Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-03-17

1899 No man could be less eXcusSSIe for intra.
ducing the bad usage, for he was almost unrivaled
N NJ, me faculty OF nndins, impromptu, the nttest
WORD 20 express himself.
THE GREAT COUNCIL OF WOMEN.
Two thousand Delegate. Expected 60
Attend the Meeting.
THE EVENT WEIGH TINS MEETING Is CALLED no cv,-
kBRATE-A SKETCH OF THE FIRST WOMAN sUY-
FRAeE CONVENTION, FORTY YEARS Aeo-wonxN
WHO TOOK PART COMING 10 THIS CITY.
The International Council OF Women, TO begin
on the 18th inst, will bring TO this city the largest
gathering OF women ever assembled together in
the world MrA Helen N. Cougar, Chairman OF
the railroad committee, speaking OF the matter 70
STAR reporter, said that it was estimated that
fully 1000 women, representing many organiza-
lions and many movements In which women are
interested, will be present. Hiss susan B. An
thony, Miss Rachel @. Foster and Mrs Cougar
have been here for some time at the Riggs
House, busily engaged In the pre-.
liminary work. They have q force OF clerks TO
heic them besides pressing into their service
many volunteer aids Some Idea OF the extent OF
their work may be gaf,ad from the fact that up TO
yesterday they had used $50 worth OF postage
stamps In sending out programs and circulars ~
different kinds At this coming council though In
tended TO celebrate the fortieth anniversary the
first woman suffrage convention, Il Is intended
that discussion shall be limited TO questions touch
Ing the political rights OF women. Literary clubs
art unions, temperance unions, labor leagues mis-
sonary, peace AND moral purity societies charita-
ble professional. educational and Industrial as
sociarions viii be represented. and the yar,ons
phases OF womans work and progress In all parts
OF the world will be reported and discussed
The international council 10 assemble In this
city on the 18th inst. Is 10 celebrate the fortieth
anniversary or the first w0mans convention. The
table on which the declaration OF sentiments was
written az that nrst gathering will he on the plat
form at Aibaughs One OF the ladies' speaking 20
STAR reporter, remarked that in years TO come
that table Will be priced as sacredly as the indie
peIdence bell OF Philadelphia. The most In
teresting Of all the days or the woman's council.
said this lady, will be pioneers day
There Will be present at that time 20 take part In
the exercises several OF the persons who called the
first body or women together for any public discus
SION IN the whole history OF the world. The ex-
element that such gathering created and the
adverse CRITICISMS from people. press and pulpit
That iJ brought out were Doubtless little short of
na baee 70 the prime moysr who may to day
amusement In the presence or the advancement
made In the many branches Of equal rights Tor
the womans' suffrage movement has prepared the
Following sketch III this first convention and the
circumstances attending it:
THE CALL FOR THE FIRST CONVENTION.
The Seneca County Courier, a weekly journal. OF
July IA, 1sis, contained the following startling
announcement:
Won.a"'s Fights conusntioa. A convention 70 dis
rights of woman will be held in the Wesleyan Gospel
the 18th 10th OF July current commencing Al ID
be exclusively for women Who are earnestly in site to
attend The public morally invited 20 be present
and other ladies' and gentlemen will Address the
This call without signature. was issued by
Lucretia Mott, Martha c. Wright, Elizabeth
Cady stanton, aud Mary Ann McCiintocE.
sister. Mrs. Wright at Auburn and attending the
yearly meeting OF Friends in Western New York.
Mrs. stanton, having recently removed from Boston
to Seneca Fails finding the most congenial asso-
Citations I'm Quaker families, met Mrs Mott Incl
dentally for the first time since her residence there
They at once returned topic they had often
discussed, walking arm In arm In the streets OF
London and Boston, 1.-The propr1ety OF holding a
woman's convention" These four ladies, sitting
round the tea-tabe OF Richard Hunt o prominent
friend near Waterloo, decided to put their long
talked-Of resolution into action, and before the
twilight deepened into night the call was written
and sent TO the Seneca County Courier. On sun.
day morning they met
IN MRS. M'cIINrocK's rARLoR
to write their declaration, resolutions and to con-
slider subjects for speeches. As the convention
was to assemble in three days the time was short
for such productions; but having no experience in
the modes operdndi OF getting up conventions nor
in that kind OF literature, they were quite limo
cent OF the herculean labors they proposed. ON
the first attempt 10 frame a resolution TO crowd o
complete thought clearly and concisey, into three
lines they felt as helpless and hopeless II they
had been suddenly asked to construct steam en-
CINE. And the hun.iliating fact may as well now
be recorded that before taking the Initiative step
those ladies resigned themselves faithful peru
sal OF various masculine productions. The reports
Of peace, temperance and anti-slavery conventions
were examined, but all alike seemed too tame and
pacihc for the Inauguration OF a rebellion such
as the world had never before seen. They knew
women had wrongs but how to state them was
the difficulty and this was Increased from the fact
that they themselves were fortunately organized
Sny gepe oa
as newspapers declared them 10 be. While they
had felt the insults incident TO sex, IN many ways
religion and literature OF the world and in the In.
vidious and degrading sentiments and customs OF
all nations yet they had not in their own expert
ence endured the coar5er forms OF tyranny result
ing from unjust laws or association with immoral
and Inscriptions men, but they had souls large
enough TO feel the wrongs OF Others without being
scartiled In their own nesh.
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
After much delay one OF the circle took up the
Declaration OF 1915 and read It aloud with much
spirit and emphasis, ana II was at once decided TO
adopt the historic document, with some slight
changes such substituting ''all men, for sKing
George" Knowing that women must have more
TO complain OF than men under any circumstance
possibly could and seeing the fathers had eighteen
grievances, protracted search was made through
society to md that exact number. Several WELL |
disposed men assisted in collecting the grievances
until with me announcement o. the eighteenth
world with a good case. One youthful lord re-
marked: "Your grievances must be grevous In |
deed, when you are obliged to 60 TO books In order
The eventful day dawned at last, and crowds IN |
carriages and on foot wended their way TO the /
Wesleyan church When those having charge OF /
the declaration, the resolutions and several vol
umes OF the statutes OF New York arrived on the |
embryo professor Of Yale COLLEGE was hfSec through
an open window 70 unbar the door; that done. the
church was quickly nlled. II had been decided 20
on the spot and as the women who must take The |