Fortnightly Club A club that stemmed from a love of reading, sewing and socialization This club was originally conceived in 1896, when a small group of ladies came together to form a reading and sewing club. A study group of the club was organized on January 23, 1897 with fourteen women as charter members. When the club first began, each member was supposed to prepare and present a paper or a talk to be given during the year. Subjects such as politics and religion were taboo. Some hallmarks of this organization were: A constitution was adopted that indicated the club’s purpose: Intellectual and social culture. A club motto was also chosen: “Be to her virtues very kind; be to her fruits a little blind.” Dues would be 25˘ for active members and 50˘ for associate members. Meetings were to be held every other Saturday afternoon, hence the name, The Fortnightly Club. The meetings would take place from 3:30pm until 5:00pm. When the ladies answered Roll Call, they were required to give a short quotation from a work of an author previously selected. Meetings were held in members’ homes and one lady was assigned a topic to discuss. Subjects to increase the intellect and social culture during the first year included: Queen Victoria as a Wife, Mother and Widow, Some Persons I Would Like to Know and Why, Good Citizenship, Cuba, The Use and Abuse of Physical Culture, and Anti-Slavery Champions. Meetings were held during the social season, from October to May. By the turn of the century, membership had increased to thirty three active members and five associate members.  Then, several men in the city became interested in joining as well and asked for membership in the club. They were allowed to join and the club's constitution was changed to that affect. To accommodate the men, the meetings were changed from Saturday afternoon to Monday evenings. According to records, the club had its last meeting in 1942. It has been suggested that the Fortnightly Club was a victim of progress.   Item: Photograph of Clara Guild, founding member of the Fortnightly Club Source: The Rollins Alumni Record Date: September, 1945 Item: Booklet: Calendar of the Fortnightly Club Date: 1897 Item: Inside page of a booklet: Calendar of the Fortnightly Club Date: 1897   Item: Newspaper article Source: Winter Park Post Title: "Interesting Evening of Fortnightly Club" Date: November 30, 1916 Item: Booklet: Calendar of the Fortnightly Club Date: 1900     Item: Inside page of a booklet: Calendar of the Fortnightly Club Date: 1900 Item: Photograph Scene: Comstock home, East Bank Date: c.1940 *Archivist's note: Eleanora Comstock had been a member of the Fortnightly Club. After her death in 1902, husband William C. Comstock continued to entertain the members of the club in his home. He saw to it that her place was always set at the dinner table and that no one sat in her chair.   Item: Booklet: Calendar of the Fortnightly Club Date: 1906 Item: Inside page of a booklet: Calendar of the Fortnightly Club Date: 1906  Item: Newspaper article Source: Winter Park Post Title: "Fortnightly Meets With W. C. Comstock" Dates: March 8, 1917 Item: Notebook Page: 1: Constitution of the Fortnightly Club Date: c. 1897