1896-1897 Board of Managers Meeting Minutes

MS988, Box 3, Book 6

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Seventh Year.
Meeting of September 30th, 1896.

The Board of Management of the Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore, on Wednesday, September 30th, 1896, met--by invitation--at La Paix, the country home of the President. There were nine members present: the President,--Second Vice President,--two Secretaries,--Miss Balch,--Miss Brent,--Miss Grace,--Miss Morris,--and Mrs. Uhler.

After pleasant greetings the President called the meeting to order; and the Recording Secretary read the minutes of the meeting of May 5th, 1896.--The first business taken up related to the clock, which had, for some time, held a place in our assembly room, on approbation; and has since--during our vacation--been removed to the keeping of the firm by whom it had been sent to us. Some explanations were made with regard to this removal to the warehouse of Mr. Hiss, the owner. The need for a clock; the advantages possessed by the one under consideration; and the proposition to buy it, were discussed. The original price was seventy dollars--$70--and five dollars--$5--had been expended by the owner for having it put in excellent condition,

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making the proposed expenditure for it seventy five dollars--$75.--Mrs. Morris made a motion "that we buy this clock". An enquiry with regard to the state of the treasury was satisfactorily answered by the President, who read the statement of the Treasurer, showing a balance of one hundred and sixty six dollars--$166--from the funds of last year. Miss Grace seconded the motion to buy the clock under consideration. The motion was carried; with no opposition. The President said it was proper that the same committee, to which this matter had been intrusted last year, should continue in charge of it: the Committee being Miss Balch and Mrs. Dammann. The Second Vice President, Mrs. Manly mentioned that it had been said that to keep good time permanently the clock must be fastened to the wall. Miss Grace, and others, thought it would be sufficient to make the feet level, or to render the clock perpendicular by other means than fastening. The question of obtaining authority to do so fasten it arose. Miss Balch was requested to have an interview with Mr. Hiss, and learn

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if this matter can be arranged without danger of any inquiry to the wall.

The President then proposed that the first meeting of the Club for this year, on October 6th, should be a Salon, making our social meeting to come at the beginning of the month, instead of at the end of it. To this the Board agreed. The President appointed as the House Committee for the new year; Mrs. Manly, Second Vice President, Chairman, and Mrs. Uhler and Mrs. Morris, the other members. It was proposed that we should have two keys to the Committee Room,--for the Chairman of the House Committee and for the Corresponding Secretary.

The President then showed to the Board the Medal sent from the Columbian Exposition of 1893, at Chicago, to our Woman's Literary Club. in recognition and honor of the books sent to it by us. The Diploma, which accompanied the medal will be framed, and placed on the wall of our assembly room.

The President then committed to Mrs. manly the business of renewing the insurance on the pictures sent to us by the Century Magazine

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Company; requesting her to confer with the Treasurer, and to have the insurance renewed in due time.

The President gave an account of the exercises proposed for the first meeting of the year on the following Tuesday. She spoke of the wish of the Chairman of the Committee on Autographs to present a good collection to the Club. She announces her intention to present to the Club the Photograph of her Italian picture "The Master Light of All our Seeing".

It was announced that the Address of the President at the close of the last year, printed by the request of the Club, would be ready for distribution to the members at the meeting of October 6th. Arrangements were made for sending this address to other Clubs and friends.

The meeting adjourned;--and the members of the Board enjoyed a stroll though the pleasant grounds of La Paix, and a refreshing collation within its walls.

Meeting of October 20th, 1896.

The Board of Management of the Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore met

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on Tuesday, October 20th, 1896, at 2:30 P.M., in the Committee room at the corner of Cathedral and Franklin Streets. Eleven members were present at this meeting: the President,--two Vice Presidents,--two Secretaries,--Treasurer,--Miss Brent,--Mrs. Smith,--Miss Grace,--Mrs. Uhler,--and Mrs. Morris.

The President announced as the first business for consideration,--the decoration of the graves of our Maryland Authors and Artists, according to our annual custom on the first of November. Miss Brent was continued to Chairman of the Committee on Memorial Decorations, with the assistance of Miss Milnor and Miss Grace, and of any others of the Club who will join them. The sum of ten dollars was agreed upon as the appropriation for flowers.

The second subject considered was that of the Heliotype pictures of the Boston Library, which has been offered to the Academy of Sciences, and by it to our Club also, for exhibition. Arrangements were discussed for the proper

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placing of the pictures, and for the invitations to our friends to see them with us. It was on this account decided that the next meeting should be a Salon without Literary exercises.

