Mt. Hood
"A Collect for Clubwomen"
by
Mary Stewart
Keep us, oh God, from pettiness;
Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with fault-finding
And leave off self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense
And meet each other face to face,
Without self-pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgment
And always generous.
Let us take time for all things;
Make us to grow calm, serene, gentle.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses,
Straightforward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize it is
The little things that create differences,
That in the big things of life we are at one.
And may we strive to touch and to know
The great, common human heart of us all.
And, oh Lord God, let us forget not
To be kind!
History of the Collect For Clubwomen
The Collect For Clubwomen was written in 1904 by Mary Stewart in Longmont, Colorado. She is reported to have been a member of the Longmont Fortnightly Club, which was a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and which later, became the Longmont Colorado Business and Professional Women’s Club. Ms. Stewart was at that time beginning her first job as principal of the local high school. Various accounts by Ms. Stewart indicate the Collect was written as a personal prayer for the day and without any specific organization in mind. She felt that "women working together with wide interest for large ends was a new thing under the sun and that, perhaps they had need for a special petition and meditation of their own.”
The first printing of the Collect was in an obscure paragraph in the Delineator, a popular woman’s magazine published by Butterick, a company that also printed sewing patterns. In 1909, Paul Elder and Company of San Francisco printed it as a wall card. In 1924, Armstrong Stationary Company of Cincinnati also printed it on wall cards. Early copies were signed with the pen name, “Mary Stuart”.
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs was the first organization to officially adopt the Collect. It was later adopted by the Federation of Business and Professional Women and became widely used by many other organizations in the United States and other countries. Senator Tobey of New Hampshire read it into the printed records of the Congress of the United States at the closing session in 1949.
Mary Stewart held a number of teaching positions in Colorado and Montana. In 1927 her alma mater, the University of Colorado, presented her with an honorary degree to recognize her distinguished work in education, social and civic service. From 1921 to 1942 she worked with the US in the Department of Labor and later as assistant director of education in the Office of Indian Affairs. She continued writing for newspapers and magazines. She was active in the fight for women’s suffrage and remained active in women's organizations until her death in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1943.
