The Complete Club Book for Women. Caroline French Benton
great islands lie close to Italy and are connected with its history. The first is Corsica. It has a stirring story, especially of the time when it belonged to Genoa, when the great Genoese Towers, still standing, were built to protect it against the Saracens. The fact that Napoleon was a Corsican should be mentioned. Some account of the vendetta should not be omitted and illustrations from Prosper Mérimée's "Colomba" may be read aloud.
Sardinia, lying close to Corsica, is sometimes significantly called the "Backward Island." One point for its study is the feudal system, which continued there until the middle of the nineteenth century, and another the brigandage for which it has been known for ages. See "The Forgotten Isles," by Vuillier, translated by Frederic Breton (Appleton).
The history of Sicily is worth some months of study, for it opens the story of the wars of Rome with Carthage. Consider the varied experience of the city of Syracuse, the prosperity and political importance of Sicily in the Middle Ages, the coming of Victor Emmanuel and Garibaldi, in later years. Last, note the impoverished condition of the country to-day. Read from Sicily, in the Story of the Nations series (Putnam), and some translations from Thucydides and Theocritus.
Malta, a possession of Great Britain, is of interest especially in connection with the Knights of Saint John. Minorca may be looked up also for a special paper. See "Sicily, the Garden of the Mediterranean," by W. S. Monroe (The Page Company).
The wild, mountainous islands of Scotland are peopled with fishing folk whose language is still mostly Gaelic and whose customs are singularly primitive. Read "A Daughter of Fife," by Amelia E. Barr, to show their strong character. The Hebrides, lower down on the west coast, are wonderfully picturesque. Read William Black's "A Princess of Thule." Mull is remarkable for its beauty and for its Gaelic population and traditions. Iona, a tiny island with a most important early Christian history, has a ruined cathedral and graveyard containing many striking and very ancient Celtic crosses. Staffa, near by, has a famous basaltic formation and cave.
Most of England's islands are not grouped but stand singly. The Isle of Man, off the west coast, is a somewhat wild place. Read Hall Caine's "The Deemster," to learn of its people. The Isle of Wight, on the south, is a garden spot. Note the famous places and people connected with them and show pictures of Osborne House and Tennyson's home. The Scilly Islands have a romantic past, partly legendary; see Besant's "Armorel of Lyonesse." The Channel Islands, a group, are foreign, quaint, wild, and beautiful. Their history is fascinating and they have been the home of political refugees almost to the present day. Read "The Channel Islands," by J. E. Morris (Macmillan Co.), and "Toilers of the Sea," by Victor Hugo.
Off the west coast of Africa are a few well-known islands. Toward the north lies Madeira, long famous for its wine; to-day it is being developed into a highly successful market garden, supplying England with fruits and vegetables. Its picturesque population and the old city of Funchal are charming. See "The Story of Madeira," by D. Dimmit (The Methodist Book Concern).
Just below this lie the volcanic islands known as the Canaries, which are thought to be the Fortunate Isles of antiquity. Strangely enough, they seem to have dropped out of history for a time, and were rediscovered in the fourteenth century. To-day they belong to Spain. Show a picture of the Peak of Teneriffe.
The Cape Verde Islands deserve a passing glance, largely because Darwin, in his "Volcanic Islands," makes them interesting. Just below these lies St. Helena, the prison of Napoleon, which should have a separate paper. Read from the "Life of Napoleon," by Sir Walter Scott.
On the opposite coast lies Madagascar, mentioned long ago by Ptolemy. It remained a wild, uncivilized place until a century ago, when it came into touch with trade; since that time it has had a dramatic story. See "Madagascar and Its People," by James Sibree, and "Thirty Years in Madagascar," by T. T. Matthews (Doran).
Near by lies Mauritius, the Île de France, settled long ago by good French families and well known in modern history. The story of "Paul and Virginia," by Saint Pierre, is laid here, and also that of "My Little Girl," by Besant and Rice. Read both of these.
The islands of the Pacific are so numerous, so important, and so immensely interesting that clubs can well afford to spend months in studying them. The best plan is to take the map and divide the islands into groups.
Take first the lovely Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands, twelve in all. One paper should treat of their natural features, especially the famous volcanoes. Another may take up the early history, speaking of the fact that the people voluntarily abandoned idolatry as absurd and were without religion for years, when they asked that help along this line should be sent to them. The story of the coming of the first missionaries and their work is remarkable. A third paper may be on the visit of the native king and queen to England, a fourth may deal with the leper colony at Molokai, and a fifth may describe the establishment of the republic, and, later, its annexation to the United States.
Following westward on the map, the Caroline Islands and the Ladrones should be studied; Guam, of the latter group, is now a possession of the United States.
Several meetings should be given to the Philippine Islands, which come next. Papers may be written on some of these topics, among many that might be suggested: description of the islands; the early history; the condition under Spain; the uprising of 1896; the physician, poet and reformer Rizal; the people to-day, their habits and customs; the establishment of a United States Commission and the work of the various bureaus, especially that of education. A discussion may follow: Should the Philippines be made self-governing? Read "The Philippine Islands," by F. W. Atkinson (Ginn).
Contrasted with these islands lie another group of three – Borneo, Sumatra, and Java. The first two have wonderful fauna and flora, hundreds of varieties of native woods and great natural resources, yet are in a singularly backward condition. Read "Seventeen Years Among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo," by E. H. Gomes (Lippincott). See also many recent magazine articles. Java, lying close to this, is wholly different. It belongs to Holland and is the important colony of the Dutch. Its early history is interesting and the remains of its primitive civilization are being unearthed. Read from "Java, Sumatra, and Other Islands," by A. Cabaton (Scribner). Have one entire meeting given to the beautiful island of Ceylon, before turning south.
New Guinea is near Australia and closely resembles it in striking physical peculiarities. It is but slightly settled, and the Dutch and English divide its ownership; the latter have found it rich in resources and are making it commercially profitable.
Several small groups of islands to the east may be studied next. The Fiji Islands were long known as the home of cannibals, and their turning toward civilization makes an interesting study.
The Friendly Islands, or Tonga group, lie farther south and east; they were inhabited by a wild and cruel people, now changed into a fairly civilized and educated little nation, with churches and schools; many of the people speak English.
The Society Islands are still farther west. The scenery here is magnificent, with coral formations and atolls, tropical foliage, and great waterfalls; this is called the Garden of the Pacific. The New Hebrides have a special interest from the work of John G. Paton. Read his life by his son (Doran). Close to these last groups lies Samoa, beloved of Stevenson. Clubs should read of it from his books. See "In the South Seas," and his Letters.
Of the three islands near the southern end of Australia, Tasmania, close to the larger country, is as large as Scotland. It was for years one of England's penal colonies, but to-day it stands for everything that is advanced and enlightened; its school system is remarkable and its commerce highly developed. It is practically the home of a part of the English people. Just beyond it lie the two islands that form New Zealand, which, from the point of view of sociology, is one of the world's places of mark. Read "New Zealand at Home," by B. A. Loughnan (Newnes, London), and "New Zealand in Evolution," by G. H. Scholefield (Scribner); also magazine articles.
Japan, one of the foremost powers of the world to-day, is confined geographically to four principal islands, with hundreds of smaller ones grouped around these. At least four meetings