The morning call., 1891-03-17
IN A NEW SPHERE.
Convention of The WOman's
Press Association.
One-Third Of the States Writers Are of the
Center sex-words of Welcome and
Advice Uttered.

About thirty-fve women from different
paIt, of the State answered 20 the roll-call
of their names at the executive session of
the Pacific Coast Wrman's Press Associa-
ton Union-square Hall yesterday morn
ing. BY the hour of the afternoon session
the number had been largely augmented,
and the hall was comfortably filed with
de,egates-earnest, praclica-iooking women,
in uneXceptionable bonnetS and faultless
gloves, handsomely eowned and as scrupu-
lousy booted as any fashionable dame on
Kcarny street of sunny afternoon.
The morning session was devoted to the
enrolling of members and to making ar
rangcments for succeeding sessions. and
was soon over.
Promptly at so the President Of the as
sOciatiuu, Mrs. Nellie Z. Eyster, called the
delegates TO order and after d few words of
welcome introduced t e Secretary, Mrs.
Emily Brown Powell who. after a second
calling Of the roll, read the haf-yearly re-
poPt, showing the progress of the assOcta-
ton from its inception, in September last.
10 the present day. The constitution was
read and a general resume of the work and
aims CT the society given.
Mrs. Eyster next introduced, in few
words Of apDreciative commentator, the
luStl-a t or OF lliS movement dllluuB INC
women writer's OF tins Coast, the devoted
ana efficient Corresponding Secretary, Mrs.
Emily Tracy \. Parkhurst who read COM
prehenSive report of her office, and the Work,
past and prospective, Of the org nlzation.
/ he idea of the proposed building Tor the
associations occupancy was dwelt upon at
length. and excited the liyeiest interest and
enthusiasm among the members.
hrs. Stanton, the Treasurer, was next In
trodu ed, and read a report showing the
finances of the association 10 be i'll
flourshng state. Some time was then given
to the appointing OF committees, etc, and
Mr.. AdOlph SutrO appeared IN person to
invite delegates to visit SutrO HeIghtS as
breakfast guests on "Wednesday morning.
Various subjects were then discussed, the
principal one being that all-abSorbInS theme
when an assembly OF thinking women IS
brought together, the franchise right.
Strange. is it not, when men nave COM
forlably settled it to their own satisfaction
that women do net desire to have the SUI
frage extended to them, that every company
of representative women who meet for the
advancement OF their sex OF work IS sure to
give expression TO sentiments CONTRARY TO
his masculine conviction? The afternoon
session closed shortly after o'clock. to
meet again at o'clock in the evening, when
a large and intelligent audience gathered
al the formal opening Of the co lventiOn.
THE FORMAL OPENING.
The stage was pTettily decorated, a row
Of graceful palms across the trent framing IN
the IarlOr-llke scene, with It's lace-draped
background, against which the pretty gowns
o. the officers Of the ASSOCIATION showed IN
warm on;rast. There were present on the
stage the President, Mrs. EySteT; Mrs.
Sarah b. Cooper, Mrs. f. T. 7. Parkhurst,
Mrs. Emily Brown Powell, Mrs. Mary o.
Stanton, Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Stetson.
After the rendition by the Harmonic
Quintet Of Wallace's Thou Star Of Love-
and invocation by Rev. j. Sanders Reed.
Mrs. Eyster introduced TO the audience
MI. John SWEET, Nho in the absence OF
Mayor SanderSOn at the meeting OF the
Board of Supervisors, formally opened the
convention in a few Well-chOsen remarks,
setting forth the date Of organization OF the
association, IN September last, at the call OF
Mrs. f. I. Y Parkhurst, Its objects and
aims and something Of the methods by
which it has sought to attain them. The So
Cial. educational, economic and Industrial ad-
vantages of the new society were pointed
out. There are about 900 writers, Journal
lists, n0yeSts. etc, on the Coast fully one
third Of whom are women, but heretofore
there has been no organization among them.
Eacn has been working Isolated, missing
the many advantages Of mutual advance
ment aud helpfuluess 10 be derived from as
ISOLATION with each other.
The President, Mrs. Eyster, next pro-
uGunced her address Of welcome in the
name of the association. Mrs Eyster, in
appearance amt reality, Is one OF the most
attractive Of the many charming public
women on this Coast. She is OF medium
height of slender build, her face OF idealized
womanhood framed III a setting Of dainty
curl>, showing here and there a dash Of
gray in their brown S0ftneSs, where Father
Time mas left tender kiss In gently passing
by, she wore gown Of soft black silk
relieved at neck aud wrists by white lace.
