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Memoirs of the Miami Valley - Volume Two
The Woman's Club Movement, Men's Organizations, Y. W. C. A. of Dayton and Other Organizations, Secret Societies, Art in Dayton

The Woman's Club Movement

 

            Up to 1870 the interests of the average woman in the Miami valley, as elsewhere in the country, was bounded on four sides, by the family, the home, the market (meaning the department stores) and the church. Add the infrequent diversions of card parties and church socials and the tale is told. To any wider outlook they were blind, to the large outstanding interest with which their husbands were familiar they were indifferent. If in any group, a woman was so untactful as to introduce as a subject of conversation a new book, she was quickly silenced by the chill with which the effort was received. It was considered to be "posing," to try to talk of world events.

            All that is now changed. Intelligent foreigners coming to America now look to their woman guests rather than to their husbands for clear convictions, well-expressed, on the subjects of the day. What has made the change? It will not be disputed that it is the club movement which has changed the complexion of modern social life and brought women to their own.

            To look for the beginnings of it we find that simultaneously in several of the leading cities of the valley movements were indicated (page 216) tending towards a higher interest and effort toward personal culture by the uniting of women into groups for study and discussion.

            Strange to say, it was not in one of the real cities, but in Xenia in Greene county, where we find such a group, dating for its inception to the year in which Sorosis of New York was established-the Woman's club of Xenia. This was in 1868. For five decades the same group of women have met and discussed books and public questions.

            As to the beginnings of the club movement in Dayton, there is a diversity of opinion, The year was 1889-of that there is no manner of doubt; but whether the idea first germinated in the mind of Mary Steele, our leading intellectual woman, or in that of Prof. Robert is a subject still in debate. A group of women had been for some months listening to Mr. Robert's clear and interesting presentation of topics relating to art, literature and music. Finding his time too much in demand to continue with the talks, he announced his retirement from the post of literary lecturer. But his hearers had tasted of the joys of participation in the higher things of life, books and pictures and criticism. They did not see how they could do without it. His reply was to encourage them in the effort to do for themselves what he had been doing for them. This idea germinated, but, before it came to fruition, it was met half way by a similar one coming from another direction. Miss Steele and Miss Carrie Brown had imported the idea of a literary club from the accounts of "Sorosis," in New York. They fancied that what was good for New York would do for Dayton. Other groups coincided ; the Shakespeare club, the Sketching club and the Mozart club, just then springing into an enthusiastic career. It was a new and unwonted spirit that was filling the minds of Dayton women.

            At last the different elements came together and held a meeting at the Cooper hotel on March 30, 1889, to decide on the organization of a Woman's club. There were present, Miss Carrie Brown, Mrs. J. A. Marlay, Mrs. E. R. Stillwell, Mrs. A. D. Wilt, Mrs. Harry Lytle, Mrs. Frank Conover, Mrs. J. A. Robert, and Miss Electra Doren. Miss Steele was present only in the spirit, her bodily limitations preventing active participation in any gathering. A resolution was adopted to form a woman's literary club in Dayton. A few days later another meeting was held, when the names of Mrs. J. B. Thresher and Miss Anna Rogers were added. A constitution was presented and the following officers chosen : Mrs. J. A. Marlay, president; Mrs. E. R. Stillwell, vice-president; Miss Mary Reeve, recording secretary; Miss Anna Rogers, corresponding secretary; Miss Martha Perrine, treasurer ; Miss Electra Doren, critic ; Mrs. W. D. Bickham, Miss Florence Gebhart, and Mrs. Harry Lytle formed the executive board. It was agreed to insert notices in the daily press that all who were interested might attend and signify their intention of becoming members. A paper was left at the rooms of the Woman's Christian association on Fourth street for signatures. At a later gathering an outline of a plan of work was given and an enrollment of members made.

            As it was the end of the season not much could be done in the way of regular work; the program for the next winter was prepared (page 217) and one meeting was held on June 5 to launch the new undertaking.

            The next fall, on October 3, the first regular meeting of the Woman's Literary club was held. Mrs. Marlay read her inaugural address, Mrs. J. W. Johnston read a paper on the "Rush of the Nineteenth Century," and Mrs. Charles H. Brown led a discussion upon the "Need of Resting Times." It was all so very formal and high-strung, the members were self-conscious beyond words. The greatest ordeal in the book was what was called "Oral work." After the two regular papers cited for each day's program, a discussion was supposed to take place upon some topic open to all the club. But the ladies were not accustomed to the sound of their own voices; the sight of the familiar faces of their friends terrified them and the "discussion" was only too apt to lapse into a series of disjointed but encouraging remarks by the leader. But it was good practice and many is the public benefit that has resulted in Dayton since that day, due to the facility with which women learned, in the precincts of the Literary club, to express themselves on their feet. One day in the year's program, called "Gentlemen's night," was opened to the husbands. Another regular event of the club year was the "Annual meeting," always including music, refreshments and guests. The plan of work included four classes of study-art, history, general literature, and a miscellaneous section devoted to most anything that was interesting. The first two years of study were given to Balzac, William Morris, Matthew Arnold, Thackeray. Ruskin, Browning and Tolstoi. The next two years were devoted to the history of the United States ; 1903 to English authors ; 1904. to essayists; 1905 to poetry, and 1906 to Germany; then a course on the drama and Italy. In the last ten years the club has pursued a more intensive study of subjects, going into detail in a way that the plan of the amateur days would not allow. Not the least service of the club has been to introduce to the people of Dayton speakers they would not ordinarily have heard. For two winters the club maintained a course of University Extension lectures, which was so well appreciated. that the lectures had to be held at Steele high school auditorium.

            The club met for the first four meetings of its history in the rooms of the Y. W. C. A., adjoining those of the Y. M. C. A. on East Fourth street; later at the Garfield club rooms in the Kuhns building; then for ten years or more in the W.' C. A. parlors in the old -Winters homestead on West Third street; then the large room of the Young Women's League on West Fourth, and now it is indefinitely at home in the new Woman's club house on Ludlow street. On October 3, 1914, occurred the silver wedding of the W. L. C., an occasion of compelling interest to all that group of women who for a quarter of a century had so faithfully guarded the fires of culture in Dayton. It was held at the home of Mrs. F. P. Beaver on Second street and the attendance justified the hopes of the hostess. Although there have been more recent organizations in Dayton, the Woman's Literary club still holds the lead. Much young blood has been added in later years, giving much to the freshness of the programs and the vitality of the work. The presidents who have (page 218) ably served the club are as follows: 1889, Jane B. Marlay; 1891, Agnes I. Robert ; 1893, Salome K. Rike ; 1895, Charlotte Reeve Conover; 1897, Sara B. Thresher; 1899, Mary M. Parrott; 1901, Mary Reeve Dexter; 1903, Mary M. Kumler; 1905, Mabel S. Withoft; 1907, Marie J. Kumler; 1909, Elizabeth F. Peirce; 1911, Erminie G. Crawford ; 1913, Nellie McCampbell ; 1915, Elsie Castor Chrisman ; 1917, Anna Whittaker Roussel.

            Other Literary and Study Clubs. The movement for women's clubs in Dayton, started so successfully by the Woman's Literary, increased from year to year. The next to be organized was a group of teachers who called themselves the Helen Hunt club. Other clubs followed each other with rapidity as women began to learn the advantages of co-operative study. In order of their formation, as nearly as it can be ascertained, they are as follows : Helen Hunt, 1893; Riverdale Women's club, 1893, sixteen members; Friday Afternoon club (a Dayton View organization), 1894, Mrs. Marie J. Kumler, first president ; Woman's Century club (employees of the National Cash Register works), 1896; Advance club (on the west side), 1897, seventy-six members, Miss Nan B. Williams, first president; Harriet Stevens (for the east side of the city, and named after a well-known and greatly beloved woman), 1898, forty-eight members ; Maria J. Raymond, first president ; Progress club; Alert club; Book club (of the First Presbyterian church), Mrs. J. M. Markham, president ; the Emerson club ; the Home Economics club ; the Louisa M. Alcott club, 1912, thirty members ; the Kindergarten club ; the Home Culture club ; the Mother's club of Van Cleve school ; the Outlook club ; the Council of Jewish women ; the Business Women's club ; the Co-workers of the Hawthorne school ; the Dayton Teachers' club ; the Marchant club ; the Oakwood Efficiency league (Mrs. Robert Patterson, president) ; the Progress club; the Social Workers of the Gem City; the Women's Music club ; the Lincoln Welfare club ; the Women's club of Rubicon; the Franklin Mother's club, 1903, seventy-two members; the College Women's club, 1907, one hundred and fifty-four members ; Gertrude Felker, first president ; the High Standard club (of the women employees of Lowe Brothers), 1902, forty-three members ; the American Study club; the Burroughs Nature Study club, i lr s. H. E. Talbott, president; the Woman's Arkey club (employees of the Rike-Kumler store), Mrs. E. C. Baird, president ; Y. W. L. Mothers' guild ; the E. J. Brown Community club ; the Washington School Welfare club ; The Webster School Mothers' club ; the Wheresoever Sunshine society ; the Fortnightly club, 1905, twenty-one members; the Olla Podrida, 1908, eighteen members; the Women's Music club, 1914, eighty active and one hundred and twenty-five associate and honorary members.

            The Story of the Helen Hunt Club. The Helen Hunt club, which came into existence February 24, 1891, was organized, like all the others, primarily for the purpose of study and the reading of papers on literary subjects. But very soon after its inception the annual reading of a play took its place as a regular part of the year's schedule of work. The teachers who took part in these presentations did pioneer. work. There was, in 1892, no such widespread interest (page 219) in the drama as there is today. The Drama league of Chicago was unthought of. Few opportunities were offered in Dayton for the seeing of good plays. But it was a part of the consciousness of these teachers that in the cultural scheme the drama could not be left out ; that it was not sufficient to read plays in private and write papers on them, but that to take the. several parts and read in public was the road to the truest appreciation and enjoyment of the great masterpieces of literature.         

