Club Minutes: Mutual Improvement Association, 1909-1914

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the people looking back But life is in the present and the future must be freeWe love our land for what she is. and what she is to be."

Anna G. Lea brought two of Eugene Field's poems that her grandaughter of eight years had selected for her, "Seein' things at Night," & the "Clue", we shall have to watch the development of this future member perhaps, who did credit to her literary taste at such a tender age.

The Secretary will have to confess that one page of her copius notes had utterly dissappeared when she began to copy them and she trusts her friends may excuse her delinquency this time.

The postponement of the Association for two weeks was due to the illness and decease of our oldest member, Elizabeth G. Thomas, who had been identified with it more than half of her 88 years - Perhaps none have envinced a warmer interest in this society than she, and it was rarely the case that she 'missed' a meeting or did not have something of value and interest to communicate.

Her friends, forgetting the eclipse of late years, may tenderfully and thankfully recall the beauty of her real life and character, her kindness of heart, her gifts as home maker, and mostly her faithfulness in all the reflections of life - her capacity for usefulness was only excelled by her almost boundless hospitality and love of humanity.

We believe there is scarsely a person twenty years of age within miles of her house, who has not been the recipient of some token of affection or remembrance from her. Surely to such as she the

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translation from work to reward was joy, and her good deeds are her best monument, for they are recorded in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

Mary Bentley Thomas, Sec.

On 11/4, 1909 we met by special invitation of our friend, Ellen Stabler, at Leacroft, the home of her neice, Lucy S. Moore - The two hostesses proved the fallacy of the old saying about more than one mistress in a house being fatal to ease and happiness, for they supplemented each other perfectly and in our judgement, left nothing undone that could have made the occasion more pleasant and succesful - Our visitors were India Downey, Helen Lea, Fannie B. Snowden, Clara A. Moore, Elizabeth Willson, Rebecca T. Miller, Rebecca T. M. Stabler, Elizabeth G. Hogg, Florence Wetherwald, Mary Snowden Warfield, Lillie Fairfax Berry of Baltimore, and Emma Bremont Potter of New York. A number of members were unavoidably absent.

Before proceeding to the regular routine of business we considered the resolutions of the Mont. Co. Federation of Clubs and endeavored propositions to create a "General Juvenile Court" throughout the state to "Pass a General School Attendance law" and to ask for the "appointment of a woman upon the Board of Montgomery School Commissions.

A letter from Eliza. P. Hartshorne, Pres. of the Co. Federation of Clubs was read, she expressed a great desire, herself, to 'have the "Association"

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affiliate with the State Federation and gave us a warm invitation from its president. After consideration in which several expressed their belief that we might enlarge our scope of usefulness by being less exclusive, it was decided to apply for admission.

Ellen Stabler's admirable sentiment was of unknown origin to many of us; "Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy, till nightfall - Anyone can do his work, however hard for one day - Anyone can live sweetly, lovingly, purely till the sun goes down, & this is all that life really "means."

Our hostess had a second selection also, "All around us there are spiritual forces working just as silently and surely as those of electricity - Everyone who joins hands may let the electric current flow through him, whilst one who stands alone may disconnect and weaken it duly - Let us link ourselves on the right force, and every one of us may be a channel and an instrument!"

Although some of Helen Lea's schoolmates present were prepared to give affidavit that she had been taught to read, she insisted the art was lost to her, so Eliza N. Moore was good enough to act as proxy for the willful maiden.

We should have been sorry to miss the interesting sketch of Mexico's Medical School that is 400 years old! Connected with this hoary veteran is a hospital built and endowed by Cortez, whose descendants to this day have the right of naming the head of the Board of directors. There is a tradition there were many hospitals in South America at that time. Eliza N. Moore gave a remarkable prophecy of Nahum which seems to have foretold the automobile

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as he wrote or said "The Chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall jostle against one another in the roadways, they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightening."

Eliza startled us in another direction by an article which declared the great Dipper was slowly going to pieces day by day, and night by night five of its stars are drifting in the direction and two in another and in a million years the world may wonder why this group was so called. The astronomer Proctor first discovered this fact in 1869, as told by his daughter, herself an astronomer of note.

Lucy S. Moore was asked how the rolls we had just eaten, and praised so lavishly, were made. She disclaimed responsibility - Fannie B. Snowden, having being the author of them.

The latter told her secret, the first requisites being Gold Medal Flour and "Aunt Ellens Yeast," The last is made of about 1 pt. of potatoes, boiled in water to cover them, and a handful of hops tied up in a cloth, mash through a colander, add sugar, salt a teaspoon of ginger, 5 cups of flour, and 3 pts of boiling water. Let rise until very light, and keep in a cool place. The rolls were in the proportion of 1 pt of milk 1/2 pt of boiling water, 7 oz of lard, yeast and flour enough to make a batter, scalding about 1 cup full with the water - make at night, for noon the next day - In the morning work in enugh flour for a soft dough - and proceed as in other roll recipes.

Martha Holland's offering, was upon the danger of extremes in thought and action. Washington Irving wrote of

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a man who ran back so far, in order to get momentum to enable him to jump over a hill, he had to lie down and rest after which he walked over it - This is often the case in real life, difficulties are not surmounted so much by spasmodic energy as by calm, continued effort in the right direction. Estelle T. Moore described what she termed "a very unique exhibition of French fashions more than 150 years ago." Mr. Abbott, an invalid, was the inventor & maker of a life sized paper figure representing a high born Dame in magnificent attire. Even the underclothing was complete, stays, panier, and all.

The material of the outside was of neutral tint with gorgeous brocade effects by skillful hand painting. This singularly talented artist has large parlor audiences in many cities here and abroad. Margaret G. T. Moore said her germaniums were "damping off" at the stem, it was suggested that she repot them, searching diligently for worms that may have been the cause; She was asked to report her success or failure.

A very blunt pencil, and utter incapability for writing plainly have rendered hopeless the initials of the contributor, but the excellent paragraph must be given space for it received an encore. "Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it."

Alice Tyson said her article was a descent from that just read but she interested the whole company in what sounded like a fairy story of the greatest farmer in the U.S., if not in the world, Donald Rankin, who owns 25640 acres of land in Missouri near