ADDRESS or WELCOME.
Her address Of welcome was substantially
as follows:
Feiiow-m members OF the Pacific Coast Woman's
Pres Association and those friends who by their
presence with US show their sympathy with our
UtgdulZatioa-tO you, say most cordially, wei
CONF Nc word so wonderfully sweet. 50 SIMPLE,
heaTlsoHe and complete; SO .neaningiul so all
discreet, as tie old Saxon welcome"
In The hOspitabe atmosphere OF California that
word blossoms freely and abundanty IN our
home life as do the goIden-sayed peoples to-day
upon our emerald hills. But the guests whom
we welcome are not only Ito the manor born or
our own Stale. They come also from the mag
nncent plneries OF Oregon, the sage brush plains
OF Nevada, tile picturesque canyons OF Guate-
malta and tie snow-clad environments OF far-oH
Washington.
The occasion is far from being an ordinary
one. True, conventions in San Francisco are
not like angels visits, few and far between"
our streets have echoed 10 The tread Of ma My
feet again and again, when the pageant which
embouIed some national OF State organization
passed through them. Representations Of that
most b0nOred and notable body. the Noman's
Christian Temperance Union, have convened au-
uually for eleven years in various Giles OF our
State, and yearly are growing IN dignity aud
HhpuTlauce as lie greatness OF lHeli cause Is uE-
derstoOd, but never before, as upon This Occa-
sIou, has AN opportunity been given 10 assemble
some OF the pen-w women OF the Pacinc Coast, WHO
include pueIs, nOYelisls. cOmpileGs, journalists.
correspondents, ana even these MercuIyS OF
news aud MineTyas of wisdom the ubiquitous,
of-Ieyiled, rarely appreciated yet Indispensable
and inyiucbr newspaper buhders-renortels
And for what have We come together? To be-
come acquainted; 10 look into each others
faces, TO feel tie ouch OF each others hands and
the stimulus OF each others loving sympathy; to
elevate the work and the workers and to Tor
ward by concerted actlon through Tue press Such
good objects IN literary, social, industrial, pill
iaulnropc and reformdtory lines as may from
lime 10 time present themselves.
is WOMAN A POWER?
Power is not power until we apply It, as light
is not light to blinded eyes. Is woman power
IN lie press to the extent that she is acknow
edged TO be IN tile active phllanlhrOpes aud
charities and reforms that are making this last
quarter OF the nineteenth century 50 remark
Win women in the FORUM women In the pul.
pit women In medicine, women in education,
women in art women in the workshop. women
~ the home, nd women hoping, seeking, work
ing Tor lie acknowledging OF ler right to partci-
pate in tile policy OF the nations government,
are not the changes RUG daily, both in public
and private upon this sudden outburst OF
womeu's self assertveness to share equally with
the otLer hall OF herseli-man-Ine Responsible
ties, tots, joys and glory OF right living?
III II Is true that men make the centuries, of
which they are part, what they are, the pen Of
women foI the last forty years, representing her
materially helped to shape the destiny and
brighten The annals Of this. Is not that power?
Thank God for that matchleSs trio, Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, Susan b. Anthony aud Lucy
stone Blackwell, whose persistent demand for
recognition with voice, pen and righteous livinG
has made such a convention az We are entering
upon tonight possible aud full OF pleasant an
ucipdtIOu.
Nj. Stanley mas opened to the almost dazzled
vision OF lie civilized world a vast empire of in
leeclual resources. Women of The Pacific Goa
Press Association, | LAY, With humility In all
truth, teeye that the unfolding OF The divine
than for tile OIfnwing Of the tide depends qIlre
much upon tie right use OF your pens as one
factor, as upon those OF our more prdctIced and,
IN some sense, more powerful brothers OF the
gull.
MAN is INCONSISTENT
Parenthetcally, lei me say thar political and
editorial man IS delightfully."- inconsistent being.
On the one side he laughs and jeers al the eff
forts OF woman 10 enlarge her boundaries OF
thought aud action, while on the other he not
only vigorously clears the path for her onward
march, but continually seeks her cooperation
through lie IN that mysterious unity OF Two
souls with but single thought"
When that marriage OF thought expressed