Club members are at liberty to introduce friends at their respective
clubs, but care should be exercised in this respect, since they must
vouch for their friends' behavior, and in many cases are held
responsible for the debts they may contract. It is not at all
necessary that such a guest should be formally presented to any of the
officials, nor to many of the members, unless in the case of some
guest whom the club would delight to honor.
[Illustration: RECEPTION AT THE CLUB.]
The guest of a club is expected to conform to all rules of the
association while enjoying its hospitalities, but he may also avail
himself of all its privileges, with the exception that he is not
permitted to introduce another stranger. A gentleman about to leave
town, and who has been entertained at a club, leaves his card in a
sealed envelope for the gentleman who introduced him.
Ladies' clubs are now coming to the front in such profusion as to make
it necessary to give them some notice. The same general rules of
etiquette apply to them as to a club of men. As a rule, women's clubs
have some especial feature, some object to call them into being.
The most usual form that the club activities assume is that of
literary work of some kind, either as a gathering of literary women,
or simply a gathering of women for some particular form of literary
study. They usually give club banquets and club luncheons, but rarely
attain to the dignity of a cafe.
Barring Out Disputed Questions.
The temper of the meetings depends very largely on the kind of
organization that holds them, whether, for instance, as in the case of
Sorosis, it is a club of refined and educated women, of literary and
artistic pursuits and tastes, or whether it is one for reform, as
temperance, suffrage, social purity, or religious development and
work. The members of Sorosis, when in session, are well-bred, if not
always clear-headed and reasonable. Religious gatherings of women are
seldom other than of good temper, and quiet in their tone.
Political meetings and sectarian meetings are apt to be turbulent.
This fact has been recognized by some women's clubs, Sorosis, for
example, and they will not permit the subjects to be discussed or
introduced in any way at meetings.
The various business womens' and working girls' clubs are instituted
for the sole purpose usually of furnishing good lunches at the noon
hour at reasonable rates, and combine this feature with pleasant
reception and lounging rooms, and often with various literary and
business courses of study.
There is one Ladies' Suburban Club--the Alexandra--the most exclusive
of London's women clubs. It is also the most successful. No individual
of the other sex above the age of twelve is admitted beyond the
doormat. Husbands, fathers, and brothers, are all ruthlessly excluded
from within its sacred precincts. It furnishes an admirable center for
shopping operations, and for lunches, teas, etc. It possesses the
advantages of bedrooms, let at the most reasonable rate, so that girls
and young married women can spend a night or two in town without any
trouble to chaperons or maids. Women friends, of course, may be
admitted into the club, and servants and tradespeople interviewed. It
is named for the Princess of Wales, and no one who has not been
presented to the Queen is eligible to membership.
There is also a Ladies' Suburban Club in Chicago that partakes of the
same features, save that it is not founded upon quite so aristocratic
a basis, and the suburban woman heartily appreciates its benefits. No
more does she wander aimlessly up and down the streets while awaiting
a home-bound train. She has a resting place of her own within easy
reach of the shopping district, one where she can be made presentable
for matinee or theater. Here, on one floor, she finds hairdressers,
manicurists, a cafe, a woman ready to repair damaged garments; and
should she miss the last train, comfortable sleeping-rooms, where she
can spend the night quietly. There, the club-shopper is ready to
attend sales and do all manner of purchasing--from ordering funeral
flowers to selecting a good seat at the theater, while the club
nursery is responsible for all children left there. Their membership
hails from many states.
Presiding at a Woman's Club.
The average woman is not so well qualified to preside over meetings in
which continual interruptions are occurring, through the members
rising to points of order, and other questions of privilege, because,
unlike the average man, she has not given much attention to the study
of parliamentary law.
The rules for conducting a meeting do not admit of any personal
feeling or individual taste on the part of the presiding officer. On
the contrary, there is a code of rules expressly laid down to guide
and regulate such matters.
The presiding officer is not supposed to control the opinions of the
members, but merely to direct them. She should be in entire sympathy
with the objects of the meeting, and have a full and complete
understanding of all its aims, objects and purposes. This latter is a
very important consideration. Members, and especially new ones, are
constantly asking for information, and unless the presiding officer
can furnish it briefly and at once, delays are sure to occur, and the
meeting be anything but pleasant or satisfactory to the other members
present.
Order of Business.
Having been chosen to preside, the first duty is to call the meeting
to order. If it is a first meeting, the objects for which it is called
should then be stated clearly, but in as few words as possible. If it
is not a first meeting, but a regular or constituted one, the
presiding officer should have the roll of members called by the
secretary. The minutes of the last meeting should then be read. Next,
the presiding officer should appoint her committees for the session;
or, if it is a regular meeting, the reports of the various committees
appointed at the previous session should be heard. Next, the regular
business should be taken up, and having been disposed of, the
presiding officer should allow the introduction of any new business
that may properly come before the meeting.
It is of the utmost importance that a presiding officer should be
possessed of good eyesight, so as to be able to perceive a member as
soon as she rises. There must be no hesitation or nervousness about a
presiding officer. She must be ever on the alert, with all her
faculties about her. She must be broad-minded, liberal, and
clear-visioned, with a readiness to instruct the members when any
mistakes are made, and always willing to grant the full liberty of
debate to all; for out of the widest differences will come the very
best conclusions after full and fair discussion.