Ladies Reading Association - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

“The Coming Woman” – Mrs. CS McDonald, Editor. The Ladies’ Reading Association of Crawfordsville – Rooms in Hughes’ Block – Lizzie M. Boynton, President. Mary H. Campbell, Secretary Two weeks since we invited everybody to attend a fancy dress picnic to be given under the auspices of the Ladies Reading Asociation.  The invitation was kindly received and on Thursday July 22 the picnic was effected. We were assured so many times that the said picnic was a “success” that we are quite convinced that it was and so hasten to tell the readers of the Coming Woman all about it.  The fist great essential to the success of a picnic is good weather. The day was perfect. The next essential as you all know is a pleasant place. Everybody knows tha the beautiful grounds kindly pe at our disposal by Mrs. Vanhook are the most beautiful groves in the county.  The weather being pleasant and the locality delightful what of the crowd?  250 persons were in attendance to say nothing of the small boys who climbed the fences. This as you know was a “sorosis” pic nic and we were delights to have this pic nic the occasion of the debut of two of our ladies as members of a Quartette Silver Band. The name Wilhite has become almost a musical term in our community, so associated have the brothers been with our excellent band and the name received new laurels yesterday when Mr. OG Wilhite together with his wife and daughter Miss Caddie and son Frank furnished us such excellent music. The Association tendered them a vote of thanks as we are sure the visitors seconded the motion.  We also have a vote of thanks for Mr. Eli Compton who generously devoted his time and his horses to our use during the entire afternoon; and yet again for Mr. Chill who gave us his services at the gate. We looked over the groups watched the merry couples at croquet, listened to the music, slyly glanced at lovers who could not be inducted to come down from their carriages and our decision was that if anybody failed to have a good time it was not the fault of the pic nic. Think of an Indian, a Flower girl, an aged QUakeress and a saucy peasant girl engaged in a game of croquet. A fancy dress picnic was something new and hence it was difficult to induce many ladies to deviate from present fashion and hence the number in fancy dress was limited. We noticed two Indians, two flower girls, two gipsies, one or two peasant girls and a Quakeress. Some of the little children were dress in red, white and blue and our little friend, Mintie Richardson dressed as a fashionable young lady, gave us a recicitation.  Of course the supper was excellent, pic nic suppers always are and we think the afternoon sped swiftly and pleasantly to all who attended the pic nic.  LMB