Complete Club Book for Women

French Benton Caroline

Description

Have you ever wanted to kick off a club of your own, but weren't sure where to start? In The Complete Club Book for Women, author Caroline French Benton offers up tons of suggestions and ideas, ranging from topics and issues to focus on to hints and guidelines for conducting meetings.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• Gender studies

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776537495
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE COMPLETE CLUB BOOK FOR WOMEN
INCLUDING SUBJECTS, MATERIAL AND REFERENCES FOR STUDY PROGRAMS; TOGETHER WITH A CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS, ETC.
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CAROLINE FRENCH BENTON
 
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The Complete Club Book for Women Including Subjects, Material and References for Study Programs; Together with a Constitution and By-Laws, Etc. First published in 1915 Epub ISBN 978-1-77653-749-5 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77653-750-1 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Preface Chapter I - Suggestions for Club Work Chapter II - Community Improvement Chapter III - A Study of the American Colonies Chapter IV - Some Poets of To-Day Chapter V - The World's Islands Chapter VI - The Business of Being a Housekeeper Chapter VII - A Study of Songs Chapter VII - Some of the World's Famous Buildings Chapter IX - Four Short Programs Chapter X - Central and South America and the Canal Chapter XI - The Work of the Rural Club Chapter XII - The History of England Chapter XIII - Woman's Problems of Work Chapter XIV - Women's Problems of Work—Continued Chapter XV - Some Great Men of Our Time Chapter XVI - The Literature of the Bible Chapter XVII - The Age of Queen Anne Chapter XVIII - Our Educational System Chapter XIX - Special Programs on Great Men and Women Chapter XX - Programs from Clubs Chapter XXI - What Clubs Are Studying Chapter XXII - Brief One Day Programs Chapter XXIII - How to Make a Year Book Chapter XXIV - A Model Constitution Chapter XXV - Rules of Order for Clubs
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To TheClub Women of City and Country
Preface
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In a previous volume, called "Work and Programs for Women's Clubs," morethan twenty leading subjects were given for club study, includingShakespeare, the opera, the drama and child study, each with tenprograms made out under it, comprising papers, talks, readings anddiscussions, with the names of books for reference. Probably many of theclubs which have used that book may still prefer the subjects and methodemployed there, and some who have not used it will find in it their workmade easy.
Others, however, who believe in "self help," or who wish to harmonizetheir study programs with some practical work the club is doing, or whofind it necessary to adjust their work to the varying tastes of themembers, will prefer the method followed in this second volume.
Subjects are here presented with suggestions for divisions into separatemeetings; then the papers or talks are outlined under each, with manyreferences to books by contemporary writers. From the mass of materialgiven each club is to select what best suits its individual needs andarrange from it a year book.
If a club wishes to have sixteen meetings a year on one subject and fouron another, the chairman may select one of the large subjects, shape thematerial offered into sixteen large divisions, add the necessarysubdivisions beneath with the references, and then selecting a shorterprogram, divide this in the same way and combine the two.
Or, supposing a club wished to master a subject with unusualthoroughness, a large subject may be divided into a two-year studycourse. Several of the subjects indeed might easily be taken up forstill a longer time. Any one of them has in it material enough forserious work, yet some are capable also of being taken up in sixmeetings if that is desirable.
A model Constitution is offered which any club may easily adapt to itsown needs. Some condensed Rules of Order are also given. It is earnestlyhoped that in this little book every club woman may find everything sherequires.
Chapter I - Suggestions for Club Work
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There is no difficulty in starting a club; any group of women who areinterested in the same things may form themselves into a simpleorganization. But the great question will surely arise: What shall westudy? And here club members are certain to divide into three distinctclasses.
The first group consists of women who have for years been absorbed inhome-making and child-rearing. The world of books has been practicallyclosed to them. The club to which they wish to belong must offer them anopportunity for self-development, one in which they will obtain theculture which comes from the study of art and music and literature; onewhere their hungry minds will be fed.
