Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-03-04
LETTER.


now that il Is oil over the city will re-
sumo the even tenor of its way, and
its feminine element will return TO
dancing, flirting, going to church, max
ing crazy quilts and painting plaques.
These laudable enterprises were sadly
neglected during the Woman's Stuff
rage Convention. AS usual the ladies
went to hear all about the rights and
possibilities and duties of their sex,
and their minds were deeply stirred by
the imprisoned oratory of Miss An
thony and her co-workers.
The advocates OF woman suffrage.
say, If men were to make such strug-
gle for freedom and theirrights, it would
be considered fine thing, and there
would be books and even poetry writ
ten about it. And this may be tue.
There is something POLITICALLY pathet-
ic in the energy, patience, and chronic
hopcfulness evinced by these toilers
for female Embarrassment. One is
constrained to wish such industry and
such faith were consecrated to more
hopeful cause.
AT these conventions, the women
are much given to speech making per-
sonal Qualification, and criticism of pei
fidious man. All they say they be-
lieve, and mean, and have said before.
But how could anything new be said
on a subject that is thoroughly dis
cussed and exhausted annually
Miss Ada Sweet, OF Chicago, whose
powers of tenacity were strikingly il
Illustrated in defense of her Office of
pension agent in that city, was proini-
nent among the delegates TO the con-
vention. She is young, good-lookiDg.
self possessed, and can make u speech.
which she did, relating her eXperieneS
with insane asylums, and giving her
opinion that they should at least be
partly under the management of wo-
men.
Mrs. Sewell, of Indianapolis, is one
of the pillars of the sisterhood. She
is not prepossessing in appearance,
but probably as much so as the law of
the association approves. Her adorn-
ments were limited to bangs. This
concession to frivolous fashion in no
wise detracted from Mrs. Sewell's for
nIidable physiognomy, however, nor
from her usefulness TO the cause. She
had good deal to say about hardened
Congressman and iDduratyd Senators,
but she thought the co,sciences OF
these gentlemen less at fault than
their intelligence. She regretted that
it was impossible to sum up tive bene-
fits JelrRedgneGGoS@qiifbesl by the ssaft
might be said of the sunlight. She
made a really eloquent flight at this
point, comparing suffrage 10 sunlight
Mrs. Sewell was followed by Mrs.
Perkins, of Ohio, sister of uAcom-
promising demeanor, who typiiies the
righteousness of the movement. as
Mrs. Shattuck, of Boston, represents
its esthetic phase. Mrs. Perkins was
sternly statistical on this occasion, al
though she has ornate resources, which
she displayed during the session of the
convention, She discoursed at one
time upon the ladies Of society, whose
walk and conversation she does not
approve, using number Of Scriptural
quotations. She has a tendency to be
caustic in her public utterances. Men.
she sud, think women good enough to
We angels. but not good enough to be
citizens. They pray so fervently for
Providence to bless women, that they
leave it chiefly for Providence to do.
Mrs. Clay Bennett, representative
of the Blue Grass State and relative
of Henry Clay, vowed her fidelity to
the cause, and made a spirited address
on the Constitutional right of women
TO vote and hold Office F" Mrs. Bennett
may be said TO represent the ground
wheron frippery and strong minded
ness meet and unite. Her costume
was neither frivolous nor funeral, but
was en- traine. and her gloves were
la BernhGrdt. Her oratorv and elo-
cution were, like herself, Kentuckian.
Senator Vest underwent nnutterable
things Mt the han Is of Mrs. Meriwcath-
err, OF Missouri, for having expressed
himself as an "uncoinpronisinS oppo-
ponent" of the women suffrage move
ment Nine. Neynian, of New York,
who has n fine Teutonic face, closed
the conventions proceedings with
clever and comprehensive paper on
the comparative independence of
German and American women.
The. bill now before the Senate
looking TO the Acknowledgement of wo-
men, is source of great comfort 70
the members of the association, who
have been waiting ana working to
this end SO long. Because of it, they
attached unusual significance to this
their eighteenth Washington conven-
ton. Next winter they will come
again to tell the same old story with
variations. and to say severe things of
Senators Vest and Edmunds.
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