the club monthly - september

It's back to school for the authors of The Club Monthly!

A cover of a handmade magazine from 1920 showing a graphic of children standing beneath a moon.

The Club Monthly - September

September marks a return to school, and that's reflected in this month's edition of The Club Monthly. New stories are feature that are centred around school, the friendships between pupils, and the struggle of schoolwork.

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

"You know Connie; this is not learnt." so spoke Miss Denisse to Constance [?]. "You promised me you would have it off perfectly for to-day, and my little exam next Thursday," where upon she shut the pages of the unlearnt Sontana. "I don't know what to do, and all I can say is that I am ashamed of you." Connie sat dumb. "You may go now, and come again on Wed. and I shall put you over it, I am greatly displeased with you.

On Wednesday Connie came again. The Sontana was not learnt yet but much improved. "I am afraid I cannot detain the exam or you might come out yet, with a little more practise. But you may come anyhow and try. You have the best swing and rhythm of any of my pupils. You know the notes and all you want is time + patience to learn it better." Yet Connie sat dumb. She knew she had not practised or even tried to learn. She did her hour every day at it but never put her mind to her music.

The day of the exam. Miss Little the opponent teacher of the next town came to test them in their playing. Connie came second. When she went in her whole mind flew off other thoughts. 'Sontana' came beautifully timed and phrased. Miss Denisse who was listening was struck with the playing. "Surely this could not be the stupid, unmusical child?"

When the results came out, "Constance [?] 1st prize of a beautiful writing case and necklace for piano playing under Miss Denisse".
And ever since Connie has tried to please her music mistress.

Along with stories set in school, the authors of The Club Monthly may have been looking ahead to the autumn and Hallowe'en. Along with a story about a brownie (a type of fairy) living with a squirrel in the woods, this edition features the spooky tale, 'The Haunted Glen':

We were staying in Wales for our holidays, Tony Marjorie and myself. We were soon joined by our Irish cousin Rory, who believed in the little people and fairies. Tony despised him and said he should go to the nursery and tell the kids that but I loved to listen to him and when Tony and Marj deserted us, we used to ramble all over the mountains invariably getting lost while the other two played tennis.

One day we had been for a long ramble and as we came in hot and tired the other two looked cool and comfortable. "Have you been to the Haunted Glen and found the white heather" asked Tony. "Haunted Glen how jolly that sounds" said Rory. "We'll go there Syb." "I'll bet you my new tennis racket you won't go there at night."
"All right" said Rory a dangerous light in his eyes, "I'll take your bet." That night as I lay in bed I suddenly woke up for I was sure some one had shaken me. It was Rory. "I'm going lo the haunted glen, are you coming?" Rory, I gasped, you don't really mean. Yes I do, he said determinedly, and if you don't come I'll go my self. Rory, it's madness I said but he had disappeared. I was half-asleep when the door opened again he was dressed and boots in his hand. I'm going, he said. I jumped out of bed and followed him and said. If you really-. He put the key in his pocket as he locked the door as a sign.

It was a glorious night. The moon was shining brightly and the mountains looked so big. "Do you know where to go" I said. "Yes. I've looked up the guide and it's here anyway" touching his pocket. We tore along the hill till we came to a little gate. "Now for it", Rory whispered. It was dark in there under the trees but the moon brightened it. We walked on till we came to a moor where we lit the lamp and looked for the heather, but in an hour's time we hadn't got it and were giving up in despair when Rory tripped over a beautiful clump of pure white. We put it in our coats and Rory remarked "this will charm away any old ghosts".

We were going along under the trees and I thought it was very dark and just then our footsteps seemed to make an unpleasant and
then - .
Suddenly there came a long prolonged mournful wail out of the darkness. I grasped Rory's hand and we started to tear. Should we ever get out of this awful place. Then an awful white shaky something seemed to rise up before us and again we heard the mournful wailing cry.
"It's the ghost" shrieked Rory.
We ran on and the white thing pursued us then we knocked up against something and fell to the ground. I expected to feel myself grasped in cold ghostly fingers but nothing happened. Then I discovered it was a little gate we had fallen over and then looking fearfully into the glen I saw a silver birch! Rory I cried, we have been deceived by a gate, a birch and an owl. Anyway we won the bet which Rory did not take. He said it was only to show we were not afraid.

Crafts and Cooking

It may have been a new school year for the girls, but with nice weather persisting, 'picnics [were] the thing'. Parsley and onion sandwiches were just the snack to take with you:

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

3 pieces parsley. A small onion and 2 leaves lettuce. Piece of butter. Little cream or hard boiled egg. Pepper, salt.

Cut parsley, onion, lettuce + egg. Mix butter milk etc together. Put in [between] very thin slices bread + butter.

An unusual craft was recommended to the readers this month - glazing photographs.

An activity for glazing photographs - see below for transcript

To do so, one begins by 'polishing a piece of glass with French chalk and putting photos onto it when they are still wet'. Let them stay 'till bone dry', then remove them - if doing so with a knife, as the author recommended, being extremely careful when doing so.

Jokes, Riddles and Advertisements

September's edition of The Club Monthly is back to its regular schedule of jokes and riddles after featuring less often last month. This month's competition particularly gives an interesting insight into the distribution and readership of The Club Monthly.

A competition in a homemade magazine encouraging readers to write a line of music.

Reading from right to left, readers are informed that everyone must go in for a competition of composing a few lines of music. Further, they must not fill in the line that corresponds to the order in which they receive the magazine. This detail suggests that there is a readership list, and each reader receives the magazine in a specific order. Once everyone has read their fill, it returns to the editor. The number of available slots suggest that six girls were on the readership list.