The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-02-06 00:00:00

WOMEN'S PROTECTIVE AND PRO-
VIDENT LEAGUE.

A meeting was held in London on Saturday evening
last, in the Co-operative Institute Hall, with the view
of forming a co operative association under the above
title, for the protection of dressmakers, mantle-makers,
and other classes of needlewornen. The chair was
taken by Mr. H. Pratt, who explained the objects for
which the meeting had been called, and the meeting
was subequently addressed by Miss F. P. Cobbe, Dr.
F. E. Hoggan, Miss H. P. Downing, and one or twc
others.
Miss Cobbe, who had charge of a resolution,
declaring the expediency of forming the. proposed
League, pointed out forcibly the many disadvantages
under which women at present laboured. They were
so poorly educated, that the labour too many of them
were able to do was of low money value, but whenever
they could do high priced work they earned as good
wages as the men. Her friend Dr. Hoggan got her
fees the same as the male doctors, female singers and
artists received the highest payments, and female
scribblers, of which she (Miss Cobbe) was one,
expected their money for everything they wrote.
Women must learn to widen the sphere of work in
which they took interest, and not confine their
thought and study to narrow, sordid domestic
cares. They must not look forward to marriage
as their only chance of provision, for they must re-
member that there were one million of women in
I England more than could be provided for in that way.
Even in friendship they must remember what Emer-
son told them, that "the great pre-requisite of friend-
ship was to be able to stand alone." The resolution
was seconded by Dr. Hoggan, who cited the case of
the late Mrs. Somerville to show that woman might
reach to intellectual eminence without in the slightest
degree impairing her womanly grace or gentleness.
'What woffien wanted was more public spirit and
public life. and the formation of the proposed League
would be a step in the right direction. The resolution
havinc, been supported by the Rev. Mr. Headlam,
who announced the concurrence of the Rev. Septimus
Hansard in the object of the meeting, was carried
unanimously.
A second resolution was proposed by Miss H. P.
Downing, providing for the organisation of the league.
Miss Downing exhorted her hearers to cultivate the
feeling of independence, and disclaimed for the society
anything of an eleemosynary character. There was
too mu-la charity already; what they wanted for the
women was self-reliance and independence. (This
sentiment was much cheered by the meeting.) There
were, however, great difficulties in the way, as even
the best employers of female labour were opposed to
the cultivation of anything like a feeling of inde-
pendence amongst their worlwomen. She expected,
however, great benefit, not only direct but indirect,
from the League. Co-operation always meant strength,
and women could meet without the drinking and
smoking which sometimes formed objections to similar
meetings amongst the men.
Mrs. Patterson gave some explanations respecting
the falling through of an association of a similar des-
cription to that now proposed amongst the dress-
makers. The dressmakers had to work fourteen hours
a day for five months in the year, and a representa-
tion to that effect had been made to the late Home
Secretary with a view to some restrictive legislation.
Nothing, however, came of it, and the association was
dissolved.

Mr. Levy and other speakers having addressed the
meeting (which was very fully attended), the resolu-
tion was carried, and the proceedings terminated with
the usual compliment to the chairman.