            It was not an easy task that they set themselves. Time, that imperative ingredient, was lacking. Their daylight hours belonged to that important element of the public in the schoolroom, and could by no means be slighted. Evenings were too often demanded for the correction of examination papers. Moreover, the finances of the Helen Hunt club did not allow for expensive dressing of the parts nor elaborate placing of the scenes. Difficulties, however, were but so many challenges to the members of the club. Possibly, too, they felt that the plays which they were going to produce were great enough to dispense with elaborate settings, in which opinion they

were once more ahead of their time, ranking unconsciously with the new school of players who make one conventional scene do for the whole play, the majesty of the spoken lines furnishing the emotion.

            The word "Reading" is a modest expression meant to cover a multitude of possible imperfections. The players, indeed, had their books with them, but they were rarely referred to. In each case the lines were given with a thorough rendering of their meaning by women who made a study of the English language, of dramatic delivery and of voice culture. In the costuming of the parts much taste was always evinced, but with the cheapest materials. In every case the emphasis was, as it should be, on the message of the author. Here, therefore, is the record of the Helen Hunt club in its presentation of plays during the nearly thirty years of its existence : Bulwer's "Richelieu"; Dickens' "Tale of Two Cities" ; Sheridan's "The Rivals" ; an evening with Howells ; "The School for Scandal" : Sheridan Knowles' "The Hunchback"; Oliver Goldsmith's "She Stoops to Conquer" ; "The Lady of Lyons" (Bulwer) ; "David Garrick" (Robinson'); "Les Femmes Savantes" (Moliere) ; original dramatization of "Pride and Prejudice," by Hortense Fogelsong; dramatic version of "Iphigenia in, Tarsus" ; dramatic version of "The Spanish Gypsey"; Shakespeare's "As You Like It"; Sheridan's "St. Patrick's Day"; "A Dutch Pastoral"; "Candida," by George Bernard Shaw ; "Arms and the Man," G. Bernard Shaw ; "Les Precieuse , Ridicules," Moliere ; "You Never Can Tell," Geo. Bernard Shaw. "El Indiano," Garcia de la Vega ; "The Honeymoon," by Arnold Bennett; "Paola and Francesca," Stephen Phillips; "Our Silver

Anniversary"; "The Great Adventure,"_ from Arnold Bennett's "Buried Alive" ; "A Maker of Dreams" (Oliphant) and "Old Ladies of Lavender Town."

            The presidents who in turn have served the Helen Hunt club from its inception are : Alice Lane, Grace A. Greene, Leota E. Clark. Grace Helen Stivers, Anna B. Shauck, Carrie Breene, Hortense Foglesong, Louise F. Mayer, Emma Geyer, Lottie M. Funk, Edith (page 220) Davies, Mary Alice Hunter, Mima J. Weaver, Bessie D. Moore, Margaret Halloran, May Crowell Antrim and Corinne Brabec.

            The Comedy Club. This club was organized in 1915 for the purpose of presenting parlor plays. The group who were in the first place responsible for it were Misses Katherine Kennedy, Harriet Winters, Miriam Mathiot, Mary Frances Peirce and Messrs. S. J..Woodward, Joe Turpin and Dr. Baber. The club meets every two weeks at the house of some one of the members. Since its inception the following list of plays is to be placed at its credit for sincere dramatic presentation : Lewis Beach's "The Clod," Kavanaugh's "House Across the Way," Lawrence Gibson's "Paste,"

Arnold Bennett's "The Step-mother," Gertstenburg's "Overtones," Down's "Maker of Dreams," and Barrie's "Twelve Pound Look." The Comedy club has followed, in much of its work, the technique of the Washington Players, in whose work it is greatly interested. Dayton society is in the habit of looking forward each winter to the play which the Comedy club will put on. There is now a membership of over thirty subject to cast appointment. The Dayton City Federation of Clubs. In 1907 it became manifest that the individual clubs of the city would find support in each other if federated and the general upbuilding of united conscious effort that has made the strength of the General federation. Therefore, acting upon the suggestion of Mrs. C. H. Kumler, and under her leadership, the federation was formed, with the avowed intention           of “securing a more thorough acquaintance with each other and in case of need, united action." The clubs entitled to membership must have been in active organization for a period of one year, must have a regular constitution ; must have a membership of not less than twenty, and must be literary, musical, philanthropic or civic in character.

            There are twelve active committees, viz: Scholarship, social, nominating, civic, educational, music, art, industrial and social, club extension, library, publicity, market and pure food. The dues are at the rate of 5 cents per capita of members for each club. The federation meets the third Saturday of each month from September to June inclusive.

            The most important work of the federation has been the scholarship fund, by which every member, one thousand all told, was assessed the sum of one cent a week-52 cents a year-to be devoted to the education of girls having no means of their own for the purpose. The record is a proud one.

            Since September, 1908, when Mrs. Kumler outlined the plan and pleaded for its acceptance, thirty-four young women have received the benefits of this educational fund. 'There have been an average of five beneficiaries each year. Some of them have been enabled to finish their courses at Steele or Parker high schools; some have graduated from the local commercial colleges, but the larger number have been sent to universities and colleges in the east and have been successful enough to have paid back into the federation treasury the amounts advanced to them. The institutions of learning from which these girls bear diplomas are Glendale college, Michigan university, Ohio State (page 221) university, Stout institute, The Western, at Oxford, Oxford college, Miami university, Miami Valley Hospital Training School for Nurses, New York Institute of Musical Art, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Oberlin college, and Denison university. This record totals forty-seven years of educational advantages, afforded to deserving and appreciative young women who without it might be holding menial jobs in the city factories.

            Not one has failed to complete the course she began, in spite of denial and self-sacrifice, necessary because of having to earn at least a part of her own expenses in addition to her studies.

            Since the organization of the Dayton Federation of Clubs the scope of work has broadened. There are now three thousand members who together form a nucleus for important civic work. Americanization and education are the two topics which engage the present attention and effort of the federation.

 

Men's Organizations

 

            The Saturday Club. Perhaps the most notable club in Dayton, because the oldest in permanence, is the Saturday club.

            In plan and scope it bore a strong resemblance to the Saturday club of Boston, although its members would modestly decry comparison to the eminent men who composed that organization. But it should be a matter of pride in Dayton that for nearly fifty years a group of scholarly men held together and kept the fires of literary culture alight in a community somewhat given over to commercial activities and interests.

            It began in 1870 when seventeen men met in a law office in the Clegg building and decided to form a club in which to discuss the important questions of the day. They were James McLain Smith, S. B. Smith, Eugene Parrott, Samuel Davies, Dr. W. J. Conklin, William Smith, B. C. Noyes, E. Morgan Wood, John H. Thomas, Dr. J. C. Reeve, John H. Patterson, Elihu Thompson, R. I. Cummin, Dr. Henry Jewett, Captain Chas. B. Stivers and A. D. Wilt. This group remained unchanged for nearly thirty years, when there were added the names of Rabbi David Lefkowitz, William Werthner, Sigmund Metzler, Judge C. W. Dustin, Judge Clement R. Gilmore and Judge D. B. Van Pelt.

            There was no formal organization. The meetings were held on alternate Saturday evenings at the home of one of the members where the chairman for the following meeting was selected. They partook of a simple supper after which the essayist for the evening had the floor and led the discussion which followed the reading of his paper. The papers were wide in their choice of subject and the discussions often quite heated, since the members of the club held widely different opinions on politics, religion, economics and business. Three of them were civil war veterans and gave interesting recitals of their campaigns ; several were professional men who shared their experiences with the others. Some were lovers of horticulture, some of dogs, some of travel and all of the true literary spirit. To one who knows Dayton men and the place they hold in social and professional life it will only be necessary to give the (page 222) titles and writers of some of the papers to assure the reader of their interest and value.

            Judge Dustin, an ardent traveler, gave some of his experiences in Japan, Samoa and Hawaii and also contributed a notable paper on "Divorce." Judge Van Pelt gave two biographical studies, one on Wm. Ellery Channing entitled "A Greater than Napoleon.

            Other contributions from his pen were, "The Trial of Jesus," and "Ancestor Worship." Mr. Werthner read several papers on the fauna, flora and geology of the Miami valley. Eugene Parrott wrote entertainingly on "Daniel Boone," "The Wilderness Road" and "Montaigne." Dr. Jewett, a scientific enthusiast, described for the benefit of his hearers the fascinating mysteries of spectrum analysis, also read one paper of much interest on "The Mosquito in Its Relation to Yellow Fever."

            Dr. J. C. Reeve, always a serious scholar in his taste and reading, gave a number of papers during the history of the club which will never be forgotten; among these the following: "The Cross and Crucifixion," "The Birth of a King," "Phallic Worship," "The Conquest of Yellow Fever," "Maeterlinck's Monna Vanna," "The Discovery of Surgical Anaesthesia" and "Excursions in My Library."

            Rabbi Lefkowitz will be remembered for several interesting papers on "The Problem of Evil," "The Heir of the Prophets" and "Tolstoi."

            Among Mr. Wilt's contributions to the literature of the Saturday club were papers on "A Plea for the Greater Utilization of Our Canals," "The Re-creation of the German Empire of 1800," "Banking and Currency" and "Wit and Humor."

            Of the seventeen original members of the Saturday club only eight remain in the land of the living. Meetings have been largely discontinued during late years.

            Y. M. C. A. of Dayton. In 1844 George Williams, a young dry goods clerk in London, England, with eleven friends, organized the Y. M. C. A., a movement that has encircled the globe with blessings.

            Fourteen years later, to be explicit, on the evening of July 8, 1858, in the old Wesley Chapel, located on Third street, a few earnest men interested in the "social, intellectual and spiritual welfare" of the young men of Dayton, met to discuss the feasibility of organizinga Young Men's Christian Association in Dayton. The ground seemed ready for the sowing. A second meeting was held a week later, an association organized, a constitution accepted, and officers elected for six months.

