The first topic would cover his home, his early education, the influence of his mother, and his gradual growth into his place in the world.
The second would take up what he did; his travels, his interest in painting, architecture, economics and sociology; his friends, his controversy with Whistler and its outcome, his contact with Oxford, and the books he wrote.
The third would be a resumé of what Ruskin actually accomplished; of the value of his work to society, and his influence on social problems; and the question would be raised, Are his views considered sound to-day?
Such a paper, illustrated by brief readings, would be of a certain value, for it would be clear, concise, and full of matter which would probably be fresh to many club members; and any subject may be treated in the same general way; one has only to choose one on which plenty of material can be found, then read everything to be had on it, make out an outline of three or four topics covering the whole and take these up one by one, illustrating with anecdotes, quotations and the estimates of others, and the paper is sure to be interesting. What should never be done is to write a paper without making an outline; the result of that is vagueness and repetition.
The value of a discussion after a paper cannot be over-estimated. One joins a club not so much to acquire information, because that can be done by reading books at home, but rather to learn to express oneself readily and intelligently. This is why in planning a club it is best to emphasize the two points; first, that members must talk over the subjects at the close of each meeting, speaking briefly and always to the point; and second, that papers should not be too long, or too heavy, but full of matter, interesting, and above all, suggestive.
Debates are always of value to club women, for as we know too well, they are not naturally logical; debating soon shows one how easy it is to think in a hazy, indefinite way, and how difficult to say clearly and concisely what is to be said.
It will be necessary, of course, to learn the accepted methods of debating, and know how to present the points of the argument progressively and with a climax, as well as to anticipate the points likely to be made by the opponent. Each side must also be limited as to time.
As to the subject of a debate, it is a safe rule to choose the concrete rather than the abstract, a large subject rather than a limited one, and one of general interest. There should also be two well defined sides, rather than something accepted by everybody. Such things as the views of some writer on socialism, or the permanency of the work of a well-known novelist or poet, or political, but not partizan, questions are always acceptable.
To make club work successful year after year it should be remembered that a club is not a university; that it should not be scholastic, but full of human interests. Tastes of members vary, and so the subjects selected should be attractive, fresh, and stimulating. In a large club there may be committees on different subjects, art, civics, child study and the like, each one a little club in itself, meeting weekly, and the whole club can gather once a month and the committees in turn present a program on their special subjects, and so every member be satisfied. As years go by it will be found that members grow to like subjects other than those they began with, and more general work will be taken up.
Last of all, to have a successful club it is essential that there should be no members who are mere listeners. Each woman actually has something to contribute, if only in a very quiet way, and a good chairman of a program can find out what this is; the little talent may take shape in a paper, or a talk, or a part in a discussion, or some music, or only a quotation or a reading. But a club is worth just as much to a member as she puts into it, and no more. Any woman who is not willing to do something in the way of real work should drop out and give some one else the place which she occupies but does not fill.