USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History > Part 49
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At the outset the state seems to have exercised no direct control over the organization and administration of the society. But as time went on a feeling arose in favor of bringing the society and the state into closer relations, since the society existed for public purposes and was supported by state ap- propriations. Accordingly, in 1872 an act was passed by the fourteenth General Assembly "to reorganize the State Histori- Society." By this act the society was made a State institution in the fullest sense of the term. Since 1872 no substantial changes have been made in the organization of the society which is now provided for under Title XIII, Ch. 18, of the Code of 1897.
As the state has grown older the support of the Historical Society has become more liberal. The original annual al- lowance was $250. This sum was increased to $500 in 1860. Twenty years later it was fixed at $1000. In 1902 the per-
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manent annual support of the society was raised to $2500. In 1904 it was placed at $7500. And finally in 1907 it was in- creased to $12,000. In the meantime special appropriations amounting to $19,250 were voted by the General Assembly.
Since its establishment in 1857 The State Historical Society of Iowa has been located at Iowa City, under the auspices of the State University. At first it occupied rooms in the Old Stone Capitol. In 1862 its library and collections were re- moved to the Mechanics Academy building. Three years later the society was authorized to use "the Library Room and Cabinet of the University for their purposes as a society, with leave to hold the anuual meetings of the society in the Uni- versity chapel." In June, 1868, the board of curators leased the Old Stone church on Burlington street, which served as headquarters until 1882 when better quarters were secured in a building on Washington street. Finally, in September, 1901, in accordance with the wishes of the General Assembly, the society was assigned rooms in the Hall of Liberal Arts.428
The Baconian Club, while in the beginning a strictly Uni- versity organization has in recent years become more public, and therefore has a place in the chapter treating of literary work. In brief it has the following history: "At seven- thirty on the evening of November 20, 1885, a small group of men who were interested in science met in the chemical laboratory of the State University of Iowa. They had assem- bled at the call of Dr. L. W. Andrews, at that time and for many years afterward, professor of chemistry in the Uni- versity. Dr. Andrews stated that the object he had in calling the meeting was the formation of a 'Science Circle;' and with this announcement the meeting proceeded to temporary organization by the election of Professor Leonard as chair- man and E. L. Boerner as secretary. Then a committee was appointed to draft a constitution and by-laws for a permanent organization. 'After listening to an informal lecture by Pro- fessor Leonard on the probable course of the meteor, the meeting adjourned to seven o'clock on Saturday evening, November 28.' "
At the time announced the committee reported on the or- ganization and after certain changes were made in the con- stitution and by-laws as ordered by the club the adoption was
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made on the evening of December 11, 1885. The charter mem- bers were: N. R. Leonard, who was also the first president, P. H. Philbrick, Samuel Calvin, T. H. Macbride, J. G. Gil- christ, L. W. Andrews, who called the meeting that resulted in the organization, and who was the first secretary, and An- drew A. Veblin. Only one of these, Professor Macbride, re- mains in the service of the University. [The last sentence was revised on the morning after the death of the lamented senior Professor Calvin.]
In the beginning a few men, seldom more than twenty and often less than half that number, gathered in the chemical laboratory in the Old North Hall, and sat in a circle around the stove, the members taking turns in replenishing the fire. There was little formality, the meetings assuming the nature of a friendly discussion rather than a set form of procedure. The meetings now are in striking contrast to those of that day as they are held in the comfortable rooms with a public invitation to those interested in scientific subjects to attend. At present the membership numbers nearly fifty, which in- cludes five who were elected to membership during the first five years of the club and who are now serving the University. They are Professors L. G. Weld, C. C. Nutting, E. W. Rock- wood, G. T. W. Patrick, and Bohumil Shimek. This was the first organization of the kind in the University. It is said that out of this has grown the Political Science Club, the Philosophical Club, the Humanist Society, and others of sim- ilar purposes.429
On the evening of October 9, 1896, Prof. Isaac A. Loos in- vited a few friends to his house and from this beginning four meetings were held before January 1, 1897, when definite or- ganization of the Poltical Science Club was determined upon, since then it has been customary to hold the first meeting of the academic year at the home of the founder of the club. Fortunately a record of these first four meetings has been pre- served by Dr. B. F. Shambaugh. Eighteen were present at the first meeting and the paper of the evening was read by Professor Wilcox on What is Political Science. Formal or- ganization was made in January, 1897, and at the end of three months from the time of the first meeting there was a reorganized membership of fifteen, although there had been
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no one formally admitted, and there was no written constitu- tion.
