Club Minutes: Mutual Improvement Association, 1909-1914

store keepers here to keep it again.

A warm invitation to the Association to join the Montg. Co. Federation of Women's Clubs was received, and the matter was left to be acted upon at our next meeting.

Adjourned to the home of one of the Brooke sisters-in-law, whom we hired to be named Louisa. Our friend, Caroline, being still in New Orleans, worshiping her first grandson.

Mary Bentley Thomas Sec.

3/25, 1909 we asssembled at Brooke Place and early that morning it seemed as if there might be a repetition of the stormy weather we experienced on our last gathering, in this cozy, comfortable home. However the clouds lifted and most of the members in the neighbourhood were present with the following guests; Mrs Cobb, of New-York, Nelly Mason Brooke, Lydia Haviland, Mae Tatum, Ellen Stabler, Elizabeth Stabler, Anna F. Nesbitt and Marian Farquhar. Louisa T. Brooke's sentiment was from Browning, whom, doubtless too many of us are accustomed to admire at a distance instead of taking pains to become acquainted with his fine thoughts, as witness the following -"Love and Faith"-

"To live for common end, is to be common The highest faith makes still the highest man. For we grow like the things our souls believe And rise or sink as we aim high or low. No mirror shows such likeness of the

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face, As faith we live by of the heart and mind, We are in very truth that which we love, And love, like noble deeds, is born of Faith."

Louisa's second offering was a remarkable paper of directions for the carrying on of Hampton School left by Gen. Armstrong, written when he was well and strong amd which must have been immensely valuable to the trustees after his untimely death. He said in part "What is commonly called sacrifice is making the best use of one'self and ones resources, the best investment of time, strength, and means. In the school, the great thing is not to quarrel, to pull all to-gether, to refrain from hasty, unwise words and actions, to seek the best good of all, and to get rid of workers to whose temperaments & whose tempers are unfortunate, whose heads are not level, no matter how much knowledge they have. Cantankerousness is worse than heterodoxey, prayer is the greatest thing in the world it keeps us near to God. I am most anxious to get a glimpse of the next world, how will it seem, perfectly fair and natural, no doubt. We ought not to fear death, it is friendly."

Lydia Haviland gave an amusing rhyme, showing the inconstinces of our time, since we say forget and forgotten, but do not use bet and botten similarly - not upset and upsotten as might be supposed by a foreigner, which reminds us of an example of the verb to go said to have been given to a puzzled Frenchmen, by a mischevious American boy many years since.

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"First person singular, I cut stick, second person thou absquatubatesh, third person he skedaddles. First person plural, we dust out, second person, you make tracks, third person, they vamoose.

Sarah T. Miller asked what to do to her amaryllis roots which would not bloom perfectly with all her care, she was advised to pot them in early spring, put them in a shady place and use barnyard manure plentifully - S.T.M then read the minutes of the Belmont meeting which she had put away so securely they could not be found for six weeks but eventually turned up and were enjoyed by all. She gave, by request, some account of her recent trip to Roanoke and to Hollins Institute to see her grandaughter, Julia Thom, she found the whole place much improved, and its 260 girls wonderfully well taken care of, by many teachers and an army of servants. The farm, managed by Mr Turner, produces a vast amount of milk, and an effort is made to raise a large part of what the school consumes. We were struck with the wisdom of a rule which debars wash waists and low shoes for the pupils from December first to March 15th. Martha Holland read of a curious old custom peculair to Wooten Dorking England, a Mr. Glenville left an annual dole of shillings to e given to a boy of the parish who should recite best (at his tomb) the Lords Prayer, the Ten Commandments, The Apostle's Creed read the 15th Chapter of Epistle to the Corinthians, and write from dictation two verses of the same in a legible hand. There is quite a competition every year on Feb. 2nd The Anniversary of Mr Glenville's death. Eliza N. Moore

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rather apologized for bringing a story from an old prayer, which she said had amused her very much when it was published -- the author's name was not given, but she styled herself "Sherwood Bowner" and it was said when she died she had just reached name and fame. Certainly all of us would have lost by not making the delightful aquaintance of "Hieronymues Pop and the Baby," and from the opening paragraph when Mawry Pop" announced the hero will have to stay at home with the infant while she takes all the rest 'ter the hanging,' down to the last line when a veil is drawn to conceal the example of the aphorism that the way of the trangressor is hard. There is not a dull line in the story, and it was punctuated with peals of laughter. Ellen Stabler brought a capital short sermon, most of which we copy:

"A little thought will show you how vastly your own happiness depends upon what other people say to you. Just so much are you making happiness or suffering, whether each day of your life shall bring joy or sorrow depends on yourself."

Harriet I. Lea who had been absent from Sandy Spring for five months, had a poem by Kipling, "The Source of Martha" who were declared to be doomed to wait on the "Sons of Mary" forevermore. Ellen Farquhar read an extract from a letter written by our former member Annabelle Page who misses the Association and her friends here, constantly. E. F. also gave a child's essay upon "Life", as follows. "In youth we look forward to the wicked thing we shall

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do when we are grown, in mankind we do the wicked things, in old age we are sorry for the wicked things, and this is our dotage." Estelle Moore's selection struck an amusing chord all around the room when she favored us with a protest against the so-called comic supplements. The Boston Herald recently announced it had given up this dept - and it has been congratulated far and near upon ceasing to perpetuate an outrage on children by teaching them irreverance, lawlessness, and a mean concepeon of those in authority everywhere. Virginia Steer told us of Mrs. Roosevelt's eminent fitness to be mistress of the White House and the wife of a prominent man. Elizabeth T. Stabler was asked to give her method of keeping eggs fresh for six months. She takes one pt. of air slaked lime, and 1/2 pt. of salt to each gallon and a half of boiling water, when entirely cold put in a 3 gal jar and fill with eggs to the top. It is thought to be best to cover them with a cloth.

E.T.S. asked for contributions toward the Lyceum fund. It is now being painted and repaired. The subject of purchasing the school house and lot was discussed; the hope expressed it might be secured for a kitchen and the land to make more room for carriages. Helen S. Stabler had a clipping upon "Women in Universities". In that of Berkeley, California, they number about 1/3 of the 3000 students. The writer thought that women "would never be a leader in scientific research" though he grants they are more conscientious and painstaking than