little place looked quite cozy and homelike. We occupied the front part and she had all the rest. He had a nice organ that belonged to the Temperance Union people. They had disbanded and they let us have it and we thought we were fixed. We had quite a few pieces of furniture given to us. I remember we had a book case, table, chairs and carpet, but we never had just what we wanted. During our stay tnere General Van Rensselaer, whose father lies buried in our Presbyterian church yard, .made frequent visits to this place and he seemed to take great interest in our club welfare and he was conceded to be quite wealthy. So one day when we were in need of furniture or money to buy it, there was a called meeting for the express purpose of us meeting the General. We had a hint that we were to receive something from him and every member was there and delighted for we thought our time f had come to have our room furnished in fine style or to receive an endowment of some kind. He was a little old fellow on the dudish yrder, wore nose glasses, button hole bouquets, carried a gold headed cane and wore burnside whiskers that were trimmed to a frazzle. At the meeting he arose with great dignity with a package in his hand; he complimented us on our work; he said he was proud of us and thought the town ought to be. He gave us such a complimentary spiel that we thought we were about to reach our goal—in fact—were ready to receive it. Instead, he proceeded to open the package anH there were thre or four dozen of his pictures which he proceeded to distribute. Everyone present got one whether we wanted it or not. We were so crestfallen and disappointed that we did not know what to do. But we were game. Miss Mollie Babcock arose and thanked him for his generous gift and made a motion that we make him an honorary member, which we quickly did. On the following week we had a paper for a part of our program and one of the girl contributors wrote a little zigzag and when she came to V she began like this—

V stands for Van Rensselaer, So spare and so thin, The only male member We could ever take in; He is an honorary, too, * But so deficient in flesh We scarcely expect him To get back to his place. One of the important offices of this society was the critic. It has been said that “poets are born, not made,” and that is the way with the critic. For years we had the same one and she delighted in filling that office. Criticism should be received in the spirit of kindness in which it was made, so our rules said, and most of us tried to abide by them. The president would appoint the critic at the opening of each meeting and with pencil in hand she was ready to criticize anything she saw or heard that was not corrects* Our manner of standing—if you happened to stand more on one foot than the other —she saw it. If there was a mispronounced word or an illy constructed sentence she was there to let you know where you were at fault, and I am sure this criticism did us a world of good and after she got through with us we never ijnade the same mistake twice. Miss jßabcock was a competent and fearless critic. It made no difference to her whether you liked to be criticized or not, you got it just the same if you deserved it. One day I happened to be appointed to that office when she was on the program. I thought now was my time to get even with her. She mispronounced the word “telegrapher.” I never forget that word, for she did not take the criticism like ahe wanted us to, but became quite angry and it took her a whole, week to convince herself that she was wrong. From the beginning we have celebrated our anniversary day and our meetings used to be the events of the year. Everybody had a new dress for the occasion. Our first one was held at the beautiful home of Mrs. R; S. Dwiggins. The house was crowded and we served refreshments. The program was a long one with plenty of good music. The second meeting was at Mrs. Alfred Thompson’s. She always opened her home for all of our open meetings if we had them at a private home. After a few yean we branched out a little and bad several anniversary meetings at the opera house. We would issue invitations and charge in admission fee and we always had i crowded house. Everybody would

go, for they knew the money was going to be given to a good cause. We gave over a hundred dollars to have our cemetery improved, for it was sadly neglected them. Some;, times it would go to the poof untT we were sure is went to the right place. When we had our club room,, we had, of course, to look out for the rent, as our membership fee was not sufficient to pay it and our open meetings helped us out. Our club never came so near dying a natural -death as it did when we rented our rooms. It went down to a small membership and we were compelled to move out a and go back to the homes for our meetings and our interest was revived and we got back to where we started. If it had not been for the energy of a few of the older members in keeping it together, I would not be here today trying to tell a forty years history. One noticeable feature about our early membership was that we had several grandmothers with their daughters and granddaughters that were members at the same time. One of our honorary members, Grandmother Dwiggins, had her daughter, Lydia, two granddaughters, Mrs. Willis Imes and Mrs. Lyda Kimball, and one daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zimri Dwiggins. Mrs. Purcupile had her two daughters, Mrs. Sears and Strawbridge, and her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Henry Purcupile; and there were several more. The club work seemed to interest the young ladies as well as it did the older ones.