            Until the year 1870, the work of the association was of a desultory character; religious services were held in churches and Sunday schools, but there were no particular efforts made for helping the young men of the city or county. Indeed, the association was without permanent headquarters. But in the year 1870 new life crept into the organization. Numerous associations were being formed throughout the state, and the city of Cincinnati was especially active in the work. A committee of gentlemen from that city was invited to try and re-awaken Dayton people to the benefits that would come to the community from having a wide-awake organization in its (page 223) midst. The matter was discussed at the home of Mr. Patterson Mitchell on East First street, and as a result of the meeting, the pastors of Dayton announced a public gathering in the interests of the work for Sunday afternoon, February 13th, at the First Lutheran church. At that time no steps were taken beyond the appointment of a committee to draw up a constitution, but on the second day of the ensuing March, an association was organized with Mr. Robert W. Steele as president.

            But, as was universally the case in the early history of the work of the association, it was confined in Dayton to spiritual and moral uplift. The future was to convince the upholders of the association of the importance of ministering to the wants of the physical man. Lectures and reading rooms were the principal provisions for relaxation and entertainment. Two floors in the old Journal building on Main street had been procured for the use of the organization, but the membership grew but slowly from sources outside of the different church organizations. Great good, however, was accomplished. The young men connected with various churches were brought closer together, along different lines of evangelistic and mission work. Religious services were regularly held at the prisons, workhouse and other city institutions. For thirteen years Mr. Samuel Kittredge superintended the evangelistic work in the penal institutions ; and for a decade the religious gatherings held during the summer were faithfully conducted. An important labor of love, was the establishment by the association workers of mission Sunday schools in different sections of the city, work that hitherto had been overlooked by many of the churches. The work of the secretary, Mr. H. P. Adams, was most satisfactory, but in the year 1874 he resigned the secretaryship to go to a larger field in Baltimore.

            The coming of the national convention of the Y. M. C. A. to Dayton in June, 1874, brought hosts of young men to the city, whose hearts were filled with desire of uplift to all men. One of the delegates was destined to find in the "Gem" city of the Miami valley twenty-eight years of Christ like service for the young men of Dayton, a service so devoted and unselfish that when he was called into the higher manifestation of 'life, the universal expression of sorrow was, "we have lost the most influential man in the city." The work of David Ainslie Sinclair in connection with the Y. M. C. A. of Dayton is worth far more than a passing comment.. Coming as a delegate from Hamilton, Ontario, where he held the office of secretary in the local association of the town, his pleasing personality and great earnestness in the various discussions of the convention, attracted the notice of the Dayton men interested in the work, and Mr. Sinclair was offered the position left vacant by the resignation of Mr. Adams. No greater blessing ever befell the city of Dayton than the coming of Mr. David A. Sinclair to be a resident within its community. One has written that his life history while in Dayton included not only the history of the association with which he was connected, but "almost the history of the moral and spiritual life of the entire city," so great was his influence over the young men and boys with whom he came in contact. He found (page 224) the small circle, which the city called its Y. M. C. A., domiciled in the old Dunlevy homestead between Jefferson and Main streets, but lacking life and interest in the material environment of the youth it was organized to help, and which is so essential to the promulgation and acceptation of the Christ ethics.

            Almost from the very hour that Mr. Sinclair took hold of the work his influence was felt by every one with whom he came in contact. He had the happy faculty of making every boy and young man feel that he was a friend upon whom one could rely. His religion was so sweet, so reverent and yet so practical, so void of all hypocritical formalism, so sunshiny, so real that one could not tell where it began or where it ended, for it was his everyday life. The Y. M. C. A. as it exists today was his ideal ; while upholding and advancing all methods for religious_ instruction, he recognized the fact that there must also be other features connected with the work to draw the younger generation into membership. A gymnasium was added, but the board of directors were slow in yielding to their secretary's desire for special privileges for young men and boys, which he saw were imperative if the association desired to maintain its hold upon them. But the quiet persistence of Mr. Sinclair in asserting his viewpoint, in time overcame the prejudice of the more conservative members, and classes in drawing and other branches were included in the program of benefits which the association offered to its undeveloped citizenship. In truth, this new departure was the force that really started the association on the upward climb of success; had the directors decided otherwise the Y. M. C. A. of Dayton would have ingloriously fizzled out, as can be proved by the fact that several hundred young men came forward with the promise to individually pay ten dollars a year towards the support of the organization, provided the association would "introduce and maintain appliances and agencies to meet the physical, social and intellectual needs of the subscribers." This declaration was supported by a paper read by Mr. Sinclair before the directors of the association and the pastors of the city churches, in which he asserted that the association was "not a church nor a substitute for the church. but a social religious agency, a home for young men."

            The time came when larger quarters were needed for the association, especially since new departments of work were to be added to increase its efficiency as an instrumentality for intellectual as well as religious advancement. So the old Dunlevy mansion, which had become the property of the association in the late winter of 1886, was demolished, and, Phoenix like, a new building arose on the site, which ranked among the best buildings of the Miami valley; four stories in height, it covered the entire lot, and so commodious was the interior that many expressed the opinion that it never would be entirely occupied. But the prophecy proved. false, for in half a decade the work had outgrown its environment. The value of the association to the community was being more and more recognized and financial aid was more generously given. A gift of $10,000 in the year of 1883 from Mrs. Letitia Eakers as a nest egg for the endowment fund, and another of $5,000 from Mr. Valentine (page 225)

            Winters, and substantial donations from other generous sources proved the growing appreciation of Dayton citizens. It was for a woman to show by her magnificent bequest implicit faith in the work of the Y. M. C. A. of her home city. Miss Mary Belle Eaker, possessed of great wealth, recognizing the responsibility of her stewardship as a Christian woman, devoted both time and money to the upholding and furtherance of worthy causes. She found her greatest happiness in bestowing financial help where it would do the greatest good, whether it was to relieve the distress of individuals or brace up enterprises organized for public welfare. Although Miss Eaker was extremely catholic in selection of objects upon which to bestow her splendid beneficence, the Y. M. C. A. drew largest upon her interest and regard. Her affection went out especially to the boys in large measure ; their youth, their carefree faces, the potentiality of their future appealed to her from many viewpoints, and the close friendship between her and Mr. Sinclair, who thoroughly acquainted her with the possibilities of the work and his plans for greater and wider usefulness, doubtless played a major part in eventually bringing to the association her truly magnificent legacy.

            The twelve years following the erection of the new home of the association witnessed development of many departments of practical work, and during this period many prominent men of the city identified themselves with the objects of the organization. These gentlemen formed various committees who organized classes in penmanship, orchestral music, and mechanical drawing. Different factories were visited, the needs and desires of the workmen ascertained, and classes formed in the association building to meet these aspirations. So efficiently did the organization meet the wants of the young men who were anxious to pursue special lines of study, that the splendid management of this department of work became a standard for associations throughout the country universally, and was adopted in many schools. Yearly the work widened, summer schools and night schools found a welcome place, until now the educational department of the Y. M. C. A. in Dayton includes more numerous branches of study than many colleges. One of the most practical, and necessary to the future stability and permanency of American institutions, are the classes in which foreigners are not only instructed in the English language, but are given a thorough understanding of the principles of our national government.

            But this earnest attention in imparting knowledge so essential to the practical demands of the everyday world, was not permitted to crowd out the religious and moral instruction for which all associations stand pledged. This was Secretary Sinclair's special field, and he went into it with a zeal and love that bore fruit in          largely increased interest in Bible study among those who listened to his teaching; an interest that manifested itself in better qualified Sunday school teaching, in special gospel meetings, and the continued voluntary support by the department of a foreign missionary. But perhaps the most direct blessing flowing from Mr. Sinclair's ardor in leading men to care for the things truly worth while, were (page 226) the noonday prayer meetings that were daily held in the factories throughout the city ; for out of these meetings came closer contact with the men whose opinions really mould the world of common life, and there resulted a blending of interests that found expression in relief associations, shop clubs and other splendid welfare work.

            But the Y. M. C. A. did not stand alone for religious and educational work. Attention was generously given to the physical improvement and social needs of the membership of the organization, a gymnasium, finely equipped, an athletic park and boating course, the last-named coming through the generosity of Mr. D. E. Meade. The social side was manifested in holiday banquets, receptions, summer camps, entertainments of all kinds, a short lecture course; every few nights there was something "going on" for the enjoyment of the membership.

            So rapidly had the association grown in numbers that the new building was stretched to its utmost capacity to accommodate the members. The Dayton association is said to have been the first to provide dormitories for the accommodation of working boys whose homes were out of the city. Another and still larger building was a necessity. In January, 1899, a committee was given the responsibility of determining the necessity of new headquarters for the association ; its report was in the affirmative and recommended either the purchase of land adjacent to the present building or the buying of a new site. The suggestions were approved and a committee was appointed to select a location for a new structure. Mr. Sinclair, in a paper presented before one of the business clubs of Dayton, clearly and forcibly showed the moral and educational benefit its that the city was deriving from the existence of the association in its community life, and thus increased public interest in the project of a new building.

            In October, a lot at the corner of St. Clair and Fourth streets was purchased by the association and the money pledged for its payment. But, while the building was still a matter of blue paper and white lines, authoritative word came to headquarters that Miss May Belle Eaker had it in her heart to give the Eaker homestead that stood on the northwest corer of Ludlow and Third streets as a site for the new association home. Adjoining property was then purchased, giving a splendid location of 220x136 feet in the very heart of the city. In the month of May, 1902, Miss Eaker joined the great majority, and it was found that the terms of her will also endowed the institution to the amount of nearly $100,000. The happiness of Mr. Sinclair over the magnificent generosity of his friend can well be imagined, but he was not to see the realization of his dreams. In the fall of the same year, while on a western trip to build up an overtaxed body, he was taken seriously ill at Billings, Montana, and passed into the life eternal, leaving behind him the "blessing of a consecrated life."

