Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-25
WITH POETRY AND RESOLUTIONS
The Way the Woman's Liberal Union
is Fighting the Church.


PROCEEDINGS or THE CONVENTION roDEY-oPro-
sITIoS TO THE PROPOSAL TO EREcT A STATUE
TooUEES NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or THE UNION
OFFICERS OF rHE ENEoUTIvE COUNCIL
When the convention of the woman's national
liberal union met this morning at Willard hall
Mrs. Matilda Josiyn Gage was in the chair and
seated beside her on the platform were secre-
tary and Mrs. Aldrich. Miss Aldrich. their
small daughter; Miss Clara Foltx and Mrs.
Marietta NJ. Bones. After the meeting
was called 70 order a few letters OF
conSratulatioa were read by Mrs Gage. and
Mrs. Z. r. Beckwith who was recently candi-
date for mayor in Brooklyn. was called on to
read telegram she had received from Helen
Gardner. This she did and it was greeted with
loud applause. There was larger audience in at
tendance this morning than there was yesterday
and more enthusiasm was aroused bv the refer
ences 20 the wrongs woman has suffered at the
hands of the church. The secretary read the
report OF the committee on organization which
outlined a system os work to be accomplished
by the union and the means TO be adopted IN
attaining their object.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSES.
The report of the committee on purposes
was follows:
First. To assist woman's natural right 10
self-covernment: to show the cause Of delay in
the recognition of her demands aud 20 pro-
mote tearlessness in the denunciation of such
cause.
Second. To preserve the secular nature OF
our government and the principles of civil and
rel.glous liberty now incorporated in the fed
.I"L constitution and u rouse public thought
10 The imminent danger of a union Of church
ana state through proposed amendment to
.ne constitution. the object OF which Is TO
recognize the Christian religion as the founda-
ton OF our government and the true basis Of
our laws.
Third To show that the real foundation Of
the church Is the doctrine OF woman's Inferior
ny Dy reason Of her original sin-a doctrine
when we dcnounce as false in science aud its
foundation theological myth.
WHEN woMANHoop AwAKrs.
Miss Susan II. Nixon of Massachusetts q
short-haired lady with an orange silk vest in
her brown cloth dress then read a long and
very melodramatlc poem on the subject when
~omanhooG awakcs. 1t beNailcd the present
state of woman. but told IN ringing prophetic
tones OF the glorious day that she saw coming.
when It could no longer be said that mans work
lasts from sun to sun. while womans work is
never done. livery stanza of the poem ended
with the line, when womanLood awakes"
The millennium would not be a circumstance
compared TO the glorious day Miss Nixon de-
plctcd and her hearers were greatly pleased
AN oUTPOCRING OF POETRY.
This was the third poem that has been read
at the convention and Mrs. Gage told the
members this morning that so many more had
been received that to attempt to read them
would bc quite out Of the question. She then told
Der hearers what She tlought of the plan Of the
Protestant women of America TO erect statue
TO Quccn Isabella.
''SEe may have helped Columbus" said Mrs.
Gage, but she certainly was the author of
that horrible system o! the inquisition and il IL
perfectly awful TO think of American women
erecting a statue TO such woman"
Mrs. Aldrich was called on tor further re-
marks, but excused herself. saving: Il have
but recently seen the horrible dungeons in 81.
Augustine erected IN accordance with the die
tates of Queen Isabella's religion. The very
sight made me so sick that have not got over
it yet, and / am not able TO tell YOU about
them" Mrs. Mecca Hoffman OF Kansas also
spoke on the subject of the statue.
MRS. BONES SPEECH
Mrs. Marietta N. Bones of South Dakota was
then introduced to speak on the subject of lib
eralism in her state. She began by addressing
her friends and her fellow citizens and then
apologlzed TO the men present for calling them
fellow citizens. She said that she had forgot
ten for the moment that she was not their equal
in civil rights aud asked pardon for her forget
fulness. This little sally greeted with
hearty laughter.
Mrs. Bones was dressed in black satin. with q
great dead Of bead work and a large amount of
steel trimming on her bonnet She appeared
to affect the severe in her STYLE. The express
sion OF her face was entirely good natured,
however. ana uid not at al accord with her
discourse, which was a scathing criticism of the
male sex, religion, woman slavery and
score OF other wrongs. She was greeted
with loud applause when in one of her
numerous digressions she announced 1t as her
opinion thai the convention would be instru-
mental IN avcrtinG the threatened religious
war. After Mrs. Bones through speaking
Mrs. Gage arose and said that the ma ior por-
ton OF Mrs. Bones speech was the production
OF Lucinda H. Chandler OF Illinois, and Mira.
Bones concurred IL the statement.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
Professor Elliott Coucs read a series of reso-
luhons adopted by the convention as express
ing its sentiments on number of important
matters, but referring principally TO the
church, state and the condition of woman
During the course of the reading he was ire
qucndy interrupted by loud applause.
Lne resolutions declare that il is essential to
the lite OF the republic that the purely civil
character of the government be maintained
and that church and state De forever kept sepa-
rate; that any amendment to the Constitution
proposed by the sO-called Christian party
IN politics is destructive of existing
civil liberty and religious federation
and should be euergeucaily opposed: that
all attempts TO centrdlIZe power. either in
church state, must be continually and firmly
opposed; that the Christian church. OF what
ever name. is based on the theory that woman
was created secondary and inferior 20 man.
and brought sin into the world and necessl-
lated the sacrifice of a Savior; that every
church is the enemy of liberty and
progress and the chief means of
ensiavlng woman's conscience and reason;
tEat the real endeavor of the Christian party
Ia politics Is to establish papacy in place Of
the present secular form of government OF the
United States. and that it is wrong and unjust
10 impose upon the pupils OF our common
schools religious instruction of any sort, and IN
simple justice to all people they denounce ana
oppose every kind of religious instruction in
our schools.
THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
After the regular meeting adjourned the ex-
ecutive council held a meeting and elected the
following officers: Mrs. Matilda Joslyn Gage,
president; Josephine c. Aldrich, vice presi-
dent; Mary Emily Coues, secretary; w. L. Al
drich, treasurer. The executive council is
made up of these four officers together with
Susan ii. WiXon. Massachusetts; Eliza Archard
Conner. New York; Miss Mecca Hoffman, KAN
sas; Marietta NJ. Bones, South Dakota, and
Clara 5. Foltz, California. q