The Six and Twenty Club met in early February at the First Christian Church with Beverly Drapalik, hostess, and Theresa Rembert, presenter. Judy Johnston gaveled the meeting for president Patti Cook, who was absent. Mary Ann Raizk read the minutes. Rembert began her presentation by talking about Brian Doyle, author of the book she is circulating, “One Long River of Song.” Doyle is known for his “quirky” writing style, humor and fine attunement to nature, family and community. Besides writing entertaining essays he is known for his novels and poetry.
Because 2023 is the 125th anniversary year of the founding of the Six and Twenty Club, Rembert presented research on what the women in New York City were doing 125 years ago. She focused on the proliferation of literary clubs for women during that time. It was a time when women found themselves caught up in a new spirit, a new awareness of themselves and their influence as a group. They expanded their interests beyond literary clubs. They established an organization to address the needs of working women and helped establish a hotel for working women. They pushed for legislation to “regulate the employment of women and children in mercantile establishments.”
They became interested in public health needs. They helped to raise money for the building of the Women’s Medical College of N.Y. In 1896, Emily Kemplin, who earned a law degree from the University of Zurich, started the first law school for women in N.Y Women also began to ask for equal pay as teachers and for the right to have representatives on the Mayor’s Common Schools Commission. It was a time when suffrage organizations were emerging in N.Y. and Brooklyn. In 1906, the women of N.Y. set up their own polling booths during a national election. Five hundred women showed up to cast votes they knew would not be counted.
One suffragette started a cab company. She equipped her one cab with fur coats, mittens and scarves to keep the ladies warm. She had a trained female mechanic on board to repair the carburetor should they run into problems. By 1897 the various suffragists associations merged into one: Women’s Suffrage Union of the City of New York. In 1894, New York City Professional Women’s League devoted its meeting to the topic: “Twentieth Century Women.”
The keynote speaker made the following statement: “Women are beginning to live. They have never had a voice in the world yet it is their world and they have paid their life’s blood for its existence. The woman of the past is dead.”
An energetic discussion followed Rembert’s presentation. Mrs. Drapolik provided a Valentine-themed table with pink tulips, heart shaped cookies and beautiful fabric bags of chocolate candy.