The meeting adjourned.

Meeting of December 8th, 1896.

The Board of Management of the Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore held a meeting on Tuesday, December 8th, 1896, at the corner of Cathedral and Franklin Streets; with eleven members present; being the President, two Vice Presidents, two Secretaries, Treasurer; and five Directors: Miss Brent, Miss Grace, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Uhler, and Mrs. Morris.

This meeting was called "to considered a needed improvement". The addition of some very desirable conveniences to the rooms occupied the Club in the building of the Academy of Sciences was proposed; and the questions of ability and feasibility were amicably discussed from several points of view. It was suggested that the approach of the holidays would interfere with the

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accomplishment of much work before the end of the year. Finally Mrs. Uhler was requested to learn the opinions of her husband, the President of the Academy of Sciences, on the most important of these questions.

The Treasurer made a satisfactory report of the condition of the Treasurer.

The question of making our Library available for the use of our members was also brought forward. It was suggested that the Librarian should be consulted on this subject. There was also a suggestion of the appointment of an assistant if the work of taking charge of the books is increased.

After further interchange of opinions, the hour for the general meeting being near, the meeting adjourned.

Meeting of January 5th, 1897.

The Board of Management of the Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore met on Tuesday, January 5th, 1897, at the corner of Cathedral and Franklin Streets, with ten members present. Being the day appointed for the

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election of new members,--the meeting having been called to order by the President,--the names of six candidates were presented; five for full membership, and one for non-resident membership. After some consideration of circumstances and exchange of opinions, the subject was adjourned:, to be renewed at a meeting to be called by the President for January 19th, two weeks later.

The expenses incurred for the musical meeting of December 15th, 1896, were approved by the Board.

The subject of a dressing room was brought forward. "A letter was read from Mrs. Uhler, in which she stated that permission had been given by the Trustees of the Academy of Sciences for the Club to use the room at the back of its Committee room, until such time as it should be needed by the Academy. Mrs. Morris and Miss Balch were appointed the Committee to prepare the dressing room for use. It was found that the proposed closet would be added for a moderate sum; and that also was ordered to be done. The meeting adjourned.

[From notes taken by the Corresponding Secretary; the Recording Secretary being unable to be present.]

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Meeting of January 19th, 1897.

The Board of Management of the Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore met on Tuesday, January 19th, at 2:30 P.M., in the Committee Room at the corner of Cathedral and Franklin Streets. In al ten members attended this meeting: the President, Second Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, Miss Balch, Miss Grace, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Uhler, and,--by later arrival,--the Recording Secretary and Miss Brent.

The first business in order was that which had been adjourned from January 5th; the election of new members.

The name of Miss Nannie Cox was presented as a candidate for non-resident membership. Miss Cox was proposed by Miss Duvall, and seconded by Miss Cloud.

Miss Cox was elected without opposition.

The next name presented was that of Miss Elizabeth Lester Mullin;--proposed by Miss Duvall; seconded by Mrs. Tyson and Miss Cloud. Miss Mullin was also unanimously elected.

The next name proposed was that of Mrs. Francis P. Stevens;--proposed by Miss Malloy; seconded by Miss Haughton and Mrs. Thomas Hill.

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Mrs. Stevens was elected. [1]

The next name presented was that of Mrs. Harvey Middleton; proposed by Mrs. John R. Tait; seconded by Mrs. Whitelock and Mrs. Dallas Dixon. Mrs. Middleton was elected unanimously.

The next name presented was that of Mrs. J. E. L. Holmes; proposed by Miss Mary Davis; seconded by Mrs. Jordan Stabler and Miss Cloud. Mrs. Holmes was elected unanimously.

The last name presented was that of Mrs. J. L. Patterson; proposed by Mrs. Sidney Turner; seconded by Mrs. Stabler and Miss Zacharias. Mrs. Patterson was elected unanimously.

The President recommended the proposal of a candidate for membership in the Club should by accompanied by a letter or note, giving some account of the lady proposed, especially with regard to her literary abilities or acquirements.

The Committee--Mrs. Morris and Miss Balch--on the improvements to be made, including a dressing room, and other conveniences, for the use of the Club, reported the arrangements already made, and those contemplated. After some conversation, the President proposed that these necessary arrangements should be left to the judgment of these two members, who are the Com-

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[?into] whose hands these affairs have been intrusted, and who have been working for the comfort of the Club. To this proposal the Board immediately agreed; and the meeting then adjourned.

