The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 9, 1902, Page 14

UR insane women do for them— The club women are taking the der discussion. They claim e found a way. you think of it—of estab- ’s clubs in rural dis- women from filling our insane asylums? (A man e heard to suggest that their ds would in that case attend the asylums, but the man was not d upon for any remarks on the subject and he is herewith lenced.) It is a fact, you know—a fact proven by statistics—that nowhere do so many women go insane as in California, and they are largely the women of lonely and remote dis- iricts. Isolation is what does it. When these statistics were an- nounced and the club women heard them they said “Poor things!” in chorus. Then they went about ad- vaRcing a theory. They theorized that if isolation causes these coudtry women to go insane, the way to prevent insanity is to prevent isolation, and the way 1o prevent isolation is to establish women’s clubs. On this page you can read some of their arguments on the question. A group of our club women herewith discuss the need of clubs in the rural diftricts; also the ways. of satisfgring that need. isten to them for yourself. You will find plenty of pros and cons as well. MRS. G. W. BUNNELL— President of the Oakland Club. e more insane women in Cali- n in any State in the Union, proporti We must do something about it. first t The ng is to inquire into the cause. ing so trite that it is true: work is never done.” of tis a “A woma wom ones wh of the th Go to rural distr: the itute a large proportion tne the insane patients, and you will see t this The is true. country woman rises before the She ligh! fires and feeds chickens and washes dishes. She s these and a hundred other things i dey, and she is still doing them when men of her household return home in the evening. The next morping when she MAELL FHoTO arises the same weary round of labors res her in the face, Day in and day out it is the same. Routine, routine, routine. Is it any wonder that the lonely, weary women of our California ranches g0 insane? Their work is as monotonous as on any other farms, and their ‘loneliness Is far greater, for the ranches, are so immense that it is hard to reach neighbors. They think over the same things day in and out and they have no rellef of con- It is just here that the value of clu comes in. Let these remote women have their clubs which will bring them together and they will cease to brood. Their minds will be stirred to new trains of thought. The monotony will be broken and they I be saved from mental ruin. Let us send out agents into these dis- tricts to found clubs among them. It is our mission. We women of broader lives owe this to our sisters. When the women of rural California ave their clubs our insane asylums will have a shorter roll of patlemf to call. MRS. WALTER H. BYINGTON— President of the Mills Club. "No doubt the country districts need clubs, but I don’t think it is our business to form them. I have a belief that a need takes care of itself. When the women In remote places need clubs, they will form them for themselves. They are doing it all the time and they will continue to do so. Conventions are a great inspiration to the country women; they see ‘what the city clubs are doing and they gain new ideas from them. We of the citles can help them in this way. We can also send them papers which will interest and stimulate them. It Wwould be a good rlan to have a ‘regular system of send- ing papers that had been read in the city clubs to 'these outsiders for thelr read- ing and discussion. Such articles might SMNMNELE " P. S EG PENNI8TOMN VAUG MAN & KEITH ’ i often start them thinking along somé new line—perhaps, too, they would ge further into it than we had done, Beyond this, I don’t see what the city clubs can do to help them. They must work out their problem of broadening for themselves. MRS. ADA H. VAN PELT— Secretary Local Red Cross. Of course the establishing of clubs i Tural districts would keep many women out of the insane asylums. The social want in human nature is always tifere and when it is not satisfied madness many a time results. You see I emphasize the social side of club life. In its value to country women I think this side is quite as important as the educational. The loneliness of Cali- fornia ranch life is one of the saddest *things in our Western world, and sta tistics show how dire its results are. There are nc women so remote that they cannot reach a club, It may com- prise only three or four members who can reach a common meeting place. If ihese women are encouraged they can and will make the necessary effort. We city women ‘have the benefit of operas, theaters and lectures. We can bronden even without our clubs But they are’the only possibility for these rural women, Mrs, Mowrle from Irvington told me of the club that she belonged to. Iis rembers were from Niles and Irvington and they met once every week to discuss toples of the day and to read aloud some interesting book. This is what all women of the small towns could do to make their lives brighter. MRS. KATE BULKLEY— : President of the C. F. W. C. As I look forward to the new year that we hre entering upon—the new year, that, is, of the federation—I realize that one of our most important objects is the strengthening of clubs in the rural dis- tricts. That is where clubs are needed. One of their