At the fourth annual meeting, in 1900, a very brief consti- tution was adopted for guidance in the future. One promin- ent future of this club is its custom of meeting at the homes of its members, which is said to be the fixed policy, while mem- bership in the club means not only willingness to entertain but ability to read a paper. The presence of women at any meeting has become established also, through custom, and the club is mentioned as "a fine illustration of an institution which has grown through the processes of evolution, develop- ยท ing mostly through customary or unwritten law." 430
About 1880 there appears to have been a movement through- out the state toward the organization of literary clubs, or others of kindred nature not connected with any institution. The very oldest of such organizations do not date their be ginning very much before that period, and there are very many that were set in motion during the five years following it. Among these are a number in Johnson county, and for their history the members who have been connected with them from the beginning, must be duly credited. Mrs. Emlin McClain has kindly prepared the history of the Nineteenth Century Club, and Mrs. William P. Coast that of the Raphael Club, the pioneer organizations of this kind in Iowa City, and hence in the county, and among the very first in Iowa.
NINETEENTH CENTURY CLUB
The Nineteenth Century Club, the oldest club for women in Iowa City and one of the oldest in the state of Iowa, was organized in October, 1883. At about this time, all over the country, there was an awakening of women to the stimulus to be found in organization for mutual benefit, enlightenment, and improvement, and Iowa City only awaited a leader to respond to the larger club movement which engulfed the read- ing circles and small study groups already long established.
The leader came, full of broad ideas and contagious en- thusiasm to find ready appreciation and an eager following. As has been suggested, thoughts about clubs were in the air, but Miss Susanne F. Smith, recently appointed professor of English in the State University, put thoughts into words and,
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with a few coadjutors, words into deeds, and the Nineteenth Century Club came into existence with twenty charter mem- bers, as follows: Mrs. Charles P. Bacon, Mrs. George W. Ball, Mrs. George J. Boal, Mrs. Clara E. Call, Mrs. Amos N. Currier, Mrs. Emma Haddock, Doctor Elizabeth Hess, Miss Louise E. Hughes, Miss Minnie Leonard, Miss Sarah Lough- ridge, Mrs. Thomas H. Macbride, Mrs. Emlin McClain, Miss Mary E. Moon, Miss Louise Mordoff, Mrs. Ada North, Miss Eleanor Paine, Mrs. Leonard F. Parker, Mrs. Josiah L. Pick- ard, Miss Susanne F. Smith, Miss Louise Younkin.
Under the circumstances of its inception it is perhaps natur- al that a majority of the charter members, and of subsequent members as well should come from University families. How- ever, one has but to glance at the foregoing list and at the complete list of forty-nine members which follows to recog- nize names not only very closely associated with the history of the University but those equally important in the life of the town.
The following represent the complete membership of the club, to the present time :
1883 Mrs. Charles P. Bacon, Washington, D. C.
Mrs. George W. Ball, Iowa City
Mrs. George J. Boal, Washington, D. C.
Mrs. Clara E. Call, Ridgewood, N. J.
Mrs. Amos N. Currier, Iowa City
* Mrs. Emma Haddock
* Doctor Elizabeth Hess Miss Louise E. Hughes, Omaha, Neb.
* Miss Katherine Humphrey Miss Minnie Leonard, Butte, Mont.
* Miss Sarah Loughridge Mrs. Thomas H. Macbride, Iowa City
Mrs. Emlin McClain, Iowa City Miss Mary E. Moon, Iowa City
Miss Louise Mordoff, Iowa City
* Mrs. Ada North
Miss Eleanor Paine (Mrs. Gardner), Saratoga Springs, N. Y.
*Deceased.
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* Mrs. Leonard F. Parker
* Mrs. Josiah L. Pickard
* Miss Sara B. Ransom (Mrs. Hill)
* Miss May Robinson (Mrs. Crawford) Miss Susanne F. Smith (Mrs. Tyndale), Weymouth, Mass.
