Club Minutes: Mutual Improvement Association, 1909-1914

3

List of Members 2-1-1915

Hallie J. Bentley Mary T. Bond Louisa T. Brooke Elizabeth C. Davis India Downey Ellen Farquhar Martha T. Farquhar Mary E. Gilpin Emilie T Massey Martha Holland Homewood Elma & Annie Chandlee Edith Hallowell - resigned 9-1915 Sallie Randolph Janney Sarah T. Miller Rebecca T. Miller Eliza N. Moore Estelle T. Moore M. G. T. Moore Fanney B. Snowden Albina O. Stabler Elizabeth T. Stabler Virginia Steer Mary Bentley Thomas Mary E. Thomas Alice Tyson Sarah F Willson

23 active members 4 associate members Waiting List Mary Scott - elected Mary Janney Hutton " Amy & Elise Hutton Florence Hallowell Mariana S. Miller Sarah T. Adams

5

The Association convened, at noon, on 2/25, 1909 at Magnolia the home of Mary TBond and children. Guests were Mary Scott, Mariana Miller, Hannah B. Elizabeth T., Mary and Isabel Stabler, Harriet Landsdale, Miss Covington and Miss Freeland. The sentiment was a single verse containing much in little-

" The inner side of every cloud is bright and shining, I therefore turn my clouds about And always wear them inside out, To show the lining"-

The second selection of our hostess was upon the habit of saving the best for a few occasions rather than using such all the time. The writer thought it wise to keep something for unusual occasions, for which it may be more suitable.

Virginia Steer's short essay upon the "Industrious Hen"-was an amusing tribute to her great value as a national asset. In Missouri one of the foremost grain producing states the products of the lowly hen sold for $ 19,000 more than the grain brought. In New England the soil only yielded 1/10 part in cash as compared with the dollars brought in by the denizin of the barn yard. It was asserted that has Egypt used the incubator before the Christian era, and that the hen has come down to us from distance ages with small change in her habits at least, though her age was in her habits at cousiderably. Sarah F. Willson article was upon the wise spending of money, which does not come as intuition by any means, but is learned in the school of experience. To the farmer's wife, where there are small means and children to be educated this faculty is invaluable- It can be taught and should be learned- A qeustion with

6

regard to gelatine brought out the fact that many use the kind that comes in large sheet and is quite inexpensive. A guest said that they weighed it out in oz. packages and used it just as they did the powered variety.

Abina O. Stabler gave the following recipe that has stood the test of many years. "Pour one quart of cold water in two oz. of gelatine. Let it stand till soft. Then add three pints of boiling water, 1 1/2 lbs. sugar, one pt. fruit juice, and the juice of three lemons". Some tie a small quantity of stick cinnamon, and add.

Mary Scott gave a clipping "The Good old Times Runby". Few of us would like to go back to the days of no railroads, telephones, telegraphs, sewing machines, postage stamps, daily papers, dozens of other conveniences accepted as matters of course. Yet we all talk occasionally in a vein of forced sentiment of those "good old times of yore", which have not nearly as much to recommend them in the experience as they have in retrospect. So let us be devoutly thankful for the good new times which we now enjoy.

We were told that our friend John Miller who was in Sandy Spring for three months was three weeks making his first trip to St. Louis and had to change cars at nearly every town he passed through on his way. Mariana Miller astonished some of us with a description of the lately perfected telepost which will it is claimed since a message of 100 words from New York to Chicago for 25 cts. in the near future.

Louisa T Brooke read an extract from an English paper, "The Major who Dared", a Friend who held the office

ny

7

of Mayor over a town near the Doncaster races was invited to meet King Edward but declined because he had never felt willing to attend the races, and could not do so even to meet his Soverign, whom he highly respected. The King admired the Man for his sturdy honesty and named another time and place for the meeting. Miss Freeland who had just returned to Baltimore, after an absence of five years, most of which was passed in India and Siberia, gave a delightful account of her missionary experiences. In the latter, more particularly, she said the country was nearly bankrupt,and that she believed industrial training was a necessity for the natives. They so often relapsed into utter barbarism after having been taught to read and in a measure Christianized for the time being. Helen Stabler gave first a good verse upon " Rest"

"Rest is not quitting the busy career Rest is the filtering of self to the sphere, 'Tis loving and serving the highest and best, Tis onward unswerving and that is true rest."

Her second offering was the quaint soliloquy of a child on examinating an old sampler,

"Oh do you think I'll ever grow To rather sit just still and sew Sit still and sew, like Auntie Prue, And work a sampler green and blue, With all these stitches, trim and fine, For some small, great, great niece of mine".

Hannah B. Stabler recited a verse upon "Home" and Anna G. Lea told of an enormous number of matches consumed every day and every year, vast forests are turned into matches, and this tremendous

8

waste of rain producing trees has depopulated whole countries. A man named Jacob Weller is said to have made the first friction match. They were used very sparingly for years and several remembered seeing fire borrowed when they were children.

Mary E. Gilpin's verse showed the uselessness of dwelling on evils that are past and advised us to bury our troubles deep and forget them. Albina O. Stabler had extracts from "The Perfect Tribute" to Abraham Lincoln in the absolute silence with which his marvellously beautiful speech at Gettysburg was received by the listing multitude.

Eliza N. Moore gave some account of the excitement in New York City when the disaster to the "Republic" occurred. She then read a very fine poem by Robert Burns said to have never been published It was entitled -"The Upright Man"- and we hope to see it in print and become more familiar with the same, which bears a great resemblance to the inimitable style of the Scottish Master of poesy. Sarah T. Miller's selection was a cry of warning to the American people who are blind and deaf to the frightful traffic in girls carried on almost openly in many cites. Two miles of indecent houses in Chicago alone are given up to forging the chains of a white slavery worse than the black man has ever endured. The arousing of the public was declared to be the only means ofsuppressive this vast evil. A preparation for mending China known as the Regina glue was said to be very satisfactory. The article was fomerly sold at Ashton and the hope was expressed that we might be able to induce the