Page 2
THE FEDEBATION JOURNAL
Fall. 1957
THE FEDERATION JOURNAL
“Lifting as we climb”
Issued by
The N. C. Federation of Negro
Women’s Clubs
NOTICE
This year the Journal is being
sent free to each club member
registered during the Federation
Conference. They will be mailed
to the president of each club for
distribution as usual.
Presidents of clubs not regis
tered will be sent one copy this
'time and if they wish the next
issue they must request it and the
cnarge is twenty cents each. Ex
ecutive committee.
Editor; Mrs. Fannie T. Newsome
Box 295, Rich Square, N. C.
Co-editor: Mrs. Lu Sybil Taylor
Durham, N. C.
Contributing editors:
Mrs. Mocile Spellman
Elizabeth City
Mrs. Edna Taylor Pinehurst
Mrs. Ester Barnes Greensboro
Mrs. E. R. Merrick Durham
Editorials
CLUB YEAR BEGINS
The scenes of summer are gone
and women shift mental gears.
They begin toying with winter-time
menus, new fall books, fashions
and club meetings. And well they
might for many of the women’s
clubs resumed meetings a few
weeks ago.
There is no central source any
where for a complete picture of
women’s clubdom.
You may be interested to know
that questionnaires were sent to
40.000 clubs and hundreds of club
leaders about 1945 and this gives
the nearest approach toward get
ting any statistics on Women’s
Clubs anywhere in the country.
The U. S. Bureau of Census has
nothing—this is disturbing when
we think of the influence Women’s
Clubs have on the American scene.
The Woman’s Club field is a very
big, as well as an important field.
A definition that is broad says,
“A woman’s club is a local group
of persons, organized for a com
mon purpose and led by women.”
The survey showed at least
200.000 clubs with about 20 to 30
million members. The average
woman being a member of two or
three clubs, there must be more
than 10 million clubwomen. Other
facts brought out that 49.4 per cent
meet in homes—13.8 per cent in
clubhouses—6.9 per cent in church
es—6.0 in schools—3.9 in commu
nity buildings—2.4 in libraries and
16.0 other places like hotels, etc.
Also;
They average 15 meetings a year,
year.
They average 2 1/6 hours for
each meeting.
They average $3.50 dues.
78 per cent plan yearly activities.
38 per cent hold summer meet
ings.
Clubs can be all things to aU
women. The leaders of our clubs
should not let them become static
but make them dynamic. When
men speak of us as the weaker
sex, they refer only to the physical
—not the mental or spiritual.
Note this quote: “Today the not
always gentle sex owns more prop
erty and securities, possesses more
votes, and is better organized than
the American male.” You need not
go beyond that simple statement
of fact to recognize the importance
of organized women, not only to
themselves, but to society.
With this recognition we face
this club season thrilled over the
beckoning opportunities and the
profound responsibility club work
offers. We have not yet begun to
accomplish aU that we can achieve.
Women’s Clubs are inevitable. As
long as human nature exists, there
will be the urge for new horizons,
fresh thoughts and escape. I chal
lenge you to march on with pride.
More power to you.
(Figures and quotes here are
from “Clubwoman’s Book” by
Avery & Nye.)
an occasional well placed “yes,”
uul noi a woman, if she is torn
neiween an orchid dress and a
chartreuse one, she wants you to
OApiess a pieierfence and give rea
sons. rou iibeci rememoer that a
lepeaiea secret invariaoly gets
oacK to the teller, if you don’t
want it to, just keep your hp but-
LOi.ed. Don't make thd rpistake of
passing out flattery with lavish
na.ius. Unless your praisfe is
sinceie and subtle a woman may
liguie you have an axe to grind,
.some say a sure way to a lady’s
neai t is to asK her advice, but be
careful in seeking advice not to
dwell too long and too intimately
on your problem. Too many de-
laus are boring, and boredom
never promoted a friendship.
Cheer is a premium these days,
ihe girl who laughs and has a
liberal supply of cheer will find a
leady welcome wherever she goes.
Lastly they warn, be dependable,
rhe woman who can be depended
on to do exactly what she says
she’U do is the woman other wom
en trust, and consequently love.
After aU is not these pointers good
for all of us regardless of who our
See WOMEN. Page 6
DO WOMEN NEED
EACH OTHER...
DO WOMEN NEED EACH
OTHER? The true answer is yes.
You see there are so many false
theories; as, “A woman does not
trust a woman, instinctively, she
regards every female as her
rival,” which sounds as if it comes
from a man’s world.
