the club monthly - june

The Club Monthly - a handmade magazine lovingly made in 1920.

The front over of a homemade magazine wih pink flower illustrations.

The Club Monthly - June

For every child still in schooling, June brings the excitement of summer - and summer holidays. A summer break was certainly on the minds of the young writers contributing to June's edition of The Club Monthly.

The 1921 June edition features a story from author A.D.M about the pain of getting homework on your holiday.

A handwritten story in a magazine. See below for transcript.

'J-just because, just because that ass Lydia Conlay had no sense we've got to do a holiday task just think of it', Mandie Frazer splutter with anger, 'and Vallie and I were going to have such a good time' she continued in a mournful voice. 'But won't it be nice to have something to learn when we have nothing to do all day long', interrupted the bland voice of Lydia.

'Nice to learn uh help nothing to do gracious! Are you silly, sure there is boating, bathing, fishing and I don't know what else'.

'You horror, you mean thing, how could you?' It was Veda [?] this time.

'You selfish thing' this from Sally [?].

'You cat' 'You b-beast' 'do you call yourself a sport?'

Poor Lydia looked dazed and no wonder for the whole of Form IV upper were crowding around and scolding her.

'The idea' scoffed Valeria Malcolm 'of suggesting such a thing to Miss Gallagher'. 'How nice I think it would be, I think, Miss Gallagher if you gave us a holiday task' went on Val mimicking Lydia's voice so well that the class went into shrieks of laughter and Lydia blinked aggressively behind her huge glasses.

'Well we always had to do a holiday task at Miss Campbell's and I just suggest it to Miss Gallagher and - '

'She just snatched the opportunity of course, you fathead,' broke in Veda rudely. Just then the bell went for class and the conversation ceased. The girls of Melbourne House were wildly excited as it was the last day and 'we'll be free tomorrow' they sighed happily.

Two girls were packing up their treasures to take to the seaside and they had finished and were sitting on the case to make it shut when Valeria suddenly jumped off without any warning thereby upsetting her friend Mandie.

'Oh what a nuisance we've not got our beastly poetry book in' shouted Val.

'Oh dash! I'd forgotten, I suppose we must take it?' 'Um - yes, better perhaps.' So the book was shoved in somehow.

Two very happy girls stayed up late that night going all round the place, and see if everything was just as they had left it last year. The two families, the Malcolms and the Frazers, always stayed in the huge big castle in Scotland. Mandie had just one brother and no sisters. Graham always had his chum Bobbie McLauren to stay with him. Val was an only chld. Bobbie's parents were in India so it was nice for him to go to Scurdy Ness Castle up in the highlands with his chum.

They had been there three days when Val and Mandie suggested going out in a boat, both being competent sailors they were allowed out in the tiny motorboat.

'Let's get some toffee and we'll take a book and then when we get far out into the Loch we can enjoy ourselves,' was Val's suggestion. 'Agreed' sang out Mandie.

'Let's take our blessed poetry and get it over for it's preying on my mind' said Val.

'Oh bother I suppose we'd better, then it will be over sure can ask each other it in the morning.'

'Righto come on'.

'Oh brains again what about asking Jeannie to pack a camper and we'll stay till we can say it off pat.'

'Well anyway come on and hurry your bones.'

They had a lovely afternoon in the boat and after they had had their swim they had tea and started to work. They chose different poems and for an hour nothing was heard except the lapping of the water against the boat and an occasional grunt from the girls.

'Hip, hip hooray I can say mine now' yelled Mandie getting excited.

'So can I' replied Val calmly.

So they repeated their poem and only made a few slips. Having got the worst over they soon could say it quite nicely. They were enjoying a bathe one afternoon when Mandie suddenly stopped swimming. 'Vallie what will we do we've only a week till Graham's birthday and I've run short, and don't get anything till the end of the month for I made Mum promise on no account to give me it before then and I wouldn't ask, not for anything.'

'And I've just a shilling' wailed Val. 'What will we do?' They racked their brains but all to no use, they couldn't think of anything.