* Miss Louise Younkin (Mrs. Anderson)
1885
* Mrs. David S. Barber Miss Jessie Smith (Mrs. Gaynor), Chicago, Ill. Mrs. Mary R. Wullweber, Iowa City
1888 Miss Leona A. Call, Webster City
Miss Sophia Hutchinson (Mrs. Teeters), Lincoln, Neb.
1889
Mrs. Charles A. Schaeffer, Washington, D. C.
Mrs. Melville B. Anderson, Palo Alto, Cal.
Mrs. Samuel Calvin, Iowa City
1894 Mrs. William P. Coast, Iowa City
* Mrs. Bertha G. Ridgway Mrs. Denton F. Sawyer, Denver, Col.
1899 Miss Delia Hutchinson, Iowa City
1901 Mrs. Arthur Fairbanks, Cambridge, Mass.
Miss Alice Young, Ontario, Cal.
1904 Mrs. Alfred Varley Sims, Chatmoss, Va.
Mrs. Arthur G. Smith, Iowa City
1905 Miss Mary Sleight Everts (Mrs. Ewing), Lake Forest, Ill.
Miss Carrie E. Mordoff, Iowa City
1906 Mrs. Henry Evarts Gordon, Iowa City
Mrs. Charles Bundy Wilson, Iowa City
1907 Mrs. Harry Grant Plum, Iowa City
Mrs. Horace L. Strain, Evanston, Ill.
Mrs. Frederick B. Sturm, Iowa City
1909 Mrs. Elmer A. Wilcox, Iowa City
1910 Mrs. William J. Karslake, Iowa City Miss Katharine Paine, Iowa City
In the ardor of its formative period it was almost inevit- able that the club should not stop at attempted self improve- ment but should wish to offer opportunities for intellectual enjoyment to others, and so a series of lectures was contem-
*Deceased.
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plated. Mrs. Julia Ward Howe was secured, and her lecture was a distinctly successful event but there the enterprise stopped. There all similar enterprises stopped, and a like fate overtook other schemes which were suggested from time to time and which were outside the line of actual study.
When the pioneer woman's club, Sorosis, celebrated its twenty-first anniversary in New York city in March, 1889, by asking each club in the United States to send a delegate to the meetings, the Nineteenth Century Club was represented by Mrs. Emlin McClain. On this notable occasion the initial step toward the federation of women's clubs was taken; but the Nineteenth Century Club did not see fit then, nor has it since allowed itself to join the federation movement, evidently feeling that that was beyond the scope of its interests and obligations. Neither has the club lent its energies to charity or philanthropy, as there have always been other organiza- tions to carry on such work. In short, the club has stood for conservatism and has confined itself absolutely and consist- ently to its avowed object, "the study of chosen historical and literary subjects, and the discussion of the same."
The officers elected at the first meeting were: President, Mrs. William J. Haddock; vice president, Miss Susanne F. Smith; secretary-treasurer, Miss Mary E. Moon.
The organization of the club was very simple and there has been no reason to elaborate the plan so well conceived. There is no constitution, only a short set of "Regulations." Provision is made for the usual officers, an executive com- mittee, and a programme committee. The membership is limit- ed to twenty and the meetings are held at half after three o'clock in the afternoon at the homes of the members, every third Monday from September to June.
It is the duty of the leader for the day to present a care- fully prepared paper, or talk, on the subject assigned and to preside over the discussion which follows.
In the beginning, after the serious work of the afternoon was over, the hostess provided a dinner but even in a restricted form this became something of a burden and now afternoon tea is offered or not as convenient.
The club takes pride in always having mapped out its own work and from the start there were printed programmes.
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Following in the path of all early club efforts, the first of these were wide of range and general in effect but soon the subjects were limited and treated more in detail with one year, or more, given to a systematic study of a comprehensive sub- ject, such as the history or literature of one country, locality, or group of men. In other words, during the formative stage the programmes were heterogeneous, later they have become homogeneous.
In addition to the hard and uniformly conscientious work that has been done year by year upon designated topics, there have been prepared for special occasions original sketches, stories, poems, and plays of distinct merit. Not only were plays written by club members (during the study of the drama) but the casts were selected from the club and the comedies produced before small but enthusiastic audiences.
