The Portland daily press., 1882-10-12
A Gathering of Notable Wom-
en- in City Hall.
OPENING ADDRESS BY MRS.
JULIA WARD HOWE.
Abstracts OF Papers Read Before
the Congress.
Proceedings Of the First Day.

terday. The members Of the association. as
| well known, represent many of the leadin,
minds of this century in America. Tbei
names are identified with the progress of sci
enee, art and education, and especially in tn,
advancement Of woman. Their labors hay,
not been in vain. To even the most careless
observer of current events it must be paten
what stride women have made towards tn,
front in the last quarter of the century. The
names of Julia Ward Howe, Abby w. MAY
Prof Maria MITCHELL Antoinette Brown
Blackwell, Kate Gannett Wells, Dr. Mary j
Stafford, Mary A. Livermore, Mary It. East
man, Caroline M. Severance, have become ma
tional, while there is hardly one in the long
list of vice-presidents and directors who is not
more or less known to the country at large.
This result has been due in great measure, to
those ladies themselves. Quietly and persist
emily they have gone on in their grand work
until BY degrees, it has commanded the atten.
ton of the leading intellects of America.
The sessions yesterday were marked by the
close attention of large audiences. composed, for
the most part of ladies, and the various papers
were cad with good voice and fair delivery.
The concert, which marked the opening of the
evening session, was delightful affair and the
programme. as published IN yesterdays PRESS
was carefully carried out.
In our report of the Congress list of the
officers may properly be republished as follows:
President--Julia Ward Howe, Rhode Island
lice Presidents-Abby W. May, Mass; Prof
Sarah W. Deyoll, M. D., Me-; Armenia White, N.
H.; Emily E. Reed, Vt; Rev. Antonette Brown
Blackwell, N. j.; Charlotte Pierce, Penn; Ellen
Holmes Smith, NJ. d., H.; Martha N. Mckay, Ind. :;
Laura Clay, KY; Rebecca N. Hazard, Mo-. NJ E. b.
Lynde, Wis; Julia NJ. Hunting, Iowa; Aida G.
Jarvis Cheney, Conn; Lucinda Stone, Mich Clara
B. Colby Neb.; Virginia Merwin. La. Clary Con-
way, Tenn; Sarah B. Stevens, Mimi; Elizabeth W.
Secretary-Kate Gannett Wells. Mass.
Observation-Disclosures L. T. Wolcott, Mass
.Auditors-Emily j. Leonard, Conn.,; Sarah Bull,
Mass.
Directors-Sopha G. Hoffman, n Y; Anna D.
French, M. D.. n. Y; AliceC Fletcher, N. Y;
Mary + Bag n "A Phoebe M Kendall Mas
Mass; Mary F. Eastman, Mass; Lita Barney Sayles
Conn: Henrietta w. johnson, N. j.; RACHEL L.
G sSe D Ean M ~ bpTugay
Brown, ILL.,; Sarah H. Stevenson, NJ. D., Ill May
Wright Sewall, Ind. L. G. Hutford. Ind Clara NJ.
Mason, Wis: S G. Little, Wis; Caroline NJ Sever
a1ce, CAL; Mary G. Peckham, K. G. Denson, D. C.
Chairmen of Committees-Art, Martha Mckay;
Science, Maria Mitchell; Education, Mary f. East
man; Topics and Papers, Lucinda H. Stone; Re-
forms and Statistics, Evelyn Mason; Publication,
Phoebe M Kendall.
Morning Executive Session.
At the first executive session of the Associa-
ton for the Advancement.ofsW Women, held yes
terday morning at Reception Hall, reports
were presented from committees on "Science"
by Prof, Maria Mitchell OF New York on
"Reforms" and Statistics" by Mrs. E. L. Ma
son of Wisconsin; and on cart" by Mrs.
Martha Mckay of Indiana.
Prof. Mitchell stated that the scientific pap
ers presented by women at the Association for
the Advancement of Science in Montreal, were
far above the average; summer schools Of sci
ence were on the increase, and women were
more and more employed as assayers and
naturalists
Mrs. Mason's report emphasized the philoso-
ply of reform, which assumes that human per-
lection is not the all prevailing type; and that
certain persons and methods must exist in or
der to reform deformed beings; and that
women must band themselves together as in
vincibles to attack vice, vanity and inanity.
Mrs. Mckay reported Ohio as leading in art
work, Indiana and Illinois standing next,
while at the extreme West and South there is
little or no art work worthy of the name. She
showed the difference between art study and
mere memorizing of art facts.
Discussion followed on all these reports
which ELECTED further comment and which
prove the great value of these meetings.
Adjourned until 2.30 p. m.
Afternoon Session.
The magic touch of the Association for the
Advancement of Women has brought into our
City Hall, bsauty, brightness and color.
Hangings of warm, rich colors reduce the stage
to the proportions of drawing room. The
interior is filled with modern furniture,
autumn leaves, flowers, pictures, ETC., etc
The front of the stage is almost hidden from
view by mass of potted plants and brilliantly
colored autumn flowers. The Dickens Club of
social and dramatic repute, furnised the decor
atioHs.
Mrs Julia Ward Howe called the Congress
to order at half past two. The audience was
large in numbers, nearly filling the floor, with
few in the galleries, and fine in quality, b.
ing mostly ladies. Miss Kate Gsnnett Wells
acted as Secretary. Mrs. Howe read her in
augural address, outlining the plan and scope
of the work of the Congress.
After a years separation, dear friends, we
meet again at the call which has now
grown familiar. Neither our lives nor the
world has stood still in the interval be-
tween our last meeting and the present one.
Nature of course always performs her accus-
toned course of evolutions and revolutions
Moral questions have also an inevitable growth
in the moral world. But the concern of man
is mostly with the fuiness or deficiency of his
own work. What we have sown we shall also
reap, and if our year has been full of endeavor,
this, our harvest time, will be full of fruit
Our congress was mainly instituted in order
to unite body of workers. Its members are
mostly harnessed in efficient relation to bus
mess, profession, progress and reform. And
our great difficulty lies, not in working at our
several callings and belongings, but in carry
ing forward work in common, scattered as
we are in regions widely distant from each
other, and holding together by these infre-
quent meetings, and by correspondence
which is much restricted by our busy lives.
And still, despite our long and wide separation
we belong together, and, when the bugle note
sounds, may be seen hurrying through high
ways and by-ways to be in at the trysting.
And in view of our fairness and our nearness,
we may ask what it is that holds us together.
And we shall all answer, it is the bond of a
common faith. We believe that, independ-
entity of all adventurous aids women are
bound to help themselves and each other. The
help of sentiment and of sympathy is great
and important and we all desire to give and to