Montreal Women's Club

MONTREAL WOMEN'S CLUB
Founded December 16th, 1892, incorporated April 4, 1893

From: Report of the Montreal Womens Club May 1894

"Neither need we enter upon any defence of our raison d'etre for when we remember the limited opportunities afforded to women in Montreal it will surely be clear to evey intelligent person that it was indeed time for women to study and discuss questions relating not alone to their welfare as a sex, but questions whose solution has a direct bearing on the well-being of humanity. When we remember that women have no seat on the school boards, nor hospital boards; that they are directly excluded from the Faculty of Medicine of our chief University; that our General Hospital and the Royal Victoria have refused to admit women medical students to their bedside clinics, and that even now, as has been lately declared by the Dean of the Medical Faculty of Bishop's College, the only place where women can obtain a medical education in this Province, a scheme is on foot to cause it's downfall; that it is now sought to establish as a precedent that no woman, however unquestioned her qualifications, need apply for the post of principal in a mixed school; that the School of Art and Design in this city, an institution supported by the Government, refuses to women students the tuition that it freely gives to men; when we remember these disabilities, and many others that I have not space to mention, and consider they are the result of ignorance and intollerance; we surely are doing right in casting light into such dark places, so that the on-coming of the clear day of knowledge and sympathy may be hastened, and that we may be found, like the wise virgins, in rediness for the high opportunities that have been won for us. For these objects our club has been formed."

.................Marguerite MacNaughton 1894

"On December 7th, 1892, a number of ladies at
Mrs. Robert Reid's invitation met at her residence
to hear adresses from Mrs. Celia P. Wooley, of Chicago,
and Mrs. Julia Plato Harvey, Vice-President of the Chicago
Women's Club. These two ladies had just completed a tour
through the United States, delivering a series of addresses
to some of the most prominant Women's Clubs.

After a most interesting address on the organization and
work of such societies, an informal discussion on the
desireability of forming one in Montreal took place, and
as there seemed to be a general feeling in favour thereof,
a committee was appointed consisting of Mrs. R. Reid,
Mrs. R.C. Adams, Mrs. Costigan, Mrs. Macnaughton
and Miss Hunter, to arrange matters for a public meeting
which was held at the Fraser Institute on Friday, December
16th, 1892. It was then unanimously decided that a Club
be formed, the object being to promote agreeable and
useful relations among women of artistic, literary,
scientific and philantrophic tastes.

After discussion the name was decided on as the
Montreal Women's Club and the work was arranged to
be done in the following departments Home and
Education, Art and Literature, and Social Science.
A provisional constitutionwas presented and discussed
and the following executive was provisionally elected.
President, Mrs. Robert Reid;
First Vice-President, Mrs. Sinton;
Treasurer, Mrs. R.D.McGibbon;
Secretary, Mrs. W.G. McNaughton.
This with the addition of Mrs. John Lovell
as Second Vice-President became
the permanent executive for the year.

At this organization meeting thirty-four ladies
signed the membership roll.

The club was incorporated April 4th 1893,
Mr. W.D. Lighthall having carried through the necessary
legal formalities gratuitously; petitions were presented to
the Western Hospital asking the appointment of a lady,
Dr. Grace Ritchie, on the out-door staff and to the
Legislature and Montreal Council, asking for the appoint-
ment of women on the Board of School Commissioners.

The last meeting of the season, held on May 26th, 1893
was of a social nature.

Executive Committee 1894-95

President
First Vice-President
Second Vice-President
Recording Secretary
Corresponding Sect'y
Treasurer

Mrs. Robert Reid
Mrs. John Lovell
Mrs. W.T. Costigan
Mrs. W.G.Macnaughton
Mrs. J.C. Sinton
Mrs. R.D. McGibbon

Directors of Departments
Art And Literature

Mrs Cumming, Chairman

Mrs. Eglaugh, Secy

Mrs Walter Townshend

Home And Education

Mrs. Hunter, Chairman

Mrs. J. Shearer, Secy

Mrs. W.N. Evans

Social Science

Mrs. Stroud, Chairman

Mrs. R.C. Adams, Secy

Mrs. Freeland

Social Committee
Chairman.....Mrs Anson McKim

Mrs. J.S. Bullick		Mrs. R.G. Brown
Mrs. R.M. Liddell		Miss Linton
Miss Smith		Miss Lyall

Rooms and Library Committee
Chairman.....Mrs. Allan Parsons

Mrs. J. Liddell		Mrs. A. Grafton
Mrs. S. Munn		Mrs. J. Black
Miss Saxe		Miss Warren

Musical Committee
Chairman.......Miss Costigan

Mrs. C.F. Hayes

Miss H.R.Y. Reid

Honorary Councel

R.D. McGibbon, Q.C.

Percy C. Ryan, B.A., BCL

LIST OF MEMBERS MAY 1894

NAME ON LIST

WHO WAS SHE?
(Not from the report !)

