ELL! The thing that 
we talked about all 
summer has at last material¬ 
ized. 
“Ladies,” said the Chair, 
sweetly, in an opulent, pre¬ 
siding-air of most suitable 
dignity and a frock of appro¬ 
priate Aprilly green, from the 
far side of her library table; 
“ladies—the question is on 
the adoption of the by-laws as 
amended. All in favor please 
say ‘aye!’ ” 
Everybody sang out “aye” 
at the top of her soprano or 
alto or mezzanine, to show 
her enthusiasm—and the Gar¬ 
den Club in that instant finally 
became. The Cottage Garden 
Club some had wanted to call it, but it got itself down as just the 
Garden Club, in the end. 
Mrs. Addicks, being in the chair, was elected president at once, 
of course—the president can serve but one year, anyway—and 
Helen Brinkerly got vice-president, Mrs. Joe Wright recording 
secretary, Mrs. Denton corresponding secretary, and Mrs. Curtis 
Salton-Applebv will receive and disburse the moneys, in the office 
of honorable treasurer. Not being the first president was some¬ 
thing of a blow in this quarter, I fancy; but the Salton-Applebv 
poise is, of course, equal to all ocasions—and what / may think 
and you may believe, we both instantly know is not so, when we 
meet with it! 
We certainly did a lot in three-quarters of an hour; but I think 
parliamentary practice is most offensive! Why, you can’t get a 
word in edgewise, and I tried seven times to say what I thought 
about meeting sometimes in the evening so the men could come 
and join; but it never took, nor even showed a sign of doing so. 
At last, when I had given up, and Mrs. Gilfeather had finished her 
speech, and Mrs. Thomas had made another, and they had had 
another eyes-nose-question performance, Mrs. Addicks suddenly 
beamed over at me and said: “If the secretary will now read 
Section i, Article IV of the By-Laws, Mrs. (calling me by name) 
will see that her suggestion has been anticipated, and that the Club 
is committed to four evening meetings during the year—which we 
hope the men will attend. And, of course we expect to have 
them as members; for the third article of the Constitution, which 
deals with membership, says that ‘any adult interested in garden¬ 
ing and living in this town or 
its vicinity is eligible to mem¬ 
bership.’ ” 
I got perfectly scarlet, I 
know I did—and I was fu¬ 
rious ! But, of course I 
beamed, too, as long as she 
did. Such rudeness, though— 
when she had heard me all the 
time! Yet she had just kept 
looking straight at Mrs. Gil¬ 
feather, who was standing up, 
talking something about the 
programs, and never winked 
an eyelash in my direction! 
That was why I was so anx¬ 
ious to get it in, of course, be¬ 
cause it had to do with pro¬ 
grams—if it had to do with 
anything. But you would 
have thought I was a wooden image. And then, to turn to me at 
last, like that! Oh, I think it was dreadful, and I shall not forget 
it in a hurry, you may be sure. 
After such a rebuke, I made sure to become perfectly familiar 
with the Constitution and By-Laws, so with particular care I 
copied them from the secretary’s minutes, and give them just as 
they appeared there. 
Constitution v 
Name: This Club shall be called the Home Garden Club. 
Objects: To stimulate interest and co-operative gardening; to 
put its members in touch with the development of new ideas and 
improvements in garden practice; and to study in all its aspects, 
the fine art of gardening. 
Membership: Any adult interested in gardening and living in 
this town or its vicinity is eligible to membership. 
Officers: The officers shall be a president, vice-president, re¬ 
cording secretary, corresponding secretary and treasurer. 
Executive Board: The officers of the Club and six members 
from the Club at large shall constitute a Board of Directors for the 
transaction of business. 
Annual Meeting: The February meeting shall be for the elec¬ 
tion of officers, the reading of annual reports, the payment of dues 
and the awarding of the final prizes on the sum total of the year’s 
work. 
Amendment: This Constitution may be amended by a two- 
thirds vote at the annual meeting, provided notice of such amend- 
Editor’s Note: The garden’s contribution to the individual’s welfare is acknowl¬ 
edged. Health, happiness, the joy of creating something beautiful — these are but a 
few of many gifts with which the garden rewards its devotees. But the community 
is also a gainer where there is a concerted effort in horticulture. The garden club 
is a great factor in neighborhood betterment. Here is a true story of the work of 
a certain such club and its accomplishments. What the members actually did should 
be a stimulation to all who love gardens and a guide to the ways and means of im¬ 
proving our towns and villages. 
THE GARDEN 
CLUB 
(109) 
