, 1884-04-19
WOMEN IN COUNCIL.
What a Lone Man Observes Amid
a Thousand Ladies.
Some Comments Not Altogether Conn
piimentary - Miss Anthony's
Emeient Manage ment---A
Lady Lawyers speech
JOAQUIN Miller in Boston elobs.l

ANaJ pSNeh
joaquin Miller In Boston Globe.l
Susan b. Anthony, every inch a soldier,
nat well in front OF the twenty mine ladies on
the platform, and directed things with q
precision and quiet, certainly that compelled
respect from even the thoughtless, and their
numbers were many, who had come only to
soc and to laugh at her. Never did Hank
Monk hold the reins OF his six horses tighter
aud more absolute obedience than
this woman on hat platform. The result
was tho whole business went on like clock
work. The order was perfect; perfect as at
a village Sunday-school. | should like to
zee any body of men conduct u convention
with one-tenth part the decorum, patience
and a good feeling. But when she confessed
TO having been about thirty five years at this
business, l reflected that 1t was quite time
that she know how to do 1t, When she arose
and came forward to the little stand. with
double spectacles on her nose. a fan in her
hand, there was much applause Fred
Douglas seemed greatly pleased. She was
the best looking of tho twenty-nine.
THE president" she said, had just received
her and her friends most graciously, and had
told her that, "A woman, when she persists,
genernlly gets all she deserves" There was
some murInur and a little laughter at this,
but the great leader seemed entirely satisfied.
and after half an hour Of desultory talk
turned to sit down. She dropped her spec
tacles unfortunately, and as there were no
spry young men on the platform, CHE had to
get down on her hands and knees and feel
around in the dim light and hunt for them
herself. 1t took a good while feeling about,
and she did not all the time keep her face to
the audience. This made things look very
awkward.
-.H.
AT last she found them. But being very
nervous by this time, she was hardly on her
feet when she dropped her fan, and had to
repeat the whole feeling ceremony over
again. When the great leader had recovered
hor glasses and fan, SO far from sitting down,
as a man would nave done, she turned to the
audience, drew her rich India shawl still
closer about her fine figure. and again ad-
dressed us as II nothing at all had happened.
But she was quite pale, and the fine India
shawl, drawn tightly around her, heightened
the mummy-lfke effect Of her face. As she
lowered there, tall, and alone and antique,
one was tempted almost to try to read the
hieroglyphics on the rich India shawl, as one
reads the signs on the obelisk, to see il this
specimen was before or after Sesostoris.
A modest Scotch lady came forward, laid
her papers on the stand, pushed back her
glasses, read her speech, which ! could not
hear, and turned in triumph to go 70 her
scat. But. alas for her exultation, she
dropped the whole heap, split her speech all
over the floor, md had to get down and
tumble around and pick It u herself.
Perhaps nothing in the world could hav @
told 80 perfectly the ~unfitness of women for
political work as this brave lady's attempt TO
speak. She tried ever so hard to fiji the hall
and be heard; but all in vain. 1t was really
pitiful. The great leade prompted, rebuked
and finally bullfnI thia na1a tbfn unrnnn
who was all the time doing her best. She
was like a martyr at the stake, and bore all
patiently. But tears were in her eyes all tho
time. and in her poor, pitiful voice too. Aud
I did hope that when she got done, and
picked up the dozen fragments OF her speech
which slid Off to the right and the left as she
proceeded, she would pack her trunk for the
tranquil cornfelds OF Kansas.
Oh, how one wanted to hear Anna Dickin-
son on that platformI
But where Is this ablest and best advocate
Of the rights Of the sext The absence Of this
brilliant lady suggests that she has drawn
the line at labor. She thinks, l believe, that
the country already has enough political
loafors and electionsering demagogues with
out any contributions from her sex, and seems
quite satisfied that woman has been permitted
to go TO work.
Tho gifted and positively beautiful Phnbe
Couzzins sat well in front. She had an ebony
handled parasol between her knees, n large
white h handkerchief In either hand, at least
two pairs Of gloves. an alligator bag and &
notebook and pencil, all in or about her lap
or futtering from one hand to the other. As
she arose to speak the parasol handle rat
tied down on the platform, the alligator bag
fell forward from the chair where she
pitched il in the general excitement, and she
left a line of handerchiefs and gloves behind
her as she glided toward the desk.
Her speech was delivered as she loafcd
with her right arm resting on the desk where
she had deposited a large white handkerchief.
This Slipped off two or three times, and gave
her time to think what to say next as she
stopped to pick it up, But for all that the
speech was a good one, full of heart, courage
and kindness, and the voice strong and nielo-
dious. should say that this st. Louis lady
has a good head and n good heart, too.
The last speaker came from Boston. And
she was about the best. And not entirely
because she was tho brightest. She had no
written speech nothing at all in her hands.
And so she dropped nothing, save a very
sweet courtesy as she turned to her seat.
BY this time the thousand ladies who had
come 70 listen had dwindled down to less
than II hundred. The hat had been passed,
ladies' with notebook aud pencil In hand had
solicited contributions, and Susan B. Anthony
had made a strong appeal for us all to re-
member this great woman's suffragist move
ment in our wills. u No n .|s|
The one remaining man in the audience
besides myself, a sweet old soul in his dotagc,
now climbed upon the platform and sang a
most melodious negro chorus. 1t was the
success OF the day. And such a white-headsl
and bent old man. too. Then there wers
resolutions read and adopted, and, as the
twenty-nino on the platform now outnum-
bered the audience, which had mostly gone
home, to the baby, let us hope-a delight not
permitted TO many on that platform, / fear
1T began TO dawn upon Anthony that 1t
was about time TO bury Cesar aud adjourn
Tn. Metal we FurnIsb.