Arcadia Literary Club

Sisterhood of women gather together each month to promote literary culture and carry traditions that are 95 years in the making.

In 1914, a group of women in Arcadia decided to get together to discuss world travels, literature and culture. Today, their legacy lives on in the current generation of women who make up the Arcadia Literary Club.

Although times have changed from the original group of women, the club's sisterhood and sense of community are just as strong, filling a vital need for its 30 members and honorary lifetime members ranging in age from the 20's to 90's. "We don't have a Junior League in Arcadia," said Melissa Sanders, the club's current president, adding that the club is the closest thing to "a fancy ladies party" that the area has.

I met with the women during their December meeting, which took place at Jaime Kirschner's home. Upon entering the foyer, I saw a beautifully decorated dining room table laden with finger foods, salads, desserts and a red velvet cake topped with flowers. It was Southern Living meets Martha Stewart, and the ambience reminded me of an elegant manor house in New England or an antebellum home in Atlanta. Clearly the ladies in the group know a thing or two about southern hospitality.

The club's purpose is to bring together women who are educated and curious about the world outside their community. Its objective is printed inside each year's program:

"The object of the Arcadia Literary Club shall be to promote the literary culture among its members and to contribute to the advancement of a true literary appreciation in our community."

Most members have traveled extensively and many are educators. Most of the members in the group have one common tie or another, be it community, friendship or family. For instance, Raye Southwell, the club's secretary, was the guidance counselor for some of the younger women in the group. Some have relatives currently in the group, and several have ancestors who belonged years and years ago. But mostly the women of the Arcadia Literary Club are bonded due to their love of art, literature and culture; they want to share their views and experiences. Their membership in the club allows them to share their worldviews with other like-minded individuals.

Sanders, a fifth-generation Arcadian, said that several members of her family, including her great-grandmother, have belonged to the group. After living in England for awhile, Sanders came back to Arcadia in 2004 to help her grandmother and decided to settle in her hometown. She joined the club in 2005.

Kim Fender, who is on the executive committee, remembers her great grandmother Omah Koch regaling her with tales of the group. "I grew up listening to her stories," she said, "back in its early years when the women of the group wore dresses and white gloves."

When 93-year-old honorary lifetime member Haline Carlton joined in 1984, times had already changed. By then, women in the group were doing something quite revolutionary from days gone by. They wore pants.

Carlton, whose late husband was an eighth generation Arcadian from a pioneer family, held various positions in the club, including president. She was instrumental in moving the refreshments hour from the end of the meeting to the beginning. This might not sound like much, but it was. When refreshments were served at the end of the meeting, the women would go home and cook dinner for their families, but they wouldn't be hungry since they had eaten just an hour or so earlier, she said.

A retired high school math teacher and administrator from Miami, Carlton and her husband moved to his hometown of Arcadia upon their retirement. She admitted it took her awhile to adjust because she was used to living in a city. However, she eventually decided that Arcadia would be her hometown, too, and the Literary Club helped her to become a part of the community.

Carlton, who looks and acts much younger than her 93 years, attributed part of that to the fact that she has kept her mind active by looking for interesting things to do and study, and the club has provided an outlet for her intellectual needs.

While fashion and the group's schedule might have gone through some transitions over the years, some things have always stayed the same. The club still chooses one theme that's carried throughout the year—October through May—and during each meeting, the designated speaker shares her own perspective on the topic. Every meeting begins with a quote that pertains to the year's theme. The December meeting began with a quote by Elbert Hubbard:

"I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate."

Additionally, the "Collect" is recited by the club's members. Written by Myrtle Treadwell, a past member, it is one of the club's longest-standing traditions:

"Eternal Father of all mankind, bless our country, America; teach us Thy way and give all who are directing its affairs grace, wisdom and courage to promote righteousness at home and in all its relationships with all the world. May peace and harmony prevail. Give to each of Thy children the kindly look, the golden speech and the helping hand, that Thy way may be made plain and God exalted in all the world."

The club has also retained its structure, with a slate of officers including president, vice president, second vice president, secretary, treasurer and others. Active membership, not counting honorary lifetime members, has always been kept to 30.

There's an election for officers in the spring, and if there are openings, nominations for new members are discussed. Members, most of who are from Arcadia, are chosen and recommended by other members. This is not a group one can approach and apply for membership. And being nominated doesn't necessarily assure immediate membership. "We ask them to come a couple of times so that we get to know them," Sanders said.

Apparently the formula works, because the women gathered in Kirschner's living room seemed to be members of a family.

The 2008-2009 year has the group discussing "The Pursuit of Happiness." After refreshments in Kirschner's home, the women gathered around Marcia Brown as she gave her interpretation of happiness. Brown focused her talk on her faith. After reciting definitions of happiness from Webster's Dictionary and a thesaurus, she read excerpts from Rick Warren's book, The Purpose of Christmas. She also quoted some Bible passages and then read O'Henry's Gift of the Magi.

The previous month Susan Barnes talked about the psychological study of happiness and referred to a psychology book on the subject, Sanders said, adding that each speaker brings her own unique interpretation to the subject at hand. Each speaker is chosen at the beginning of the year, and since there are more women than months in the calendar year, there's not a lot of pressure put on the women to volunteer.

take up a collection at the December meeting for a local charity. The collections from this meeting benefited the Arcadia Center for the Needy. Once a year there's an outing that ties in with the year's theme. Last year's theme, Wine, Food and Travel, brought the women to a winery in the Sarasota area.

After Brown finished her presentation, the meeting was over, but many women stayed and continued sharing stories and memories. Standing in Kirschner's home and listening to the older women talking about days gone by and hearing younger members remembering their grandmothers' stories, it's easy to imagine how it must have been back then. I could nearly sense a group of elegantly attired ladies with the coifed hairdos, wearing white gloves with matching hats and handbags, smiling down on those who have carried on their tradition, assuring a cultural and literary life in Arcadia will go on.