            For a time the death of Mr. Sinclair almost seemed to paralyze the association, so completely had he been identified with its life in every department, and it was not until the spring of the year 1908, that the magnificent structure was ready for occupancy, the (page 227) corner stone having been laid April 28, 1907, by the Honorable William H. Taft, then Secretary of War.

            It is universally conceded that the home of the Young Men's Christian Association in the city of Dayton, is one of the most complete and spacious association buildings to be found in the world today. Dayton has long recognized the value' of the organization in every way to the religious, educational, physical and social life of the men and boys of the city, and gladly and liberally contributes to its support.

            The splendid work of relief conducted by the Y. M. C. A. at large during the recent World war is a bright page in, not only our national history, but in the story of world humanity. The Dayton Y. M. C. A. kept equal step with every association in the country, in placing its resources and equipment at the service of the boys who followed "Old Glory" across the sea, as well as for the boys who awaited the call to the colors in the camps in their home land. The Dayton association was quick to grasp the opportunity for loyal, patriotic service, when the Wilbur Wright Aviation Field was established near Dayton. It at once secured the locating of a regular army hut in the field by the National War Council, and devoted its energies in assisting to make it "homey" for its visitors. The same kindness was extended to the men at McCook field, and the soldiers at both camps were always welcome guests at the association headquarters in the city, and given the privileges of the swimming pool, baths, game room, gymnasium, everything that could add to their pleasure and welfare. There being no army hut at Acceptance Park, where men were stationed who were in the employment of the Dayton-Wright Airplane company at Moraine City, the local association endeavored to break the monotony of camp life by furnishing the soldiers with athletic equipment, victrola, piano and reading and writing materials.

            It was not an uncommon occurrence for the association to entertain large numbers of soldiers passing through the city. The men in khaki felt intuitively that a warm welcome always awaited them at the association home. As an illustration of the hospitality of the Dayton organization, five hundred tank service soldiers came through Dayton from the west. They were tired after a ride of thirty-six hours and were given a rest of several hours in Dayton. The men came in relays to the association building and enjoyed the luxuries of shower bath and swimming pool. With but short notice of their coming, at another time, the association entertained seventy men with supper and breakfast, and kept them all night by using the gymnasium as a dormitory.

            It has been estimated that the Dayton association, since the opening of the war, gave the privileges of home-headquarters to three hundred soldiers each month. A room in the building was kept equipped with cots for emergency care of transient service men; an average of two hundred and fifty men each month were cared for in this way. Besides this provision for the comfort of Uncle Sam's boys, an average of thirty service men, permanently stationed in the city, shared the comfort of the regular dormitory. The association building was also headquarters for about one (page 228) hundred officers and men connected with the United States Naval Ordnance plant located in the city.

            The constant, daily demand for rooming accommodations, caused by the large number of war activities in the city, induced the association to purchase two houses adjoining the main building and fit them up as dormitories ; they were at once occupied by service men, but owing to the signing of the armistice, causing a lessening of the number of soldiers in the city, the houses soon were not exclusively devoted to them. But many men who had worn the khaki, returned to the city for employment after their discharge and made the association rooms headquarters. Indeed, the service to discharged men was fully as needful and important to their welfare as it was when they wore the uniform of their country. A secretary devoted his entire time to discharged soldiers. A personal invitation to the privileges of the association, and an offer of assistance in procuring employment, or help in any direction, was sent to each soldier as they were discharged from the neighboring camps, with a card which entitled the recipient to every privilege of the association, for a term of three months without charge. The classes in the educational department were also open to them without requirement of the customary tuition fee. It is estimated that Montgomery county gave about six thousand boys in uniform to the service, and up to the middle of September, 1919, nearly fifteen hundred returned soldiers have evinced appreciation by personally calling at-the association and enrolling in its membership ; while over one hundred have entered the educational classes, and the outlook is favorable for a still larger enrollment, as the complimentary tuition is still free to all returned soldiers. In the matter of finding employment for discharged soldiers, the association has been the agency of placing six hundred men in ways of earning a livelihood, and has proved an invaluable counselor to discouraged boys, some of whom had unwittingly transgressed the law or fallen before temptation.

            All through the war, and afterwards, the association has cooperated with the War Camp Community Service, the Red Cross and the American World War Veterans in the physical, moral and spiritual care of the men in uniform. Along some lines of service rendered the association has been repaid for expenses incurred, but the greater share was borne by the local association, which sometimes made it necessary to appeal for funds to the citizens of Dayton, which appeals were unfailingly and cheerfully met, for Dayton people are fully aware of the power for good that the association is proving along all lines of welfare to the city.

            The Dayton branch of the Y. M. C. A. was not without its representatives across the sea. Mr. H. D. Dickson, the general secretary, gave three months of unremitting interest and work to the care of soldier boys at Camp Sherman, Ohio, and was stationed fourteen months at the Paris, France, headquarters of the Y. M. C. A., American Expeditionary Force, while Mr. H. I. Allen, the physical director, was with the men in khaki for two months at Fort Benjamin Harrison, and also served as a director of athletics and recreation overseas.

            (page 229) As has been stated, the value of the local branch of the Young Men's Christian Association to Dayton is genuinely appreciated, and the future looks very bright to the organization. Work will be extended along every branch now in operation, and new lines of welfare interest will be followed wherever opened. About seventy-five employees are busy in the building, twenty-five of whom are on the secretarial staff, under Mr. H. D. Dickson, the general secretary.

            The board of directors of the main association also have supervision over the local association of colored men, but it is directed by a separate committee of management, of which Messrs. B. F. Aldridge and J. A. Green are respectively chairman and secretary. This branch is temporarily located at 406 West Third street, but property has been purchased on West Fifth street, and ere long the colored branch hopes to erect a building that will be an ornament to the city and available for every department of welfare work. Though occupying offices in the building of the Dayton association, the Montgomery County Y. M. C. A. is not incorporated with the Dayton branch ; its work is directly under the supervision of the state committee and locally directed by a committee, of which Mr. J. Mason Prugh is chairman. The influence of this county organization is very perceptible in the community betterment of rural centers and bringing the young men and boys of the country in touch with higher ideals of life and desire for achievement in the noblest pursuits.

 

Y. W. C. A. of Dayton and Other Organizations

 

            It would be, unjust to give, however briefly, a sketch of the Y. W. C. A., without reference to the work of the Woman's Christian association, to which the first named organization probably owes its present success and influence. The formal incorporation of the Woman's Christian association was effected in November, 1870, and charitable work among the poor at once begun, after the election of offers and a board of managers. The work of the association grew in extent and importance. There were departments of service for reformatory work, carrying hope and sympathy to the unfortunate inmates of the county infirmary, the lonely ones in the widows' home, Soldiers' home, aiding all seeking employment - in short, entering every avenue of welfare work where need appeared to exist.

            The association had come into possession of property on Magnolia street, formerly used as an orphans' home, and in the late winter of 1875 it was opened by the association as a home for destitute women and widows ; but in June, 1883, the house was abandoned and the building now used for the same philanthropic purpose on Findlay street was occupied.

            The industrial schools of Dayton, where literally many hundreds of little girls have been instructed in the use of the needle, and orderly and sanitary habits of life, are outgrowths of the first little sewing-school opened by Mrs. James Applegate and Mrs. A. L. Connelly, members of the association, in the home of the latter.

            (page 230) In the early winter of 1888, the association felt assured that their resources warranted the opening of an educational department on Fourth street. The names of sixteen girls were inscribed on the first list of pupils. And it was a pathetic thing to see, as the attendance grew in numbers, the eagerness of mothers of families to learn how to read and write, privileges of which they had been deprived in their youth. In the short space of ten years the work had been so broadened that instruction was given in modern languages, domestic science, stenography, all branches of sewing, elocution, violin, orchestra, arts and crafts, and current events, and the attendance was numbered by hundreds. A finely equipped gymnasium, and outing park, were special sources of recreation, and medical instruction proved of great benefit in the homes of the pupils. The enumeration of channels through which the work of the association flowed in benefits to the public welfare are numerous. A home for self-supporting women, a relief department, lunch room department, bible and extension department, the latter including bible classes and social affairs for girls at the main building. In the year 1870, the interests of the Woman's Christian association were united with the National Young Woman's association, and the name of the former was dropped in favor of the Young Woman's association, although the older organization supports it with loyal interest. The alliance strengthened the work and influence of the association along all lines. Larger, more commodious headquarters were in demand. Funds were needed, and in May, 1907, the membership, by personal solicitation, secured $100,000, and property on the northeast corner of Third and Wilkinson streets purchased, and the residence thereon converted into a temporary home for business girls residing out of the city.

            But each year so added to the membership and enlarged the scope of its activities, that still larger headquarters were absolutely necessary, and it was decided to erect a building on the lots purchased by the association. The houses already standing on the lots were torn down, and in the year 1913 the association took possession of one of the most modern Y. W. C. A. homes in the middle west, modern in equipment, convenient in size and arrangement. The year book published in 1919 gives a total membership of 4,040. The numerous committees appointed to oversee the work of the association are indicative of the many helpful activities that are carried on for the welfare and happiness of the young women of the city. Outside of the executive, financial and secretarial committees necessary for the business responsibilities of the organization, there are wide-awake committees superintending every department. The religious department is broad in its range, embracing assemblies, Bible study, world fellowship and education. These are connecting links with the home, social, recreation, industrial extension, physical education, Americanization and girls' work departments. Every need for the improvement, happiness and protection of the business girls of Dayton, especially those who come to the city from other places, is supplied by the Y. W. C. A. of Dayton.