Meeting of February 9th, 1897.

The Board of Management of the Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore met on Tuesday, February 9th, 1897, at the corner of Cathedral and Franklin Streets. Ten members attended this meeting:--the President, Frist Vice President, two Secretaries, Treasurer, Mrs. Smith, Miss Grace, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Uhler, and Miss Brent.

The President presented the subject of the Congress of Mothers of Washington on the 17th of February,--to which meeting our Club had been invited to send delegates. After some discussion, and information given with regard to the Congress and its officers, the Board agreed that as a Literary Club, we could certainly take part in the work of the proposed convention,--so far as it should relate to the literature that ought to be given to children and young people. It was proposed that a Committee,

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appointed by the President, and of which she should be Chairman, should go to Washington, and attend one or more of the meetings of the Congress. The President named as the other members of the Committee, Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Percy Reese, Mrs. Dammann, Mrs. Haman, Miss Whitney, Miss Cloud, Miss Reese, and Miss Brent,--subject to their acceptance, of course. *Over.

The President then brought to our notice the subject presented by Miss Malloy regarding a proposed House of Detention in our city for children and youthful offenders against the law. The members of the Board agreed that this important subject ought to claim our attention and assistance as individual women, though not distinctly as a Literary Club.

The President then informed the Board of a request made to her by a Mr. Armor, who was compiling a book giving an account of the--non political--Clubs of Baltimore; and who wished to include the Woman's Literary Club among those described in his publication,--with the names of its members, a picture of its meeting place, and other items. She had told him that any consent of ours would depend on

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the nature of the list of Clubs he should obtain; which decision was of course approved by the Board.

The President then received from the Treasurer the bill of $24.50, for plumbing work lately done for the benefit of the Club. The bill was approved by the Board.

Two resignations were announced with great regret; but it was finally understood that one of them would be withdrawn (Mrs. Maitland), and that the other (Mrs. Jenkins) would result in a non-resident membership.

The meeting adjourned.

*The Committee did not--as a Committee--go to Washington, but were understood to hold under consideration the subject of "Literature for Children and Young People".

Meeting of May 4th, 1897.

The Board of Management of the Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore met on Tuesday, May 4th, 1897, at the corner of Cathedral and Franklin Streets. In all eleven members attended this meeting: the President, First Vice President, two Secretaries, Treasurer, Miss

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Balch, Miss Grace, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Uhler, and later Miss Brent.

The President announced that for this meeting--the first Tuesday in May--the business before us was the election of new members.

An amicable discussion arose on the preliminary measures most advisable in the admission of candidates for membership, in order to ascertain their qualifications or suitability for admission into the Club. It was proposed that each candidate should be required to write a paper; or, at least, show some decided evidence of her literary ability before any action is taken on the application for her membership. This proposal though it seemed to meet approval was deferred for a decision in the future.

The only proposed name that had been received by the Recording Secretary was that of Miss Giffin, 1004 Charles Street. She was proposed by Mrs. Frederick Tyson, and seconded by Mrs. Bullock and Mrs. Lord. After information asked and given,

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Miss Giffin was elected without dissent.

The President then proposed for honorary membership the name of Madame Blanc of Paris, France; which of course received the consent of the Board.

Mrs. Wrenshall then proposed--for honorary membership also--her relation Miss Charlotte Yonge of England, the well known writer; which, of course, also received the assent of the Board.

The President then spoke of the Reading to be given in Baltimore by Miss Mary Field, daughter of the Author, Eugene Field. She said it had been proposed that a delegation of our Club should call upon Miss Field; and that those of our members who wish to attend her reading should go and sit together on the evening when it is given. The Committee of the Board appointed to call on Miss Field was then appointed. Mrs. Morris then presented the Report of the Special Committee on the preparation of the Dressing Room;--describing the work done, and the recording money paid for it. The report was approved by

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the Board of Management.

Some proposals were presented by the House Committee with regard to the cleaning and renovating carpets and curtains, the winding of the Clock, and the question of having two keys to the door of the upper room,--which were discussed and approved.

The resignation of Mrs. F. X. Ward was presented.

Mrs. Smith presented the resignation of her sister, Mrs. Maitland,--who has left Baltimore, to reside in Brooklyn--or Greater New York.

The meeting adjourned.

[END OF SEASON]