But the group of young women,—perhaps college graduates,—have nosympathy with this desire; they have had enough of books! They demandthat all the energies of the club shall be devoted to the good of thecommunity, to the "larger housekeeping," to preparation for citizenship.Who can stop to write dull papers on Italian Art in this day ofefficiency?
Between these two groups of women there is a third, made up of women whohave kept up their reading in spite of family cares, and who alsobelieve in the practical work outside the home which seems to themalmost within their grasp. But they lack self-confidence; speaking inpublic is absolutely impossible; even to lift a voice in a clubdiscussion is a serious matter.
Now the perfect club takes cognizance of these three classes of womenand provides for them all. It offers to the first group an opportunityfor study; and surely no woman ever grows beyond the place where shestill has something to learn. There are always fresh fields of poetryand travel, of music and art which unfold with the years and tempt oneon.
And then it offers training to the timid woman who fears to hear her ownvoice. At first she may merely read a club paper, but little by littleshe learns to give a quotation, to put a motion or offer a suggestion;and finally she finds she can speak without notes, or take her part in adebate and hold her own with self-possession and dignity. And that meansthat she has acquired a liberal education.
As to the energetic class between these two, the ideal club has plentyfor them, also. There has never been an opportunity for community worklike that offered to-day, offered especially to those women who havebeen made capable by their training in their own little study clubs tocope with questions of hygiene, of tenement house wrongs and immigrants'problems; they have the widest scope for their energies. If they arewise, they will accept the opportunity of using the woman's club andmake it a center of social service.
The following programs are planned to cover all these requirements. Thefirst one is intended to lay out many lines of community work from whicheach club is asked to choose what best suits the needs of her ownlocality. Every second club meeting may be given to the study of thevarious problems presented by the town, and remedies may first besuggested and then resolved upon. Coöperation with other clubs is alsourged, and also the need of working with, rather than against, the cityfathers.
Alternating with meetings on these practical and helpful lines clubs areinvited to study some one of the subjects which follow this firstcomprehensive program. Whatever appeals most to club members, music orhistory, literature or travel, may be selected. References to books areoffered to assist in preparation of club papers.
It will be found that, on the whole, it is seldom best for a club tochoose a miscellaneous program for an entire year's work. Too often sucha choice means a grotesque range from Life in Early Egypt to theWaverley Novels, and from the Panama Canal to Spring Flowers. When onewishes to have a year of work with a different subject for each meetingit is at least possible to choose those which have some relation, andvary the program by having musical meetings also.
A word may be added as to the personal side of club life. A president,above all her other duties, should see to it that the atmosphere of theclub is warm and friendly. If in other ways it is successful, if thestudy gives intellectual stimulus, and practical work is carried oneffectively, still it is a failure if the members are either snobbish orunsympathetic. All the members of a club must be in harmony and worktogether in a spirit of comradeship if it is ever to reach its highestpossibilities.
Last of all, should not a club extend its membership to as many aspossible, rather than have a waiting list? Whatever prestige may accrueto it through that, will it not be of the greater good in the long runif its doors are always open to take in any woman who has somethingfresh to give to its life, or has a need that the club can gratify?
Chapter II - Community Improvement
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One of the up-to-date subjects for clubs is what is sometimes called"The Larger Housekeeping." It is the study of the economic conditions ofone's own neighborhood with the determination to find ways to make theplace more hygienic, more sanitary, moral and beautiful. It is thedevelopment of the idea of social betterment.
A woman's club is an ideal social center from which this work may grow.It is an excellent plan to enlist all the clubs in town, if that ispossible. They may carry on other work besides, but each club may alsohave some particular line of study on the common theme, and at monthlymeetings all the women may meet and discuss the one topic of communityimprovement. The men of the place may be invited later to join thesepublic meetings; their coöperation, and that of the city officialsespecially, should be secured from the beginning. The one essential ofsuccess is "team work."
The first thing is to understand the actual conditions which exist inthe town. The club should first learn who the town officials are, andw