            Particularly was it a haven of safety during the recent war period. Hundreds of girls flocked into Dayton to take the places of (page 231) young men called to the colors, and also to help in the munition factories. Neither were the soldier boys in the aviation camps near the city forgotten. The National War Work council of the Young Women's Christian Association sent Miss Evenes Teague to Dayton to assist in the organization of the Patriotic league, and every Sunday afternoon the boys were welcomed to the cheer and hospitality of the association. Often fully one hundred boys on Sunday evening found homesickness forgotten in the home welcome and home supper given them in the pleasant rooms of the Young Women's Christian association of the city.

            The "war work" of the association did not end with its home kindness. The Dayton branch assisted financially in the national work of the association in helping girls in districts especially affected by the war, and others who were engaged at the Hostess houses in cantonments. A Hostess home was established at the Wilbur Wright Aviation field by the local association for the comfort and social enjoyment of the soldier lads and the large living-room, with its easy chairs and magazines, screened veranda, and cafeteria where "home coffee" was available, proved very attractive to its visitors.

            Girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen years are at once interested in work for their own happiness found in service for others. Clubs are formed which are affiliated with standard student clubs throughout the country. Besides these organizations for social and literary work, the members visit the city hospitals, take turns in reading to the blind, entertain children in the Dayton Day nursery, and are especially interested in the Americanization department, helping the children of the foreign-born to love the Stars and Stripes, by teaching them the principles for which it stands. The Dayton division of the comparatively recent national movement, known as the Girl Reserves, are very enthusiastic over its semi-military character and the progression which it represents. The "honor" system connected with the organization, proves a strong impetus in a girl's development, for "points" are bestowed for loyalty to health, knowledge, service and spirit activities. The winning of forty points adds an extra chevron to the arm band with its blue triangle, of which the wearer is very proud, for constant achievement advances the young member from the volunteer degree through the remaining four grades of fourth reserves, third reserves, second reserves, to the coveted rank of first reserve.

            It is impossible in a brief sketch to enumerate the splendid activities for which the Y. W. A. stands sponsor. But it is to the women and girls of Dayton, in every respect, what its kindred association, the Y. M. C. A., is to the spiritual, intellectual and physical welfare of the men and boys of the city.

            The Young Women's League. There is no more useful, popular and energetic activity for the welfare of the young women of Dayton than the Young Women's league, organized in the summer of 1895.

            The association grew out of the abolishment of the Young Women's department of the Woman's Christian association as first (page 232) formed, and numbers of Dayton girls were strenuous in their eager demand for an organization that would be recognized as representing the younger generation of Dayton womanhood.

            After several meetings, at which matters pertaining to the support of the organization were discussed, on September 3, at the home of Miss Leila Ada Thomas, a constitution was formally adopted and the association launched under the name of the Young Women's league. A board of directors was elected, consisting of Mesdames W. J. Conklin, Robert E. Dexter, Hannah S. Frank, J. E. Gimperling, Charles H. Kumler, John R. Moore, W. A. Phelps, William Plattfaut, D. L. Rike; Misses Leoti E. Clark, Alice Jennings, Mary M. Kumler, Alice Lane, Leila Ada Thomas, and M. Etta Wolfe. The directors elected the following officers : Miss Alice Jennings, president; Mrs. Charles H. Kumler, vice-president; Miss Alice Lane, secretary; Mrs. Hannah S. Frank, treasurer.

            The next step was the finding of a location for the new organization, which resulted in the renting of a house on South Jefferson street.

            The activities for which the league stood were at once begun by the formation of classes in millinery and common sewing. Gymnasium work was made a special feature of attraction, under the instruction of Miss Eva Martin. So great was the interest manifested in the program of welfare work that headquarters proved inadequate for the accommodation of the young women who allied themselves in the membership of the league, and classes met in the Davies block, the courthouse and Prof. Shauck's school rooms. To increase the finances of the league a lunch room was opened at the home of the association, which has proved a paying project ever since the date of its inception, this important feature being first placed under the personal supervision of Miss Adah Boyer. The moral or religious side of the work of the league was not neglected, devotional and informal song services filling an hour every Sunday afternoon in the parlors of the association, and just before the Christmas holidays the home of the league was sacredly dedicated to the uses for which it stood, Dr. Edgar W. Work preaching the dedicatory sermon.

            The first annual report was most gratifying to the membership and friends of. the league, indicating plainly, as it did, the strong hold that the organization had taken upon the interest of the community at large. It was wide in its scope, and Jews, Catholics and Protestants alike lent their support to the league and its work. So rapid was the growth of the league, that in the short space of three years after its establishment, larger headquarters were found to be imperative. At a called meeting of the membership in September, 1898, the expressed desire of all was in favor of a new location on West Fourth street to be purchased for the home of the league. Notwithstanding that the price asked was $23,500, and there was not a single dollar in the league treasury that could be turned towards the liquidation of the debt that would be incurred, the league never faltered in its determination to acquire the title to the desired property. The membership proceeded at once to devise ways and means to raise the money. A "Bazaar of Nations" (page 233) brought the handsome remuneration of $5,000, which, added to a gift of $1,000 from friends, enabled the association to make its first payment and to occupy the desired location before the opening of the year of 1899.

            The work of this splendid organization has numerous branches, all pointing to the moral, social and intellectual welfare of the young women of Dayton and Montgomery county. In thoroughness of instruction along educational lines, the proof is seen in the large number of young women holding responsible positions as bookkeepers or stenographers with big business firms in the city of Dayton and elsewhere, whose only "college course" was taken at the league. After working hours the class-rooms are filled with bright, ambitious girls anxious to acquire a knowledge of English literature, German, French, embroidery, dramatic art, dressmaking, correct English, stenography, typewriting, China painting, gymnastics, arts and crafts, millinery. and domestic science.

            The league has conducted its welfare work on the principle that "If the mountain will not go to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the mountain." It was discovered that many girls. employed in factories were reluctant to go to the league home, especially girls of foreign ancestry, and the only alternative was to carry welfare work to their own territory. A house was rented in the neighborhood of a large tobacco factory, where a hot noon lunch was served to the girls employed at the plant. Hot lunches were also served at factories. Night classes were conducted at different points in the city ; sewing schools established ; a vacation cottage rented-for summer outings for the girls ; a Mothers' guild founded, where tired women, debarred by narrow environment and family cares from sharing in the social pleasures of more favored women, were entertained weekly, while their little ones were cared for by a kindergarten teacher in an adjacent room. Later a Home Culture club of girls became familiar with the best literature, and did beautiful, loving service to the sick and needy. Indeed it would be almost impossible to find an avenue of helpfulness to the young women of Dayton into which the earnest activities of the Young Women's league of the city have not entered and accomplished great good. As an organization, the league did no specific war work, but as clubs and individuals its membership was found allied with different philanthropic agencies for the comfort of the boys overseas. The one main object of the association is betterment of conditions where life appears hard, and there are more clouds than sunshine apparent in the future. One feels the optimistic atmosphere of the league home, whether talking to the bright-faced secretary or dining in the large, pleasant tea room, where dinner is served from two o'clock in the afternoon until the hour of six. The league cafeteria, which serves the public at the noonday hour, is located in the large five story building erected by the league about seven years ago in the rear of the home proper. Quite a revenue is derived by the association from the rental of rooms in the new building, a large auditorium being often engaged for entertainments, lectures, and the organization is looking expectantly to a near future, when its treasury will permit the erection of a larger house on their present site, (page 234) that will permit the granting of sleeping apartments to girls whose homes are out of the city. The league will then be truly a real home to the membership so devoted to it. The movement known as the "Camp Fire Girls" was first inaugurated in the city of Dayton by the girls of the league.

            The present officers of this most popular organization are Mesdames Lee Warren James, president; Scott Pierce, vice-president; Hannah Frank, treasurer ; Misses Mabel Gridley, secretary ; Luetta Lowrey, business secretary. Chairmen of committees, Mesdames Ira Crawford, C. I. Williams, E. S. Kent, C. L. Hubbard, A. L. Tebbs, C. H. Kumler; Misses Jennie Norton, Louise Harris and Electra Doren.

            Federation of Jewish Charities. No people or nation stand higher for generous giving, real heart-generosity, than the Jews. The mandate given to the great Hebrew Law-giver, thousands of years ago, "For the poor shall never cease out of the land : therefore

            I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land," has been handed down through the centuries, from generation to generation, and obeyed even unto the present day.

            The Jewish Federation of Charities was established in the city of Dayton in the summer of 1910, and after seven months of philanthropic service to the needy of the city, the first report of work done was published in January, 1911. Right here may be stated that the federation was organized "not to give charity in the sense of making dependents, but to render the recipients of its aid self-reliant." But the worthy aim did not prevent a bountiful outflow of material help wherever the need existed. In the short space of its existence, disbursements to the amount of $3,602 were made by the federation in supplying and relieving various needs for benevolent help. Groceries, coal, medicine, aid of all kinds, was forthcoming, and so wide the scope of the federation that its help was extended to Jewish homes, asylums, relief societies and guilds in other states, even sending its contribution to a fire-devastated village in Russia. Work was found for persons desiring employment, others were helped to become self-sustaining, legal advice given without compensation, by Mr. S. G. Kuswurim, secretary of the federation, and medical attention furnished the sick without charge by Drs. Leo Schram and A. M. Osness.

            Each yearly report of the federation shows increased interest in its supporters, and larger fields of generous help and sympathy entered. In the second year of its philanthropic endeavors it is found working with the Industrial Removal Office of New York City. The total immigration in the year 1911 to our country was eight hundred and fifty-eight thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight persons, and of this number ninety-one thousand two hundred and twenty-three persons was of Jewish nationality. Of this large number of Hebrews, the Industrial Removal office was only able to place three thousand nine hundred and fifty souls ; the Dayton federation found places and employment for seventy-five. But the Jewish federation is not clannish in the bestowal of its help ; throughout its existence it has heartily co-operated with the Associated (page 235)Charities, Humane society, juvenile court and its officers, the Fruit and Flower Mission, St. Elizabeth and Miami Valley hospitals, in their labors for public welfare.

