In 1894 was formed the Jersey City Woman's Club, which has a membership
of over two hundred and is unlimited. It is a department club, its
several sections being Education, Woman's Exchange, Philanthropy,
Town Improvement, Home, Literature, Music and Art. "Its object shall
be to awaken interest in subjects which especially concern women; to
stimulate inquiry in questions of public significance, and to promote
effort toward social and educational advancement. Motto: 'In great
things, unity; in small things, liberty; in all things, charity.'"
Miss Gaines was the first president; she was succeeded by Mrs. Alice
May Scudder. The meetings are held at Hasbrouck Institute, the first
Thursday in each month.
The Ramblers is a young ladies' literary club, connected with Hasbrouck
Institute. The Open Hand is a club in the northern part of the city,
for the study of history and literature; although still young it has
made most notable progress. The Ceramic club is a society of ladies who
are enthusiastic students of china decorative art, and of the history
of pottery and its associated literature. At their social meetings
there is a fine display of artistic work of the members. Once a month
they usually have a talk by a specialist upon some branch of their
work. The women's clubs of Jersey City are all represented in the New
Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs, which was organized in 1864,
in response to a call of the Woman's Club of Orange, at Orange, with
Mrs. Yardley, of Orange, as its first president. In October, 1896, its
convention was held at Jersey City in the Bergen Reformed Church; a
very notable occasion. At that time Miss Cecelia Gaines was elected
president. During the past summer she ably represented the state at the
convention in Denver, Colorado.