THE PIONEER CLUB.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 551, 5 July 1909, Page 3

THE PIONEER CLUB.

FIRST GENERAL MEETING.

. It is now a good many weets since the suggestion- that Wellington should have a women's club hrst took definite form, but, considering all that the provisional, committee has had to do in thoso weeks, it has not wasted any time, and it was really clever ol it to be .able to call the hrst general mooting of club tnemberß in the club's own rooms Jast Saturday, afternoon. The'meeting was a veiy largo and enthusiastic one," and it augurs . well for the future of the club that so large a proportion of members Bhould have attended what was a purely formal meeting, 'Called - to set forth the aims of the club, to elect officers, and to pass rules There were-at hast 120 ladies present, and apologies for absence came from several who were deeply interested but unable to attend. ' '' Miss Richmond,'.who, as president of the Provisional Committeo, has been largely responsible for the rapid and businesslike way in which'the work of the committees has _ been done, and: who has been elected president• for the coming year,'made'a-very happy and effective speech, to welcome the members and to tell something of what the club had done, and wished 'to do. ■ Briefly sketching the history of the provisional committee from the first day, when a tiny meeting was hold in a very small room to discuss the possibility of establishing a' club; she told how the committee had grown m size by the addition of several representative women, all of :. whom stood : for re-election; .since they thought, it desirable'that the olub should, for the first year, remain under the management' of its promoters. ' The committee wished : to state frankly from • tho ■ outset that they were democratic and'non-political. Ihey .did not. concern 1 thomselves with 'class distinctions or with', party ' politios. They wished. to, welcome, all womeni- who were workers, persons in bnsmess, literary women,artists, musicians, and teachers, that commerce, art, , literature, and education: might seek a ■ common, ground of . freedom and equality. They wished to see the mothers of families as. well as (clever girls. They - welcomed all, ; but though 'they wero above, class distinction, . there was;-one thing needed, to open thqir doors, and' that was .character. .. . .. Miss Phoebe Myers, secretary to the Provisional Committee, who followod/read tho report, of the work done by the Provisioilnl Committee, at the. various meetings which have, already been, briefly reported in this column. Every member had worked -ungrudgingly, the dominating, thought being the welfare. .of ..the club, and . the Buccess - of tho club now hy'in the hands of-the members, .who number 165, Tho committeo hoped that .they .would be ablo to organise women; of various tastes land "inclinations, so that , each might derive the greatest amount of . pleasure, and profit from the companion•ship of ,kindred spirits. They would ali nave to pratcise economy, as the subscription was small, and out of it the expenses of i man■agement'must come. ■ : ' . ! ■. Mrs, Newman; who .-proposed that ' tho club should :.be the. Pioneer Club, spoke 'in high appreciation of the work dono by Miss Richmond'in: furthering its interests. Miss Richmond had given' a great.deal of careful' thought to the preliminary, routine work .that had- to bo' done, and had proved a most capable president. . ; A. vote of thanks to Miss Richmond was carried.., ' ' \ . , Miss .Amy Kane - seconded - the/ proposal that the club should be called the Pioneer Club.: y .... ', Mrs. .A. R. Atkinson proposed the adoption, of,^\the rules _ suggested, which she read, and. she spoke in a very interesting way about .the objects :of the- club. 1 . -Usefulness apd pleasanin&Ha were to bo the keynotes of ,the club, and she thought .that-if .the members could maintain that standard,' the club a great benefit to the* community: Men, had been known to . say that this 'club was to be merely a "chatter-place" for women., She., had not. found -thfit- any of the men's clubs were,conducted on the lines of a monastery of the. Trappist order, and it must, be . remembered'- that great deal of the joy. and beauty of life came from conversation. and social intercourse: ■ She was nevertheless glad that thero was to be a room for reading, writing, and silence. It was intended that there. should bo various clubs: within, the-olub, musical and literary circles, and so on. , . She. was glad that there were to be no games played for money. This was, so far as she, know, the only general woman's club, in New Zealand, and on the mombers devolved the responsibility of keeping it up to. a high standard. It was trulv a pioneer club. .

Mrs. Evans seconded tho motion, and- said something* of: what the ideals of such a club should^. be. _ She was 'glad."'it set its face against .playing games for money.-Gambling was. one of the curses of tho Dominion, and it' was only right' that/ the woken of the country-should-oppose it.. The club was not' to be place fc>r mere gossip, but should *'? st'muJdting culture of , every kind, . intellectual,^.artistic, spiritual. • ' Another of its' ideals should be the fostering of patriotism—not tho patriotism, that :aimed at making the country wealthy, and great m a i? a r er1 -', ?} 8 ?» thoi.patriotism that sought to uphold high ideals, and so' make a people npble., r She spoko ;of.,the need, for cultivating in ( tho young a spirit of reVerenco for great ideals, and said she hoped tho club would iseek to check, somewhat the spirit .commercialism., that is strong in the Dominion. This .could be done by laying Jess emphasis on: mere l material; thifles' and more ,on tho deep realities » • ' meeting"' 63 approvei V Wte of-the

Miss Isitt proposed the election of the following/ladies as officers ,of the club:—Warden, _ -Lady Plunket;vice-warden, Lady Ward; president, Miss Richmond ;• vice-pre-sidente, tho Mayoress, Mesdames Fin'dlay.- D. J. Nathan, - VVallis, A. R. Atkinson ; • secretary Miss Kane; -treasurers, 'Mesdames Salmond/ and . Mackay. ' .v - 7 • Miss Hclyer seconded spoke of tho benefit that the club ,would'be as affording an . opportunity for women of varying interests to moot each other on a common ground.

On tho mohon of Dr. Agnes Bennett, seoonded by Mrs. Salmond, the following ■ ladies were elected as the: general committee of the club Mrs. Rankine-Beown, Mrs., Fitchett, Dr. Agnes Bennett, Mrs. Malcolm Rosa, Mrs. Winder, Miss Isitt, Miss Helyer, Mrs. Burnes, Mrs,; Hislop,- and Miss- P.' Myers ■ On the motion of Mrs. David Nathan, seconded by Miss Newton, a vote of thanks to Miss Richmond for- presiding .at-, the after-noon-meeting was carried. A vote of thanks to ■ tho provisional committee was also-car-ried.: -"'V-': - ■ ■ '

Miss Richmond announoed 1 that,' the club rodms would not be opon-fpr the nw of members until throo weeks from . that day as there was still -very,much-to be done by'.the carpenters: 1 / , - : The shop below the club , is to be used as a tea room, and arrangements will be made for members to have served in their own rooms -from there.