New-York tribune., 1875-09-13
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.
THE QUESTION OF wOMANS RIGHTS IN.
TRODUCED.

AMERICAN wOMEN-TTDINGs OF THE ARCTIC TX
petition.
lrROa THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or rng TRrBUSg.I
BRISTOL, Aug 30.-There two classes of men
who ought to regard this meeting with peculiar sat
isfactiOn Lovers Of Pure Science aud the People Of
Bristol. large proportion Of the papers read thus
far has been prepared for the other The
Presidents address, to be sure Applied Sci
ence, and have already noted Others but Science
in its most abstse form Science in its relation TO
Local improvements has been very marked feature
Of the proceedings There is no particular to
complain of this, except that the general public,
which is slightly larger than either the scientific
public OF the town of Bristol cannot take very
keen interest in the greater part of the Associations
work And SEQ that the questions what The Asso-
citation exists for and whether it does any work Of
substantial value to the world, have this year been
asked in the London papers rather more energeu-
cally than usual Nevertheless, there has been no
dag without one or two or more papers sufficiently
general in their subject and nOntechnical in their
treatment to reward the listener. To-day proved
no exception, though might Gil half a column with
the mere titles of those of a different character
IsOmeric CresOls fascinating topic, and
might do for the title Of the romance of the future
winch will und doubtedly be scientific Notes on the
copper-zinc couple would do still better and there
are twenty others equally suggestive, which will
pass over.
Altogether tho most startling fact Of the session
occurred to-day-nothing less than the reading of a
paper on Woman5 Suffrage 1t was got in at side
door very cleyery, a performance which quite puts
in the shade the tactics by which Mrs. Crawshay So
cured hearing for her views lady helps The
scene OF this triumph Of the ng-mnded was tho
Economic Science section-favorable ground for tho
experiment, no doubt, since the President Of tho
Section, Mr.. James Haywood. is wellknown adyo-
cate of wOmens rights and one or two other parti-
sans of that school figure among the yicepresdcnts
Every paper you know, has to be approved by a
committee before it can be read. 1t must have sOme
plausible relation to the subject of discussion in tho
section in which it is offered. Now it seems lately
to have been held that Economic Science is de-
partment Of Social Science, and the women with
that charming contempt for logic which dis
tingushes some of them, have insisted that what
ever could come in under Social Science colld
in under Economic Science. There was no question,
for instance, that Mrs. Grey's paper on National
Education was quite in order. Not less 30 was
Miss Carpenters Industrial Schools, yet here Miss
Carpenter-certainly without meaning it, spite of her
name-had got in the thin end Of the wedge. For II
you alloy-as you must. there being precedent, for
them-papers Industrial topics how can you re-
fuse paper On The Industrial Position Of Womenf
And if the writer Of it chooses TO extend the title
little how can you object to a paper on The Indus
trial Position of Women affected by their Lxclu-
sion from the Suffragey And there you The
British Association for the Advancement of Science
suddenly transformed into a Branch of the National
Society for Women's Suffrage One does not quito
see after this, what is to keep ont Spiritualism or
Temperance. We may yet have Sir Wilfrid Lawson
delivering the opening address as President, with
Hume and Mrs. Guppy holding sednces in the dlier
ent sections.
Miss Priestman was the author of this paper.
name hitherto not much known to fame. Circum-
stances prevented her reading it, her courage
failed or as | believe was the case. notion got
abroad that the reading was to stand over till next
day. Certain it is that though large audience was
present it included none of the more celebrated
advocates of women's rights exccpt-but she is
host in herself-Miss Lydia Beecher The attempt
to secure postponement on account OF the atcness
of the hour failed the chairman ruling stenly that
it must be read then or never, and turning deaf
ear to the hint that the women and their male
friends who should have debated it were at that
moment taking tea in another part Of the town.
So Miss Prestman's next friend Mrs. l.. NJ.
King perforce read her paper. L suppose
Mrs. f. NJ. King to be Mrs. Crawshays particular
foe the domestic service question-that she Is the
author of the rather famous scheme for cooperative
housekeeping which We heard Of under the Tag OK
Social Science last year in Glasgow perhaps The
most ingenious scheme ever devised by woman ior
revenge on her common enemy-a scheme adapted
to make homes not so much uncomfortable as I'M
possible Miss Priestmans paper did not hear. 1
do not mean it to be inferred that was taking tea
with the Bristol Woman's Suffrage Association-and
have seen only the briefest account Of it, which
contains not word that is new or significant. But
l;,t1 ba aptf fapf Is a n
paper on such subject should get a hear
ing at all in meeting of tie British Association.
W ell might Miss Becher express her thanks to the
section for opening its doors to Miss Presman, and
congratulate her comrades on such an evidence OK
success after many years OF effort. lt VIII cer-
tainly do the Association harm, but who cares for
that Its officers thought no doubt, that IN deeat-
ing motion at the general meeting, last week, to
put women on the committees, they had routed the
enemy almost believe that motion was nothing
but clever ruse, which they who maize 1t knew
could not be carried. Under of attacking the
main entrance of the citadel. they have stolen into
one of the outwors and lodged themselves there
curcly.
Nor was this their only success Perhaps Mrs.
rawshay's performance must be reckoned ohe
Mrs Crawshay at any rate is one OF the most adj
vanced leaders of that band. and has already had to
submit to see her lady yhep' proposal denounced as
a means of introducing Mormonsm into the English
famiiy-a most unjust but damaging charge And
IN the same Economic Section, Mrs. Grey's paper on
National Education, in itself moderate, became tho
occasion for n speech by Mss Bccher in favor OF
bloomer costume for women" the first requisite IN
female education being" she told us, some dress
in which women could use their limbs with more
freedom than in skirt which trailed on the ground
all the way round" She was supported Oy
"Drr Eliza Dunbar, vino based her plea Tor
cdncltion npnn the growing lateness Of maIrageA