RELATED TO:

Mrs. R.C. ADAMS	Mary Emily JOB, w/o Robert Chamblet ADAMS
Mrs. M.C. BAKER	Mary LOVELL, d/o John LOVELL & Sarah KURCZYN w/o Malcolm Clapp BAKER
Mrs. W.S. BARNES	Mary Alice TUNNER, w/o Rev. William Sullivan BARNES
Miss BARJUM
Miss E. (M.A.) BINMORE	Elizabeth BINMORE d/o Thomas BINMORE & Mary C. MORTON
Miss D. BISHOP
Mrs. Jno. BLACK
Mrs. W. BRETT
Mrs. R.G. BROWN	possibly Mary A. HIGHT, d/o William HIGHT & Matilda GAY w/o Robert G. BROWN
Mrs. J.S. BULLICK
Mrs. CAINS	probably Amy COWANS, w/o George Lighthall CAINS d/o Robert COWANS
Mrs. W.T. COSTIGAN	Christina SHEARER, w/o William Thomas COSTIGAN d/o James SHEARER & Eliza GRAHAM	Patty Brown
Miss COSTIGAN
Mrs. W.T. CUMMING
Miss C.M. (B.A.) DERICK	Carrie Matilda DERICK, d/o Frederick DERICK & Edna COLTON
Mrs. C.H. DOBBIN	nee ROSS, w/o C.H. DOBBIN
Miss A. DODSWORTH
Mrs. T.G. DRUMMOND
Miss EGLAUCH
Mrs. W.N. EVANS
Miss C.A. FRASER
Miss E.S. FRANCIS
Miss E. FRANCIS
Miss G. FRANCIS
Mrs. FREELAND
Mrs. A.R. GRAFTON
Mrs. GRANT
Mrs. HAYES
Miss HICKS
Miss HUNTER
Miss G. (B.A.) HUNTER	Georgina HUNTER
Mrs. KOLMYER
Mrs. A. KYLE
Mrs. Jno. LEWIS
Mrs. J.H. LIDDELL
Mrs. R.M. LIDDELL	Victoria SWINBURNE , d/o George SWINBURNE w/o Robert Murdoch LIDDELL
Miss LINTON
Mrs. Jno. LOVELL	Sarah KURCZYN w/o John LOVELL
Miss E. LOVELL	probably Emily LOVELL, d/o John LOVELL & Sarah KURCYZN soon (1898) to become the wife of Frederick G. FINLEY
Mrs. Robt. LOVELL
Miss J. LYALL	Jean Shearer LYALL, d/o Peter LYALL & Christina OMAN soon to become the wife of David William LOCKERBY	Patty Brown
Mrs. R.D. McGIBBON	Sallie HOWARD WARD , d/o R.P. HOWARD w/o Robert Davidson McGIBBON
Mrs. H. McINTYRE
Mrs. Anson McKIM	Bessie TRUE d/o Hon. George W. TRUE, of Portland Maine w/o Anson McKIM
Mrs. Andrew McLAREN
Miss McLEA
Mrs.W.G.MACNAUGHTON	Marguerita FRANCIS w/o William George McNAUGHTON d/o John FRANCIS & Elizabeth PROSSER
Miss A.M. MAY
Mrs. Geo MARTIN	possibly Marion GASS, w/o George MARTIN
Miss MATHEWSON
Dr. Elizabeth MITCHELL	Elizabeth Simpson MITCHELL, d/o Alexander MITCHELL
Mrs. MUNN	possibly Miss LOCKERBY, w/o D.J. MUNN
Mrs. E.G. O'CONNOR	nee VAIL, w/o Edward George O'CONNOR
Mrs. Allan PARSONS
Mrs. J.K. REID
Mrs. Jas. REID
Miss H.R.Y (B.A.) REID	Helen Richmond Young REID, d/o Robert REID & Eliza Ann McINTOSH
Mrs. Robt. REID	Eliza Ann McINTOSH, d/o N.C. McINTOSH & Margaret BROWN w/o Robert REID
Mrs. Jas. ROBERTSON
Dr. Grace RITCHIE	Octavia Grace RITCHIE, d/o Thomas W. RITCHIE soon (1897) to become the wife of Dr. Frank Richardson ENGLAND
Miss May REYNOLDS
Mrs. Carroll RYAN	Mary A. McIVER, w/o Carroll RYAN
Miss F. SAXE	possibly Mary Sollace SAXE d/o James SAXE & Sarah SOLLACE
Mrs. J.S. SHEARER	Caroline Henrietta PELTON, d/o T.J. PELTON, N.P. w/o John Sharp SHEARER
Mrs. J.C. SINTON
Miss A. SMITH
Mrs. SOUTHWELL
Mrs. H. Wallace STROUD
Mrs. SYMISTER
Mrs. Page THROWER
Mrs. W. TOWNSEND
Mrs. Jno TROTTER
Miss WAND
Miss E. WAND
Miss E. WARREN
Mrs. WESTGATE
Mrs. C.T. WILLIAMS
Mrs. F.F. WORKMAN

Click here to view a full copy of the 1894 Report on the Montreal Womens Club through "Early Canadiana online"

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