The club has taken great interest and pleasure in celebrat- ing from time to time its anniversaries. The tenth year of existence was emphasized by a reception to husbands and a limited number of friends, at which, among other forms of entertainment, were read a lively history of the club in the form of chronicles and a charming original poem. A similar gathering occurred on the twentieth anniversary and the year (1903) was marked by a departure from the usual line of work. No topics were assigned, but each hostess and her assist- ant became responsible for the afternoon's entertainment. This gave opportunity for much originality, disclosed hither- to unknown talent in various directions, and the results were most satisfactory and enlightening.
For the twenty-fifth anniversary a special effort was made to have a reunion. Each absent member was communicated with and asked to come to Iowa City on October 17, 1908, or to send a word of greeting for that day. Of the non-resi- dent members, scattered from ocean to ocean, only three were able to be present to share with the club and its assembled friends the programme of music and addresses presented. There was a welcoming address by the president, songs sung which were written by an early club member, Mrs. Jessie Smith Gaynor, and letters read in whole or in part and en- joyed at this eventful meeting.
In 1913 the club will have spanned a generation and there
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is no doubt but that it will seize the opportunity to celebrate fittingly its thirtieth birthday.
THE RAPHAEL CLUB
On Tuesday, January 29, 1884, the Raphael Club, the oldest with one exception, of any club in Iowa City, began its exist- ence. Mrs. Mark Ranney, whose husband, Doctor Mark Ran- ney, had recently died in another city, had come, sad and a stranger to make her home in Iowa City. She had in her pos- session a number of copies of Raphael's cartoons and other works of art, quite unusual here, at that time. A friend, in- terested in making brighter some lonely hours of one in sor- row, suggested the idea of inviting a few women, who, she knew, would be interested, to share the pleasure and benefit of her art collection. Acting upon this suggestion, Mrs. Ranney asked a small number of ladies whose names had been sug- gested as congenial, to come to her home one afternoon of each week for mutual study and social pleasure.
As no record was kept of this period, the writer must de- pend upon a rather faulty memory for details, but the names below are those which suggest themselves as the first ones chosen for the study class: Mrs. Mary Ransom Wullweber, Mrs. Peter A. Dey, Mrs. Leonard F. Parker, Mrs. Amos N. Currier, Mrs. Carson L. Mozier, Mrs. Charles P. Bacon, Miss Susanne F. Smith, Mrs. William P. Coast, Mrs. Thomas H. Macbride.
The cosy library, with its open fire, the well-filled book- cases, the attractive pictures and a hospitable hostess com- bined to make an ideal birth-place for an art club.
This congenial environment proved a veritable hot-bed for the propagation of ambitious aspirations for study, and for a number of years this home was our weekly Mecca. Certain- ly no leader ever had a more appreciative following than had Mrs. Ranney, whose heart must have been cheered by the knowledge of the benefit she was conferring. Never was there a more enthusiastic band of school girls, though all were well beyond the age for compulsory school attendance.
For most of the club a new and fascinating world had been discovered. Some of our number, to be sure, by virtue of yocation and environment, had been kept in touch with a lit-
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erary and artistic atmosphere, but they, as well as the others, thoroughly enjoyed the advantage with which we were favored.
The Raphael cartoons, before mentioned, proved the source of great pleasure and the cause of much research, leading to an exhaustive study of that beloved painter's art, - thus he became sponsor for the name by which the Club has since been known.
The logical sequence of this, the initial course of study, was Michael Angelo and his immortal work. The familiar axiom proved true in regard to the lure of the old masters. The more we learned the more we wanted to know. The spirit of the club was contagious. Others became interested and would have shared the study, but the number decided upon as desir- able, by the hostess, was limited to ten. When that number was complete it so remained for a number of years. For vari- ous reasons, removal from town or other unavoidable causes, the personnel of the club was slightly changed from time to time, but the larger number always remained the same. As long as we continued to meet with Mrs. Ranney a dainty tea was the final feature of each day's program. After a time Mrs. Ranney made a visit abroad, and at this time we began to meet at the homes of different members and to hold our meeting every three weeks instead of weekly and that has since been our custom.