            The last annual report of the federation at hand, that of the year 1918, plainly evinces a steadily growing approval of the federation and its objects by the citizens of Dayton. Reading between the lines, it is easy to perceive that the workers are coming closer and closer to the people it desires to help. Through material aids and uplifting and sympathetic counsel, a wonderful work is being done by the federation in bringing into good and valuable citizenship many discouraged souls, who were beginning almost to hold themselves as "down and out." Again, it is also seen stretching kind hands of assistance, not only to those at home, but to hospitals and homes far beyond home limitations. The federation regularly contributes to the Jewish Orphan asylum and Montefore Home for the Aged and Infirm at Cleveland, Ohio. A liberal check yearly adds to the exchequer of the National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives at Denver, Colorado ; the Institute for the Blind in historic Palestine receives a remembrance. And so quietly, so unostentatiously is this beautiful work done, that the public is unaware of its bountiful generosity, until the yearly report meets the eyes of one interested in philanthropic effort. The additional work of the federation, planned for the budget of 1919, included sending financial aid to the National Farm school at Philadelphia; Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid society, New York City ; Orthodox Old People's home, Cincinnati ; Orphans' home, Old People's home and hospital at Jerusalem.

            The heart-desire of the federation at the present time is the establishment of a community house in the south-central part of the city of Dayton ; "a settlement house where the immigrant can be temporarily properly cared for; where a widowed mother may leave her babe in safety while she earns a livelihood; where classes in citizenship for immigrants can be conducted ; where sewing may be taught children ; where domestic science and domestic economy may be taught the immigrant mother, and where various classes in elementary English grammar, arithmetic, reading and writing can be obtained.” The wisdom of the federation s apparent in the proposition under consideration by its supporters to change, or rather drop the word "charities" for "social service," or a term equivalent to it; the former word often debars a proud-spirited man or woman from seeking really necessary aid.

            The Door of Hope. A home of Christian love was founded in the year 1903, by a little band of women alert to the need of protection to unfortunate and needy girls. The first location of the home was at 148 Oxford street, and to Mrs. Margaret Brown was intrusted the oversight and motherly care of her discouraged, unhappy wards.

            Four years later the home was removed to its present situation at 542 south St. Joseph street, and Mrs. Amelia R. Clark, the present matron, who for years had been engaged in similar work in the great city of New York, placed in charge.

            (page 236) The importance and value of the work was speedily appreciated by the citizens of Dayton, and in the summer of 1908, the Door of Hope association was formed, and a board of trustees, consisting of nine women and nine men, appointed to look after the interests of the home along all lines of helpfulness. The financial support of the Door of Hope comes partly from the city and partly from voluntary contributions. If ill, the girls are kindly cared for by a nurse, and different physicians of the city voluntarily give their services. Every girl is made welcome to the shelter and protection of the Door of Hope; they receive instruction in the elementary branches of education, and are carefully trained in the art of good housekeeping, and a happy future -made possible by instruction in true Christ-like ideals.

            The Loretto Guild is a pleasing activity prominent in the philanthropic work of the city of Dayton, and is under the care of the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of St. Catherine de Ricci, whose mother house is located in the city of Albany in the state of New York; organizations similar to the Dayton organization are established in the cities of Philadelphia and New York.

            Miss Josephine Schwind, one of Dayton's most generous women, whose time, interest and wealth are largely devoted to welfare work, was instrumental in securing the founding of a guild house in her native city, making it possible by presenting to the sisters a house on Franklin street, completely furnished, which was occupied for the first time as a guild-home on August 15, 1912.

            Here were welcomed, irrespective of creed, girls employed in a business capacity in the city, who came to Dayton as strangers, desiring the comfort and pleasure only to be found within the shelter of a real home, and which, alas ! a limited income forbade ; a small hall bedroom in a dingy boarding house too often being the only "home" open to them. But the generous spirit of the Loretto guild; for a small amount, supplied home food, home shelter, home cheer and home care.

            Evening classes were quickly organized for the benefit of the girls desiring to acquire a knowledge of English common branches, needlework, typewriting, stenography, needlework, embroidery, painting and other useful branches.

            The Franklin house soon proved too small for the number of girls desiring the pleasure and happiness of being an inmate of the guild house, and with characteristic generosity of the owners, the handsome Schwind homestead, located on River street, was given to the sisters for an extension home, and the big, roomy house and its beautiful old-fashioned garden, with its wealth of floral treasure. were a constant delight to the girls fortunate enough to have secured a place in the home-circle of the "extension."

            But the distance of the residence from the business center of the city, which made the coming and going of the girls to and from their places of employment somewhat of a burden, necessitated the seeking of a residence elsewhere. In December, 1817, the sisters were fortunate in securing the Kittredge house, located at 217 North Ludlow street, a modern residence in every way equipped for the (page 237) comfort and happiness of the little family of busy girls. Both the Franklin street house and the Ludlow street home are occupied as Loretto guild homes, but the sisters are looking forward to a near future that will permit them to build a house commodious enough to accommodate both their "families" under one roof. As one enters the handsome hall of the Ludlow street Loretto guild home, there is no feeling of the house being an "institution." The furnishings of the adjacent parlor and library on the right indicate not only home-comfort, but culture and true refinement, while the large dining-room, with its oak-beamed ceiling and tables "set" with shining silver and dainty porcelain, would fill many a housewife with envy and covetousness. The long room at the left of the entrance, formerly a music room, is used as a chapel by the sisters. The rule of the house is very kind, a true motherly guardianship. But few exactions are required, the girls being placed upon their honor, the true system of happy home life, be it in an "institution" or private home life, and the bright, smiling faces that are seen in the library or passing to and fro in the wide hall, is ample proof of the happiness of the girls who seek the shelter of the Loretto guild after weary hours of toil in office, store or shop. No classes are taught now in connection with the Loretto Guild home. The sisters are kept too busy in overseeing the work requisite for the comfort and happiness of the girls under their roof, and the young ladies are encouraged to take advantage of the night classes taught at the high schools in the city.

 

Secret Societies

 

            An old-fashioned, orthodox objector to secret societies would shake his head in dismay, if his attention was directed to the long list of secret organizations given in the latest issue of the Dayton directory. He would be tempted to inquire, "Is there a man living in the city who is not affiliated with some order?" There can be but few.

            Masonic Order. The Masons are the pioneers of secret societies in every land, and there were not very many log cabins erected in the county seat of Montgomery county before a 'lodge was instituted under the name of Harmony lodge No. 9. Its membership was composed of settlers, not only from Dayton but also from the little primitive towns of Piqua, Springfield, Urbana and other settlements, and meetings were held in these various places.

            But on January 12, 1812, the first lodge was organized in Dayton, St. Johns lodge, the charter members being Messrs. W. M. Calhoun, John Cox, Alexander Ewing, Aaron Gosard, George Grove, Jerome Holt, Henry Marquart, Hugh McCullum, William Smith, Samuel Shoup, David Steele and George F. Tennery. This lodge celebrated its centennial anniversary in the year 1912.

            As the immigration into the Miami valley increased, the order grew in numbers and lodges were organized as follows : Unit chapter No. 16, instituted January 7, 1820; Reese council No. 9, organized October 14, 1843; Reed commandery No. 6, organized June 1, 1846; Dayton lodge No. 147, instituted August 21, 1847; Stillwater lodge (page 238) No. 616, organized June 3, -1912. On March 8, 1880, there were organized three lodges of the Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry, viz.: Dayton chapter of Rose-Croix, Miami council P. of J., Gabriel lodge of Perfection. There is also the Dayton consistory, organized in the fall of 1907; Antioch temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Dayton chapter No. 125, Order of the Eastern Star; Acacia chapter (U. D.) No. 358; Gem City lodge No. 8, A. F. & A. M..: Order White Shrine of Jerusalem, Dayton Shrine No. 13.

            The Masons of Dayton as a body occupy as a temple the old Lutheran church located on South Main street of the city, adding an addition in the rear, which they remodeled into offices, reading and billiard rooms, parlors, lodge and chapter rooms, auditorium and banquet room. The banquet hall will easily accommodate one thousand persons. Nearly $250,000 were spent in buying the location and remodeling the edifice.

            Independent Order of Odd Fellows. This organization, noted all over the world for its liberality and kindness to the poor and suffering, not only to the needy of its membership, but also to the unfortunate without its gates, organized its first lodge in the city of Dayton, under the name Montgomery lodge No. 5, May 3, 1833; other lodges were instituted in the following order : Dayton encampment No. 2, organized 1838; Wayne lodge No. 10, organized July 7, 1840; Buckeye lodge, organized August 30, 1845; Schiller lodge No. 206, instituted February 15, 1843; Dayton lodge No. 273, instituted April 20,1855; Gem City encampment, organized May 21, 1869; Steuben lodge No. 273, instituted May 24, 1872; Fraternal lodge No. 510, instituted June 10, 1872; Canton Earl No. 16, Patriarchs Militant, organized January 12, 1886; Fraternal encampment No. 253, 1890; Anderton lodge No. 829, organized June 16, 1897, and Riverdale lodge No. 853, July 9, 1902.

            Knights of Columbus. Dayton council No. 500, Knights of Columbus, was established in Dayton on February 23, 1900, with seventy-five charter members, and quarters were established in the old Clegg hall on East Third street. Theodore Liensch was the first grand knight. Since then, the council has grown gradually until it enjoys a membership of practically eleven hundred. The grand knights in succession, since the establishment of the council, have been: Theodore Liensch, John Hahne, Daniel Nevin, J. B. Connors, Charles J. Brennan, John C. Shea, Timothy McEntee, Jos. J. Abel, Bernard Focke, W. A. Keyes, A. J. Ward and W. M. Carroll. The council now has its club house at 27 West Monument avenue, and it is anticipated that the present structure will soon be replaced by a modern club house building adequate to provide for the needs of the order in Dayton, which are athletic, educational and social. Daughters of Rebekah. Wildey lodge No. 24, instituted January 7, 1870; Temple lodge No. 80, instituted May 15, 1872; Isaac and Rebekah lodge No. 178, organized June 11, 1886; Glenn lodge No. 488, instituted August 13, 1898; Daytonia lodge No. 342, instituted June 15, 1892; Galilee lodge No. 397, instituted June 20, 1894; Ardale lodge No. 647, organized July 23, 1907.