There are some women who have
never bothered to learn the tech
nique of making friends among
their own sex. Actually, those wom
en have been missing a great deal.
Male companionship, no matter
how satisfying, is not enough for a
woman. It takes another woman to
appreciate your enthusiasm over
the new shades of nail polish or
the bargains in sheets. Only
another woman can sympathize
with the various stages which led
up to Junior’s arrival. And of
course no lassie ever really reach
ed the height of ecstasy over her
true love’s most eloquent phrases
until she repeated them to her best
friend. Many a glamour girl even
tually finds that she would trade
half her coterie of admirers for an
occasional after-the-lights-are-out
giggle-fest.
Women need each other. They al
ways have. In certain times, the
need becomes acute. You owe it
to yourself to make friends, and to
be one to the women around you.
When women are alone there is a
chance to take some of the
feminine interest out of cold stor
age. Each has her own special in
terest. Men do the same when they
are among men.
These few pointers they say will
prove helpful with your female
friends. You wiU have to improve
your art of listening. Jim may be
content with a wide-eyed stare and
Parliamentary
Procedure
1. Club meetings take place with
the presiding officer (usually the
President) facing the rest of the
membership.
2. The president calls meeting to
order by loud tapping and a quiet
“Ladies, the meeting will now
come to order.”
3. The president usually honors
the club and membership by rising
to her feet when she speaks. She
sits down when other reports are
being made, that is, when someone
officially has the floor. During dis
cussion when members speak from
the floor, she stands. If she asks
an officer or chairman to answer
a question from the floor, she seats
herself during the answer. It is
nice to have a gavel.
4. Dignity on the part of the
president or presiding officer is
needed for order of the meeting.
As in every other aspect of life, do
what you have to do when presid
ing. The “standing silence” is a
most successful method of quieting
people who talk when the meeting
is being conducted.
5. The practice of parliamentary
law during meetings is advisable
depending upon the organization
itself.
6. A basic parliamentary struc
ture of personnel is needed by
every club: president, vice presi
dent, secretary and treasurer. Also
parliamentary action: minutes, roll
call, reports, accepting and dispos
ing of reports, getting action on a
motion, controlling the floor, dis
cussion, the question, old business,
new business, election of officers
once a year, the program, adjourn-
See PARLIAMENTARY, Page 6
NO TIME FOR READING
Compared with many European
countries, the United States doesn’t
appear to be a book-loving nation,
r or instance, httle Denmark has
6,>o cookstores; the sprawling U. S.,
i,4oj. To equal Denmark propor
tionately, the U. S. would have to
nave 23,000. Ratio - wise to
sweaen’s number of libraries, the
U. S. should have 77,000 instead
of its actual 7,500. According to a
recent Gallup poll 55 per cent of
Britons, but only 17 per cent of
Americans, read books.
Most Americans will defend their
position by saying that it isn’t that
they aon t like to read. They do,
out they just can’t find time. There
are too many other demands on
them by their home, community
and jobs.
All right, take care of those de
mands. No one thinks well of the
men or women who let their re
sponsibilities sUde while they bury
themselves in books. Reading then
cecomes a form of escape from
reality, rather than the fount of
knowledge and relaxation that it
was meant to be. But regardless of
now busy you are, you can, with
a little planning, determination and
foresight, get some reading done.
And it may surprise you to know
how much.
A little calculation points up
these facts: if you read for only 15
minutes each day for a year, your
annual total will be approximately
1% million words. Thus, at 15
minutes a day, you should be able
to read about 20 books a year.
That’s 1 2-3—or almost 2—books
a month. Not a poor score for
someone who thinks he’s “too
busy” to read!
Even the busiest person wiU dis
cover, upon close scrutiny of his
time, that his day or night wUl
yield fifteen minutes for reading.
At home, place books at strategic
places—on the bedside table, near
your easy chair, in the bathroom,
by the telephone, in the sunroom.
If possible, let the use of your
spare moments serve as a reading
bonus, but set aside at least fifteen
minutes each day at a certain
time for your regular reading.
Many persons feel that the fifteen
minutes or half hour before going
to sleep at night is their best abd
surest way of getting their reading
done.
Reading takes on an even deeper
meaning in your life when you plan
a reading program. You then have
a definite goal, and it becomes a
pleasant challenge for you to ac-
compUsh it.
Your librarian will be glad to
help you make your list. Just teU
her the types of books that interest
you most. You’ll discover too that
owners of small bookshops, or long
time employees know a lot about
books, and are usually willing to
share their knowledge with you, if
you ask them.