After finishing the study of Raphael, Michael Angelo, and all the earlier and later Italian masters of painting, sculpture, and architecture, the attention of the club, with thirst for knowledge and enthusiasm in its pursuit, was directed, through Farrar's Art Topics - which became our program for sev- eral years - to the task of reconstructing the hanging gar- dens and palaces of Assyrian cities. We dwelt in the tombs and temples and became familiar with all the great builders and most of the deities of ancient Egypt. The temple at Jerusalem was rebuilt and refurnished.
We were fascinated with the grace and beauty of Greek art. The Parthenon with its beautiful frieze was as familiar to us as the "Old Capitol" building and we knew all the dif- ferent orders of architecture from base to cornice and whence each order derived its name. During the time in which we were interested in Greece, Prof. Currier gave us a helpful and
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interesting talk on the subject, having made a recent visit to that country. At various times, other friends aided us in the same way - Dr. Pickard among the number gave us one of his delightfully entertaining and instructive lectures.
Having unveiled the secrets of the ancients, we turned from the marvels of antiquity to the study of more modern subjects. The art of European countries, each, in historical order and divided into periods, was given a year or more of interested consideration.
By such steps have we come down to the present time which finds us loyally and patriotically pursuing the study of Amer- ican art. Beginning with the earliest manifestation of artistic sentiment in this, then, new country, we have spent two years and the Art of the Columbian Exposition finishes the 1910-11 program. At least one more year is to be given to this rapidly growing subject.
While perhaps in the above, the work and aims of the club may have sometimes seemed to be lightly spoken of, they cer- tainly were never so considered. But in looking backward from the vantage point of a quarter century's experience, one is struck with amazement at the temerity, the avidity, with which the early clubs siezed upon the largest, the most knotty questions and at the facility and dispatch with which they were settled.
But this does not mean that the paper prepared upon any given subject was brief. The brain of the average pioneer club-woman had not yet been trained to classify and condense. She wrote all she could find on the subject, and then fairly turned the universe - her universe - upside down in the search for more, lest something that had been written on the subject should be omitted. Up to a certain point her audience was attentive and interested, but even the human endurance of an early club woman had a limit. As the sermons of the early eminent New England divines, with their too numerous "heads," put the worshipers to sleep, so, as the cyclopedie paper went on and on and on, eyes often drooped and heads sometimes nodded, not always in assent. But bravely and to the end, oblivious of the physical and mental fag produced by her too generous fare, the reader proceeded at least to her own edification and perfect satisfaction. She had made an
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exhaustive study of her subject. Let it not be imagined, how- ever, that all the valuable information imparted was lost be- cause of weariness. There was always, at least, the subcon- scious self, storing away its useful knowledge, labeled and ready to be brought out at the psychological moment - if not too carefully stored away.
All these years this club had been unique in that there have never been constitution, by-laws, or any rules whatever for its government. And yet without an organization, with no thought of a permanent existence, it has gradually developed into a club of twenty members and bids fair to commemorate its half-century anniversary as happily as the twenty-fifth was remembered.
Their silver anniversary was celebrated at the home of Peter A. Dey, with the daughters of the household as host- esses, on January 29, 1909. A dinner, crowned by a large. beautiful birthday cake, bearing twenty-five lighted candles was the first and an important item of the day's festivities. After the dinner came toasts and after the toasts all were in- vited to adjourn to the parlors where a delightful surprise had been planned by the committee in charge of the anniver- sary program. With great credit to themselves and much pleasure to the club members and their two guests of honor, our host and the mother of our Poetess,- the entire program was carried out.
By the aid of her witty and versatile muse one of our youngest members took the entire club on a personally con- ducted tour of the famous picture galleries of Europe, where each renewed the acquaintance of some familiar favorite. Some foible or idiosyncracy of each member of the club was remembered and referred to in a mirth producing rhyme. A number of living pictures were presented by our efficient guide, with appropriate remarks. Most of these were old friends, who, at some time in our career, had taken deep hold upon our affections and whom we were delighted to meet again under such agreeable circumstances. When the curtain final- ly fell upon this part of the entertainment, souvenir programs were distributed. While a fierce blizzard raged without, all was joy and cheer within. Every member of the club who was in town, except one, who, unfortunately was detained by
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