            Grand United Order Odd Fellows. Crystal Palace lodge No. 2158; Grand Master's council No. 73; Household of Ruth; House (page 239) hold of Ruth No. 1136; Miami City lodge No. 3998, instituted February 3, 1896; Patriarch Uniform Rank.

            On June 14, 1870, a large gathering of people witnessed the laying of the corner-stone of the splendid temple of the Odd Fellows organization located at the corer of Jefferson and Third streets.

            Knights of Pythias. The growth of the order designated as the Knights of Pythias has been almost phenomenal since the institution of its first lodge in the city of Washington, D. C., in the late winter of 1864. The number of its places of assembly in the city of Dayton is evidence of the popularity of the order in the Miami valley.

            Miami lodge No. 32, instituted March 31, 1871, is recorded as the first lodge of the order in the city of Dayton. Its charter membership numbered only twenty-three, but has now grown into hundreds. Humboldt lodge No. 58, instituted September 9, 1873; Iola lodge 83, instituted March 24, 1875; Hope lodge No. 277, instituted March 2, 1888; Oregon lodge No. 351, organized May 8, 1889; Linden lodge No. 412, organized April 9, 1890; Echo lodge No. 707, organized April 27, 1898; Uniform Rank Dayton company; organized November 13, 1878; Uniform Rank Humboldt No. 12, instituted March 21, 1882; Uniform Rank Oregon company No. 72; Uniform Rank Echo company No. 91; Uniform Rank Linden company No. 51; Uniform Rank Iola company No. 26, instituted June 23, 1884; Riverdale lodge No. 639; Uniform Rank Hope company No. 32; Pythian Sisters, Echo temple No. 456; Royal temple Rathbone Sisters.

            Organizations of colored citizens of Dayton and Montgomery county; Duncan court No. 4, Court of Calanthe; Golden Leaf lodge No. 20; Golden Leaf court No. 16, Court of Calanthe; Gem City Palace lodge No. 2; S. W. Starks company K., Uniform Rank ; Robert B. Elliott company Uniform Rank No. 1.

            Knights of St. John. Third Regiment, State of Ohio, formed by Commanderies Nos. 104, 131, 132, 142, 225 and 255 of Dayton and 194 of Piqua, Ohio ; Commandery No. 104, locally known as Division A, Knights of St. George, of Holy Trinity church ; Commandery No. 125; Commandery No. 131, locally known as Division C, Knights of St. George, of St. Mary's church; St. John commandery No. 132, Knights of St. John; Commandery No. 225, locally known as St. Martin commandery, Knights of St. John ; Charles Carroll commandery No. 255, Knights of St. John; Ladies' auxiliary No. 79, branch Knights of St. John commandery No. 104; Ladies of St. John ; Ladies' auxiliary No. 185, branch Knights of St. John ; Ladies' auxiliary No. 1 to St. John's commandery No. 132; Catholic Ladies of St. Francis.

            Knights of St. George. Commandery No.1of Emmanuel church ; Knights of St. George of St. John's church ; Ladies of St. George.                  

            Catholic Knights of Ohio. Miami Valley Central council; St. Andrew's branch No. 119; St. John's branch No. 13; St. Boniface branch No. 69; Dayton branch No. 70; St. Mary's branch No. 113. (page 240)

            Catholic Ladies of Columbia. Corpus Christi branch; Holy Angels branch No. 90; Holy Family branch No. 103; Our Lady of Good Counsel branch No. 55; St. Catherine's branch No. 85; St. Emmanuel branch; St. Julia's branch No. 63; St. Mary's branch No. 87.

            Knights of Tabor. Daughters of Abassinse tabernacle No. 481; Ohio State temple No. 376; Rose Sharon lodge; Mose Dickson's temple No. 399; Pride of Dayton tabernacle; Fannie B. Bradford Royal House No. 3; Past Arcanum.

            Independent Order of B'nai B'rith. Eschol lodge No. 55, instituted March 15, 1863.

            Tribe of Ben Hur. Lew Wallace court No. 189; Ilderim court No. 1; Sunshine court No. 135.

            United Ancient Order of Druids. Franklin grove No. 2 (German), instituted July 10, 1849; Victoria circle, organized January 31, 1884.

            Haragari. Deutsche Eiche lodge No. 469; Uniform Rank of Haragari No. 2, D. O. H. Walroth comturie; Ex Barden Verbund Dayton and vicinity; Fortschritt Mannie No. 75; Haragari Ritter; Thusneida lodge No. 36; Victoria lodge No. 574; Harmonia lodge No. 117.

            Fraternal Order of Bears. Den No. 4.

            Loyal Order of Moose. Dayton lodge No. 73; Royal Moose circle.

            Fraternal Order of Eagles. Dayton aerie No. 321.

            Knights of the Golden Eagle. Dayton castle No. 3, instituted March 30, 1895.

            Ladies of the Golden Eagle. Gardner temple No. 39. Western Stars. Independent order No. 127.

            Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophets. Ormus grotto No.

24.

            Grand Army of the Republic. The Old Guard Post No. 23, organized September 29, 1880; Old Guard Relief Corps No. 121; Dister Post No. 446; Dister Woman's Relief Corps No. 283; Loyal Legion; Army and Navy union.

            Ladies of the G. A. R. Chickamauga circle No. 26. Union Veteran Legion. Encampment No. 145; Ladies' auxiliary No. 2.

            Sons of Veterans. Earnshaw camp No. 89; Drum Corps. American Spanish War Veterans. Camp Liscum No. 70; Ladies' auxiliary No. 27.

            Patriotic Order of America. Camp No. 1.

            National Union. Dayton council No. 132, organized February 19, 1885.

            Home Guards of America. Ideal Home No. 72, instituted August 9, 1902.

            Catholic Order of Foresters. St. Michael's court No. 549; St. Joseph's court No. 364.

            Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Gem City division No. 358, organized July 21, 1887; Ladies' auxiliary, B. L. E. division No. 93.

            Brotherhood of Railway Carmen. Lodge No. 160. (page 241)

            Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. Electric Railway Beneficial association; Friendship lodge No. 375.

            Order of Railway Conductors. Lodge No. 320. Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen. Miami lodge No. 273. Protected Home Circle. Dayton circle No. 203; Riverside circle No. 377; Gem City circle No. 175; Daytonia council No. 271; Montgomery circle No. 198.

            Good Samaritans. Golden Link lodge No. 15; Queen of Dayton lodge No. 2.

            Sisters of Mysterious Ten. Naomi temple No. 2  (colored) ; Fusha temple (colored).         

            Daughters of Jerusalem. Marion council No. 8 (colored). Fraternal Order of Oaks. Dayton Forest No. 250. Independent Order of Foresters. Council No. 1000; Court Gem City (Companion) No. 318; Court Harmon No. 1311; Court Royal (Companion) No. 884; Court Miami Valley No. 1640. Daughters of Liberty. Banner council No. 24; Harmony council No. 40; Ohio council No. 9.

            Daughters of America. Daytonia council No. 8; Victor council No. 61; Helpmate council No. 16.

            Royal Neighbors of America. Imperial camp No. 3705. Modern Woodmen of America. Davis camp No. 9307, organized December 5, 1901; North Dayton camp No. 10535; Dayton camp No. 3526; Roy camp No. 4285.

            United Commercial Travelers of America. Grand council of Ohio; Gem City council No. 3, instituted January 16, 1888; Gem City council No. 3, Woman's Social club, U. C. T.

            American Insurance Union. Dayton chapter No. 2; Montgomery chapter No. 320; Westwood chapter No. 286; Gem City chapter No. 32; Home chapter No. 747.

            Improved Order of Red Men. Blackfoot tribe No. 6; Chautauqua tribe No. 98; Leola council No. 1, Degree of Pocahontas.

            Ancient Order of Hibernians. Division No. 1, instituted June, 1887; Division No. 2, organized September, 1886; Division No. 3, instituted April, 1892; Ladies' auxiliary, No. 1; Ladies' auxiliary No. 2.

            Woodmen of the World. Dayton camp No. 38; Gem City camp No. 3225; Visitor camp No. 152; Woodmen of the World (Hungarian).

            United Brothers of Friendship. Woodbine lodge No. 2 (colored).

            Sons of Protection. Sons of Protection (colored).

            Royal Arcanum. Howard council No. 161, organized September 6, 1878.

            Royal League. Dayton council No. 258.

            Order of United American Mechanics. Mayflower council No. 33.

            Junior Order United American Mechanics. Crown council No. 35, instituted May 10, 1889; Miami council No. 7, instituted October 22, 1886; Independence council No. 124; Dayton City council ; South Park council ; Honor council No. 24, organized January 29, 1889; Surprise council No. 258; Plainview council No. 330. (page 242)

            Daughters of the Order of United American Mechanics. Luther Chapin council No. 1; Daughters of Zion (colored).

            Knights of the Maccabees. Dayton Tent No. 113; Edgemont tent No. 351.

            Ladies of the Maccabees. Dayton hive No. 146; Eureka hive No. 468.

 

Art in Dayton

 

            The fact that Dayton is now the possessor of an art museum, though it is still in its infancy, forms an important mile-stone in that portion of the history of the city which has to do with the fostering and development of art. Although Dayton has a reputation especially for her manufacturing and commercial alertness, she is in no wise behind the times in the direction of art.

            In addition to the purely local aspect of the art activities of Dayton, there have been those whose skill has been known beyond the confines of the city itself, and many who have left Dayton to take up their work with success and distinction elsewhere.