In looking-over a list of our former members it gives me pleasure to know that some of them have gained fame and success. When I think of Margaret Hill McCarter, Mrs. Letherock, Celia Wilkins and Mary Washburn, I feel proud to know that at one time they were a part of us. Mrs. McCarter’s fame as a writer is broadcast over this land and had Grace Letherock lived she too would have succeeded in her chosen work. Our poet, Miss Wilkinson, was ”a teacher in the public school here. She deserves much praise for the beautiful poems she wrote. She also wrote many magazine articles for our leading journals and papers. She wrote under the name of Sand Burr and we were a long time finding out who Sand Burr was, as she was so modest and unpretentious about her writing. Many beautiful things could be said about our former members, for they were deserving, and their good works do follow them. Mary Washburn has gained for a name that we all can be proud of. She is and has been an earnest student and her efforts have been crowned with success.

As I said in the "Beginning, the Narrow Gauge R. R. was not completed when we began this society and it was the subject of much talk and comment. At our first anniversary meeting we remembered it enough to put it on our program. This was the program: Toast Response—Narrow Gauge R. R., Mrs. M. L. Spitler. Rensselaer, Mrs. R. S. Dwiggins. The Republican Paper of Rensselaer, Major Bitters. Hero Worship—-M. L. Spitler. Paper, Editors—Celia Wilkinson and Melle Wright. Milroy Park should be a lasting tribute to the memory of Mrs. A. Thompson, the mother of this club. She was the starter of the movement and through her untiring efforts the old home of Gen. Milroy was bought for the purpose of perpetuating the fame of this noted general and to furnish Rensselaer with a beautiful park. She lived to see her drams realized and today we look upon it with pride, for it is .adorned with a statue of the general who at One time lived upon the spot. This manument stands as a memorial to the soldiers and sailors of this county who gave their lives for a noble cause. Our club was instrumental in raising $1,014.50 for this monument. We did what we could and should be proud of it. In connection with this memorial we must not forget to speak of Mary Washburn’s part in it. She was the little sculptress who made the miniature statue of Gen. Milroy. • It was a perfect piece of mechanism. To the life of this club today we owe it all to the faithful Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Dwiggins and Mrs. Purcupile. They deserve all credit for they never tired in doing the work of keeping this thing together. They have all passed to their reward. As I said in the beginning, when this club was organized I was young, with the greater part of my life and ambitions before me. In looking backward I see and find the greater part of them behind me and the only regret I have it that I did not improve my time and talent in a more earnest way. I have always enjoyed the work of the club and have been grteatly benefited by it in every way. In my closing thought to you today, I will say that I could wish you nothing better than to live 40 years more in this club and that you will get as much pleasure and benefit as I have had.

Happy thoughts will ever linger, O’er the hours well spent with you; I can leave you to the future For I know much good you’ll do. Some of us will pass away \ To a fairer, brighter clime; j Leaving you to fill our places With the work we leave behind. May this little club of women Live for ages yet to come; And as one by one you cross the river Head the Master say, “Well done.” There are 19 living members who began at the beginning and 22 who are dead. The living are: Mrs. Lydia Moss, Mrs. ] Estella Strawbridge, Mrs. Arabel Sears, Mrs. Alice Dunlap, Mrs. Dr. Washburn, Mrs. Nell Purcupile, Mrs. M. L. Spitler, Miss Lola Moss Patton, Hallie Coen Ferguson, Mrs. S. P. Thompson, Mrs. Annie Jones, Miss Lydia Dwiggins, Lydia Paris Randall, Mrs. Louise Imes, Mrs. Annie Maloy, Mrs. Lee A. Cotton, Mrs. Mary Porter Mayhew, Mrs. E. P. Alter, Melle Wright Medicus.