No. 6 looked very full indeed that Saturday afternoon when the S. S.
U. C. came together for the first time. Ten members were present.
Mary Silver and Louisa were two; and Rose's crony, Esther Dearborn,
another. The remaining four were Sally Alsop and Amy Erskine; Alice
Gibbons, one of the new scholars, whom they all liked, but did not
know very well; and Ellen Gray, a pale, quiet girl, with droll blue
eyes, a comical twist to her mouth, and a trick of saying funny
things in such a demure way that half the people who listened never
found out that they were funny. All Rose's chairs had been borrowed
for the occasion. Three girls sat on the bed, and three on the floor.
With a little squeezing, there was plenty of room for everybody.
Katy was chosen President, and requested to take the rocking-chair as
a sign of office. This she did with much dignity, and proceeded to
read the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society, which had been drawn
up by Rose Red, and copied on an immense sheet of blue paper.
They ran thus:--
CONSTITUTION FOR THE SOCIETY FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF UNLADYLIKE
CONDUCT, KNOWN TO THE UNINITIATED AS THE S. S. U. C.
ARTICLE I.
The object of this Society is twofold: it combines
having a good time with the Pursuit of VIRTUE.
ARTICLE II.
The good time is to take place once a week in No. 6
Quaker Row, between the hours of four and six P. M.
ARTICLE III.
The nature of the good time is to be decided upon by
a Committee to be appointed each Saturday by the members
of the Society.
ARTICLE IV.
VIRTUE is to be pursued at all times and in all seasons,
by the members of the Society setting their faces against
the practice of bowing and speaking to young gentlemen
who are not acquaintances; waving of pocket handkerchiefs,
signals from windows, and any species of conduct which
would be thought unladylike by nice people anywhere, and
especially by the mammas of the Society.
ARTICLE V.
The members of the Society pledge themselves to use their
influence against these practices, both by precept and
example.
In witness whereof we sign.
Katherine Carr, President.
Rosamond Redding, Secretary.
Clover E. Carr.
Mary L. Silver.
Esther Dearborn.
Sally P. Alsop.
Amy W. Erskine.
Alice Gibbons.
Ellen Whitworth Gray.
Next followed the By-Laws. Katy had not been able to see the necessity
of having any By-Laws, but Rose had insisted. She had never heard of
a Society without them, she said, and she didn't think it would be
"legal" to leave them out. It had cost her some trouble to invent
them, but at last they stood thus:--
BY-LAW NO. 1.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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