            In the beginning of things the name which perhaps more than any other arouses local pride and was of more than local distinction, is that of Charles Soule, who came to Dayton in 1826. His marked ability was along the line of portrait painting, an ability which brought him much attention while he was still but a young man. His portraits were characterized by such a remarkable portrayal of the personality of the subject, as well as of the features themselves, that he became the teacher of artists who already possesse.1 wider renown than himself. He never taught painting classes, as did his daughter, Miss Clara Soule, whose pupils, many of them now white-haired, still recall the trepidation with which they awaited his comments upon their young efforts on the occasions of his visits to Miss Soule's classes. One of Miss Soule's former pupils says, "No wonder we feared and respected him, for he was the leader of the art world of Dayton. He painted the generals, the judges and the doctors of the town; the beautiful young matrons and the charming girls." At one time, Henry Clay, a visitor in Dayton, sat for Mr. Soule.

            Mrs. Clara Soule Medlar inherited her father's gift for portrait painting as did Charles Soule, Jr., while Mrs. Octavia Soule Gottschall exhibited ability in water colors and work on porcelain and glazing.

            Two other portrait painters may be mentioned, Edmond Edmondson, and John Insco Williams, each noted for other abilities in addition to portraiture-the former for his studies in still life, especially vegetables and fruits, the latter for several panoramic canvases. Mrs. Eva Best and Mrs. Lulu Williams Buchanan, daughters of Mr. Williams, were also artists, Mrs. Buchanan having won a medal at the New Orleans exhibition in 1885.

            Other women have been prominent in Dayton's art circles, among them Mrs. Mary Forrer Peirce, at one time teacher of art in the Cooper Seminary; Miss Sophia Loury, some of whose work has been left with the Art League of New York City, and Miss Laura (page 243) Birge, who studied under Miss Clara Soule and later in Munich, Paris, and England.

            Otto Beck, now teaching in Pratt Institute, studied in Munich and in Italy, and while in Munich was the first American in eight years to receive a prize for a painting. Some of his pictures hang in    the museum in Brooklyn and some in that in Washington. Victor Shinn, for years a supervisor of art in the Dayton schools, now holds a similar position of responsibility in the Brooklyn Technical High School. The present supervisor of art in Dayton is Mr. Max Seifert, a graduate of Pratt Institute, and under his direction art work of high quality is being done in the high schools by Miss Annie Campbell and Miss Louise Beck.

            Among the younger artists whom Dayton has produced are several who deserve especial mention. Robert Whitmore was graduated from the Chicago Art Institute, and also studied at the Art Academy in Cincinnati. During the great war he was in the School of Fire, at the training camp for artillery officers, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Jacob Royer, whose especial ability is in nature studies and landscapes, is self-taught, having made it his habit to take his materials and camping outfit and spend days in the woods painting persistently and with remarkable results.

            Two young men who bid fair to make their mark in the line of commercial art are Ferdinand Bordewiseck and Leroy Sauer. The former, educated in the Dayton public schools, and facing many difficulties in the way of background and opportunity, went to New York where by his persistency and industry he secured for himself four years of study in the New York Art Students League, with which he is connected at the present time. Leroy Sauer, now in Dayton with a studio in the Mutual Home building, studied at the Cleveland School of Art, and later, following a year and a half of military service, studied in France.

            There have been numerous art organizations in Dayton. Among the earliest was the Decorative Art Society, which was formed in 1880, and which, under the direction of Professor Broome, did much in the way of pottery work. The Amateur Sketch Club, The Dayton Sketch Club, The Dayton View Art Club, the Dayton Society of Arts and Crafts, have all borne testimony to the perennial interest in things artistic among the people of Dayton. Mrs. Laura Howe Ogood, for a number of years before her death a resident of Dayton, did much to stimulate interest in pottery and bookbinding through her work with the students of the Howe Marot school and with others. Her work was of a very high order, having gained especial recognition from Mr. Edwin A. H. Barber, curator of the Pennsylvania museum in Philadelphia.

            June, 1912, saw the birth of an organization which was destined to make a definite contribution to the art life of the city of Dayton. At that time there was formed the Montgomery County Art Association. Its object was to foster an interest in art through bringing to Dayton art exhibits, providing lectures on art subjects both by local artists and by lectures from out of town, and by cooperating with other art organizations in the United States. The  first president was Mrs. Henry Stoddard, who, upon her departure (page 244) from Dayton, was succeeded by Mr. Houston Lowe under whose devoted leadership the association has made many strides forward. Miss Annie Campbell, for several years secretary of the association, helped largely in its success through her untiring service. The name of the organization was changed in 1917 to the Dayton Art Association under which name it continued until 1919. The activities of the organization have been varied and useful. As proof that they have not been limited to Dayton may be instanced the fact that the aid of the association was enlisted in the fight against a proposed increase in tariff on art objects in 1912. It has done much in the way of preparing and having published in the local newspapers articles on the art history of Dayton and on subjects calculated to arouse an interest on the part of the general public in matters of art. Another and more important method of achieving this result was through exhibitions of paintings. For several years Mrs. Henry Loy was indefatigable in her management of such exhibitions and made them a success in spite of many difficulties. Many of the exhibits have been made in Memorial Hall, some in the rooms of the Greater Dayton Association, and one in connection with the Delco Industrial Exhibit. This last gained splendid publicity, and was a very fine collection of oil paintings secured through the American Federation of Arts, with which the Dayton organization is affiliated. In addition to out-of-town collections there have been exhibits of the work of local artists. The attendance of the public on these occasions has been gratifying, increasing as it has from year to year.

            The Dayton flood played its part in connection with the art association as with everything else, for it just happened that at the time the city was inundated there was a collection of water colors hanging in Memorial Hall. It was, of course, thoroughly flooded, but as it was amply insured the artists were reimbursed, with the result that for some time afterwards no water color artist could speak of having sold a picture without having some envious soul remark, "Oh, yes, you did have a picture in the Dayton flood, didn't you?"

            Another activity of the Art Association has been arranging for lectures of popular interest on art subjects. In 1916 it launched a series of lectures to be given by local members of the Association. With the co-operation of the Board of Education, these lectures, which were given in the auditorium of Steele High School, and which            were illustrated by lantern slides from the Metropolitan Museum of New York, and elsewhere, were a decided success, the audiences more than once reaching the five hundred mark.

            Those who had the interests of the Association most at heart had always realized that before much of permanent good could be hoped for from an art organization, that organization must have a home of its own, adapted to all of the activities to be promoted. For several years exhibits had been held in whatever place had been secured and often under inadequate lighting conditions. Similarly, lectures had been given in borrowed halls. The Montgomery County Art Association felt it necessary to have a building for school and museum purposes. It was untiring in its efforts, which (page 245) were finally rewarded when in April, 1919, the association was incorporated under the name of the Dayton Museum of Art and a building was secured. This came about through the interest and generosity of several citizens, who made possible the purchase of a property on the southwest corner of St. Clair and Monument Avenue, on which stood the substantial old Kemper residence. This house has been remodeled at an expense of fifteen thousand dollars and equipped to meet the needs of the art association. There is to be a library of volumes. upon art subjects, rooms for lectures and for art classes, reception rooms, and space for the exhibits which will be brought to Dayton in the future as in the past. In addition to these arrangements there will be two apartments which will be used by the instructors in the art school. Mr. Robert Oliver, a graduate of the Chicago Art Institute has been engaged to be resident instructor. Robert Whitmore will have charge of the juvenile work. The remodeling is not to be confined to the house itself, but is to be extended to the garden. The ideas which will control the plans for the house and the garden, it is interesting to note, have been taken from the house in Chillicothe, Ohio, which was the residence of Governor Worthington, Ohio's first chief executive. With the coming of Mr. Oliver, the Museum of Art will offer a three-year course for students, in addition to other work. The classes include such subjects as drawing from cast in charcoal, still life, pictorial design, costume design, commercial art, elements of composition and design, drawing from model. The school accommodates approximately ninety students.

            The officers and promoters of this project which is to mean so much to the cultural life of Dayton are as follows : President, Houston Lowe ; vice-presidents, James M. Cox, B. B. Thresher, Mrs. H. G. Carnell, Orville Wright, Miss Annie Campbell; secretary, Mrs. Robert Patterson ; treasurer, J. A. McMillan ; executive committee, Mr. Lowe, Mr. Thresher, Mrs. Patterson, Mrs. Henry Stoddard and Mrs. Henry Loy.

            The following chairmen of committees are : Finance, Valentine Winters; Art, Mrs. Henry Stoddard; House and Grounds, Mrs. H. G. Carnell; Publicity, Mrs. Lee Warren James, and Education, Miss Electra Doren.  The trustees (including those mentioned as officers) are: Mrs. F. J. McCormick, Mrs. E. A. Deeds, Mrs. G. Harries          Gorman, Mrs. Frank T. Huffman, Mrs. N. B. Judah, Mr. Louis Lott., Mrs E. M. McIntire, Mrs. George Miller, Miss Martha K. Schauer, Mrs. George G. Shaw, Adam Schantz, F. H. Rike, Mrs. Penelope Perrill, John B. Hayward, Mrs. E. G. Burkham, David Lefkowitz, Mrs. Ira Crawford, Mrs. Scott Pierce, Mrs. Walter Kidder, Miss Virginia Blakeney. Some of these were elected for three years, some for two and some for one.

            The Art Association of Dayton has achieved much success in the past and has a great vision for the future. This is partly due to its many adherents and fine leadership, but to none more than to Miss Annie Campbell. She has been indefatigable in keeping the candle of art burning. Its light has flickered, its rays have been narrow and short, but it never lost entirely its glow. There was always Miss Campbell with her appreciative spirit, her keen art (page 246) perceptions, her belief in the artist, to encourage the exhibition of masterpieces, the purchase of a valuable picture. She has given advice and encouragement to the eager artist and the humble student.

            To Miss Annie Campbell, as patron and promoter of art in Dayton, worthy praise is due and in her honor may Dayton ever be a city beautiful.

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