That night Mr Frazer told them to hurry into big coats because they were all going to a concert held in Dundee, 20 miles off.

They enjoyed themselves immensely and were talking excitedly when a man stepped on the platform and said,

'Owing to an illness one of our artists cannot come tonight and we are going to give 10 shillings as a prize to the young lady who comes up and gives us a recitation and 5 shillings to the 2nd best, 2/6 third.'

Only three got up when Mandie grasped Val's arm, 'Now's our chance come on and we'll be able to give Graham his present.'

Mandie and Val felt very nervous and excited and great was Mandie's delight when she was encored. She got the 2nd prize and Val the third. So Graham got his present when the 21st came.

They blessed Lydia Conlay going home that night for suggesting a hated and despised holiday task.

A Century of Change

This humourous cartoon highlights 'the difference' between young women in 1819 and 1919. Where the young woman of 1819 wore a floral dress, dainty shoes, and chic gloves, the young woman of 1919 wears long boots, trousers, and - most shocking to 1819's young woman - smokes.

A drawing from 1920 with two women, captioned: 'The difference - 1819-1919', showing how fashions have changed

In general such illustrations are attempting to shame the habits and character of the contemporary woman, who pales in comparison to the more refined and feminine woman of yesteryear.

We do not know why the authors of The Club Monthly chose to include this cartoon in their magazine. They may have agreed with the sentiment that women of their time were less refined than women in the 1800s. They may have interpreted this cartoon as celebratory of the freedoms women in 1919 could enjoy, and the changes made over the previous century.

While we will never know how the authors of The Club Monthly felt about this illustration, just over than a century after the publishing of The Club Monthly, it is now our turn to examine the habits and character of the young women of yesteryear and consider how things have changed.

One thing that has changed, most notably, is safety standards.

A page from a homemade magazine that instructs readers on the burning of gasoline for fun.

June's edition of The Club Monthly offers some activities for its readers on its 'chemical page'.

The first activity details placing water in a tin vessel with a little petrol, then lighting it with a match to set a fire that burns 'for about 50 secs'. The second activity recommends mixing chemicals in a soap tin to cause an explosion that will blow the lid off.

We absolutely do not recommend trying these activities at home. That girls would recommend these activities to their friends is a fascinating insight into childhood in the 1920s.

Adulthood

The image above is not the only evidence we have that the authors of The Club Monthly grapple with what it means to be a adult.

These images, also sent in by 'Joe', seem to celebrate the ways in which women can be 'splendid pals!', 'good wives!' and 'wonderful mothers!'.

A series of drawings seeming to celebrating how women can be 'wives', 'mothers', and 'pals'.

In 1920, women were still denied the right to vote unless they were over 30 and owned, or were married to someone who owned, property. Women's employment opportunities were still restricted, and available opportunities did not pay as much for women's labour than for men's. While on the whole attitudes towards women in employment were changing - largely as a result of the First World War - traditional opinions of a woman's role in society persisted.

Activites, Competitions and Advertisements

June's edition of The Club Monthly features the usual mix of activities, competitions, and advertisements.

A page in a magazine with a competition to identify the advertisement.

A page in a handmade magazine showing an advertisement for French clothing.

A page in a homemade magazine with a cut out activity.

Cookery

1920's June edition of The Club Monthly has fewer stories than previous issues. It does, however, feature a cookery page, which we can recommend trying at home - unlike any experiments with chemicals.

A recipe for egg in a cup and a light cake - see below for transcript.

We are all very fond of a really good lunch, aren't we? Well here is a very nice recipe for sandwiches.

1 table spoonful butter

1 " " grated cheese

2 hard boiled eggs. Salt, pepper + mustard.

Beat butter and cheese together with enough salt, pepper + mustard to taste. Chop eggs and add. Mix thoroughly and put in jar. N.B. do not keep longer than three days.

Light cakes (very small)

1 egg and its weight in butter, sugar + flour. 1/2 teaspoonful baking powder.

Beat butter, egg + sugar together for 10 mts. Add flour + powder mixed. Put in greased tin in oven for 20 mts till 1/2 an hour.