Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 July 1916 — FEDERATED CLUBS MEETING [ARTICLE]

FEDERATED CLUBS MEETING

At Brook Tuesday Was Attended by Several Rensselaer Club Women. Mrs. .1. C. Gibbs of Crown Point was elected chairman of the Tenth district federation of clubs at the annual convention at Brook Tuesday. Mrs. Ada Elsworth Stuart of Lafayette was chosen vice-chairman, and Mrs. W. E. Meade of East Chicago was re-elected secretary-treas-urer. An invitation to meet next year in Lafayette was accepted. “Next to getting married, there is nothing that will bring more joy to a woman than holding office in club work,’’ said Mrs. Eva M. Bondy of Valparaiso, chairman of the Tenth district federation, as she urged women who were nominated to accept office in federation work. There had been a growing tendency among clubwomen to refuse to accept office

and the work that goes with it. A tribute was paid to Mrs. Felix T. McWhirter of Indianapolis, director from Indiana to the General Federation of Clubs, when the entire convention arose to its feet in her honor. A greeting was received from Mrs. McWhirter from Nashville, Tenn., as follows: -- “Cordial greeting of Tenth district federation. A distinquished biennial speaker said the day of society women had passed and the day of clubwomen has dawned. Our federation needs undiscovered and unknown women, with talents, in Indiana. They need encouragement and development through club life. May the golden links of federation bind the clubs of the Tenth district.” Reports were made by the county officers as follows: Jasper county, Mrs. J. D. Allman; White, Mrs. Mary Casad; Lake, Mrs. B. H. Clark; Porter, Mrs. W. E. Harris; Benton, Mrs. Rose P. Ladd; Newton, Mrs. Luther C. Lyons; Warren, Mrs. Richard Stephenson; Tippecanoe, Mrs. Isaac Rice. Mrs. Ada Elsworth Stuart of Lafayette, Tenth district delegate to the biennial of the General Fedeniv tion of Woman's clubs, gave an interesting resume of the convention. She said she regarded the art department and the home economics department as the two most vital on the program. She said the art department had remarkable talkers and that much credit was due to Mrs. Melville F. Johnston of Richmond, Ind., chairman of the art de-

partment. In telling of the impossibility of the delegates to attend all the sessions at a biennial, Mrs. Stuart said: “The only person who can be happy in attending a biennial Is one who has a hobby and rides it to death. She is the one who gets a real benefit, as she attends only the meetings relating to her hobby.” The dominant note of the biennial was service to others, which was due to Mrs. Pennybacker’s influence. County chairmen were elected as follows: Lake, Mrs. E. L. Shortridge of Crown Point; Tippecanoe, Mrs. Virginia C, iMeredith, Cambridge City; Porter, Mrs. W. E. Harris, Valparaiso; Jasper, Mrs. M. D. Gwin, Rensselaer; Warren, Mrs. Richard Stephenson, West Lebanon; White, Mrs. M. Shehan, Monon; Benton, Mrs. Rose Ladd, Oxford; Newton, Miss Fanny Ott, Morocco. The Welfare club, composed of 77 members, of which Mrs. Luther C. Lyons is president, was the host to the convention. This club is one. of the “live wire” clubs of the state, and has done much toward improving the place. This year a park was made at the station, and a general clean-up of the town was carried out. The convention opened with greetings from Mrs. J. Bennett Lowe of Brook and a response from Mrs. Mit-

tie Dewees Stoner of Valparaiso, chairman of the endowment committee, made an appeal for money. Mrs. Carolyn R. Fairbanks, president of the Indiana Federation of Clubs, and Mrs. A. T. Cox of East Chicago, auditor of the state federation, amd Mrs. Virginia C. Meredith of Cambridge City were among the visitors at the convention. Mrs. Fairbanks gave a message to. the convention outlining the plan of work for the coining year. She asked the co-operation of the club women in having the school age raised from 14 to 16 years. She said there were more than two milion children tbetween the ages of 14 aud 16 Working in factories in the United States. “We have progressed less in educational matters in the last 30 years than in any other line,” she declared. Mrs. J. W. White of Kentland, president of the Women’s club, reported that the club is raising money to help build a coliseum as their part of the centennial celebration. Many of the club women visited ilazelden farm, the home of George Ade, who received his guests on the lawn of his beautiful home.