chief purposes is to broaden us, and the women of the country districts are the ones who suffer most from a cramped and narrow life. The cities of- fer much contact even without the ala of clubs; women can meet in other ways, can be cheered and encouraged by other bright minds: but a woman who lives on a California ranch is so remote that her life comes to be cast in a dreary rut. So if she can have a club near enough to my duty and privilege to visit those dur- ing the year if they want me. Three ot the districts are in our vieinity, in what may be considered the center of the Statc; the other three are more remote. It Is where the villages lie that I hope to do the most. T'he women of these small places need help from outside, a stimulus from the world without. The coming club, year, to: be successful must see great, progress in these outside clubs as wefl-as in the large city organi- zatlons. And this is what the fedleration hopes to accomplish. MRE. E.-G. DENNISTON— President of the Forum Club. No wonder the women of rural Califor- nia go insane. So would I if I lived in the way they do. So would you, so would anybody. Their lives are a long round of the same thing. I wish I could see them ail having clubs that would take them out of themselves, If they could write and read papers, If they could have their libraries where they could come for a quiet hour or so of reading, what a relief it would be to them! Their homes would be happier. They could talk to their husbands about mat- ters of the outside world. The men get a little glimpse of this now and then when they go Into town and gossip at the gro- cery and read the paper; but the women see only the boundaries of their own farms, Think how much better mothers they would be, too, They could talk to thefr children about something besides the hunting of eggs and the milking of cows, If there {s any practicable way of es- tablishing clubs among them it ought to be done, The difficulty of sending out agends 18 the expense. Who will pay for them? If the money can be provided, let us have them, MKS, !'IIANX(. DALTON— ¥x-President of the Corona Club. A for the theory that our insane asy- lums would not be so full of California women If clubs existed in rural districts =1 think there s a great deal in It, Lonely women brood und insanity re sults, Clubs which would reach the women of Californin ranches would do away with loneliness and brooding. Now as to the reform system proposed, There are agents uyd ugents, On this point depends the whole answer to the question raised: Shall we club women of the citles send agents to the rural districts to establish women's elubs? Unless the people appointed for this task be wise women, carefully chosen, 1 believe that they could do more harm than good. It would take infinite tact to reach the women of the outlying dis- tricts. Jhey are not closely in touch with the adbanced and systematic work that we are so accustomed to and they are likely to be doubtful of the advantages of it when they are first approached. They must be handled skillfully and made to feel that we wish them to work along with us as sisters in the common cause of education. It wduld be a fatal error to make them feel that we are sending teachers to them. The common cause is self-culture—note the emphasis on the “gelf. The only proper way to choose these agents would be to submit the matter to the federation of the whole State ard let them be officially chosen. Then there could be no d isfaction and we should know that a wisc and deliberate ghoice had been made. MRS. ELLA _S—EXTON—- Cf the California Club. @euld and would the country women reach a club If it was established? I @olld think so. Their husbands manage to reach a meeting place, don’t they? I PHOTO MISS. KATE, & A . MRS, WAL TER ESrINGTOr: VACG R arr & KELTS attend once in awhile It means every- thing to her. o 7 The federated clubs of the State are divided into six districts, and it is to be T8, \; should say that the wives could do the some. Poor things; they are so miserable and lonely. There is no place where they can meet. Their husbands drive into town on market days, hitch to a tree and leave their wives to hang about the stores, dragging their children behind them. What a comfort it would be to them to have rest rooms established—places where they could find easy chairs, good books, friends. How much fresher and brighter they would be when they return to their lone- homes. They would have all sorts of {deas to discuss. It strikes me as a most feasible idea for city women to send agents to start clubs in the small towns, where the farm peo- bt MBS ple congregate of a Saturday. Clubs, H- brarfess rest rooms—all these would mean 80 much to the worn-out drudges that farmers’' wives too often are Would It keep women out of the insane asylums? Decidedly, yes. MRS. I. LOWENBERG— President of the Philomath’Club. Yes, I certainly do think that the broad- ening influence of clubs in the rural dis- tricts would lessen the cases of insanity among women of the farms. I belleve, 'too, that clubs should be started and encouraged by outsiders; but let those outsiders be the .district vice presidents. With our feder: fon divisions of districts we can accomplish this work. The divisions cover the entire State. The vice presidents are stationed in a central point of each dist and ould be their duty to visit the