In our century

The inaugural issue of The American City in September 1909 included the first of a regular series of articles about women’s participation in civic affairs. Mrs. Philip N. Moore, president of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), which had 800,000 members at the time, authored the first article on the topic, describing a city as a home, with a place for everyone. “The City — a Home, clean and beautiful, where every citizen finds an opportunity for the development of the highest that is in him, physically, mentally and morally — this is the vision of the earnest women of our country,” she wrote.

The magazine’s second issue included an article by Mrs. Frank A. Pattison, president of the New Jersey FWC, in which she describes the inequitable view of women in politics. “The relation of man to his City has always been well defined,” she wrote. “No shadow of doubt has ever entered the public mind as to its being not only every man’s privilege, but his patriotic duty to take an active and aggressive interest in the workings of both the City and the State of which he is a part. But woman has had to prove her right to think and move in public ways, grave doubt attending her.”

Most of the earliest issues of The American City included reports about women’s clubs’ activities, many of which involved keeping cities clean, healthy and beautiful, but the magazine’s pages also featured women’s views for better government. In the March 1910 edition, Mrs. Edwin F. Moulton, chairman of the GFWC Committee on Civics, called on elected leaders to behave as the “People’s Fathers.” “To secure better city government is one of the needs of the times, but to select men equal to the task and true to their trust is quite as important. It matters not how well constructed the city charter may be unless the city keepers are ready to promote the interests of the city family, to seek honestly the public welfare, [and] to forget self in their zeal to maintain the requirements of the city charter.”

Previous “In our century” Stories

• In our century – March 1910
  Cities develop methods, mechanisms and regulations for residential solid waste collection and disposal.
• In our century – November 1909
  Occupancy laws and social workers emerge in the early 1900s to clean up inner-city neighborhoods.
• The way we were
  Publisher’s son remembers American City & County‘s roots.