Show t THE WOMENS CLUBS I Helen Churchill Cardce discusses In the October Century the characteristics of Mie presidents of women clubs and comments upon the Ibid filled by these organizations In the West If any one should doubt the desire of the small remote town to make itself It-self I intellectually worthy let I him read the programme prepared for the winter I work ofa club which occupied a prominent promi-nent social position onthe prairies of the middle West Here ate some of the topics for paper all to be prepared without the advantages of n library either public or private and with no educational advantages beyond a local newspaper Was the Victory of Wei Jlngton at Waterloo a Triumph oCr I oC-r Medievalism or of Democracy9 Js the French Republic or Ours the Best Illustration of the Political Ideas of I Rousseau Thc Race Problem in Southeastern Europe The Pessimism of tho Russian Novel Will the Common Com-mon Hatred of the Japanese and Chinese Chi-nese for the European Form a Bond Strong Enough to Hold China for the Yellow Man Will Christian Ethical Ideas Be More Easily Graded on the Cold Selfishness of Confucianism or on the SelfRespecting Ideals of Buddhism Bud-dhism J Does not this Illustrate the Idea that when an American woman dptermlnos to do a thing she does It without topping top-ping to inquire If it Is among the possibilities pos-sibilities How well tihe does It Is another an-other matter My recollection suggests that In this case she laughingly evaded most of the questions and made up by general cordiality and light refreshments refresh-ments by no means a poor substitute in a border town barren of social life Or 200 clubs In New York State half are literary This ypark from the log of statistics shows the popularity of the selfcultur club There undoubtedly undoubt-edly Is something In It which appeals I to the vanity which shapes our ends I It Is gratifying to be considered erudite ito i-to know a little more than your neighbors neigh-bors know It IP I like a more sumptuous sump-tuous edition of the J teachers mandate In baby days You may step up to the head of the class 1 And yet notwithstanding its popularity popular-ity an unquiet longing possesses to some extent the club which hangs out Its banner for selfculture bearing the i namc of IIt rat re art music or current cur-rent topics And this longing Illustrates I the trend of the day In womens clubs It IB a longing toward practicality Altruism being the watchword of the day and brotherly love an Increasing passion women are n long content to serve only thcms6lvcst And so the clubs for selfculture arc feeling restless stirrings stir-rings of wishing todo something for the community Fortunately there arc appropriate objcpts for them allnnd perhaps they wllljadvance toward these I |