remote parts 1 in their boundaries and to encourage establishment of clubs in them. There is no need of any other agents Who could appoint them? Certainly not individual clubs. The work must be done by the federation as ‘'a whole. The country women need help. have it. he Let them MRBS. ROBERT BURDETTE— Ex-President of C. 8. F. of W. C. I have traveled among the different dis- tricts which compose the federation, and I have been delighted at the earnest spirit that is shown by women of California’s small towns, and farms even. They are in many cases so remote from any town of size that it might seem impossibie for them to keep up the zest in work that is commonly inspired by the coming t er of many bright minds. But women have worked in small number: with little enough to encourage them They are usually wives who have little time to spare from heavy household du ties, and all the more credit is due to them that they have snatched a few spare moments for study, I once came upon a woman in & rural district who lived elghteen miles from & town, But that did not check her deter mination to reach the town, For in It wad & club whers women met and talked over interesting and fmportant toples and guined knowledge and inspiration for selt culture, It was a long way to go, but the woman was bound to reach the club. Bo she hitched her horse to a shabby, almost rickety old vehicle and she drove to town 13 |—— towsrsess J e over those eighteen miles of difficult country road every time the club met. She did not care whether it was fair weather or foul, she went to town just the same. She is a lesson to all of us. I wonder how many of the women of city clubs would do as much? It is an easy matter for them to take a street car or a carriage at thelr door; but would they be as brave as this woman if the nearest club lay eighteen miles away over a bad road? The great need is of more clubs for such women. There are plenty of them who would prove themselves as deeply in earnest as she. MRS. H. HEYNEMANN-— 1st Vice President Philomath Club I think it would be a great mistake to send agents into the rural districts to establish clubs. Not that the rural districts do not need the clubs—they need them sorely. But the matter should be approached #h another way. Suppose that we city women, with the best intentions in the world, shouldgend out women to the villages of CalifoMha— women from among ourselves, having no knowledge whatever of the existing con- ditions in the field of labor. What would be the result? Failure. Let the women of the country found their own clubs. They can do it better than we can do it for them. In every district can be found at least one woman of enough intelligence to outline study for a group of her neighbors. She knows them, thelr tastes, their needs. She can build up a club and make a success where a stranger would make a failure. Another point—what would the countrs women think of us? We should appear like missionaries ta the heathen, and would surely gain the impression that we considered ourselves such. Whemn that is the thing most remote frdm our g00d intentions. We want t ncourage them to be one with us MRS. G. J. BUCKNALL— Ex-President of the Sorosis Club. “You 4 has been It know what this convention o us!" far and it a leave the It Is t of, estion L sub- and it juestion wer peri- ment_w ave to e matter MES. A. D. SHARON— Vice President of California Club. Send out peoy to establish clubs n the e« .3 v I don't know why we h I'm sure I an't say what it might do in the way of lessening ine anit but I'm sure that the country wom study and know more than we de We think ourselves & great deal cleve erer than we are, We sit In our ity homes and theorize about the needs of our mentally starving sisters far awsy; while all the time these sisters are se excellontly well fod mentally that they can tench us a great many things worth our learning 1 speak from actual observation. I have the most remote dise id 1 have heard papers and dis- the members. They may not things to attend to city life that we can’t into anything. We take up ollow one thing for a day, then for ng newer. Country in our comp go very fads. drop far We it women don’t do that. have mor They they giv interests, therefo! 1 one in par- o specialize, understand- fewer time to e ticular. T have 2 cha: and the r t is a thor ing of the subject unde: I think they might better send agents to us than we to them. DR. DOROTHEA MOORE— Cf the California Club. Jet the country women found t clubs. They will enjoy them more than if agents from the cities do It for them. They would never comsider the clubs en- tirely their own if started in that way. The country does need clubs, that is cer- tain. Perhaps we of the cities might ap- point visitors to go to the remote distric and give encouraging talks on the sub- ject, but that is as far as we should Inter- fere. The place of meeting is a problem in many districts. Why not use t house? If it can be reached by th nly can be reached by And the school yard would be a e to leave the youngsters while met inside. ngsters must in m be taken along. I visited a tow a while ago; the place of meeting lookea like a country fair. Rickety old rigs were coming from all directions; many of them lowed with babies. children uld not be left at home, so they played to their hearts’ content in the yard dur- ing the club meeting. the ases oves .