Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-27


At the evening session of The Woman Suffrage
Association convention yesterday there WAS .
very largo audience. The exercises were opened
with prayer by Rev. Frederick A Hinckley Of
Boston, Mass Mrs. Julia Ward Howe of Boston
was the first speaker of the evening. taking FOL
her subject ''The Possibilities of the American
Salon" She said: The first object of society
is to make people better friends Society ha,
many more blanks than 1t has prizes. and often
times when one expects to draw the latter he
finds that blank is all he has For society is
an uncertain lottery. One of the needs OF
society is that its guardians shall not so use il
as to make the results exactly the opposite OF
what was originally desired. There may be
times when salon would be undesirable.
Dante has given the idea of the good and OF
the bad association Modern society is one OF
she results of the world conquest which was
crowded with tkorns nearly 1000 years ago.
PUBLIC SPIRIT N CLUB.
In the club a sort of public spirit developes
itself The club that l have in my mind was
the Radical Club of Boston, which was called
radical mainly because il had a root.
The ideas brought out there often caused a
clash of opinion and became the concern of
sincere thinkers. These minds meeting each
other resulted IN the presentation of the sub
ject under discussion in all Its phases. In those
DAYS there was a general feeling in the club
against woman suffrage. but the Old-fashioned,
blue-blood idea of Boston, she said was chang
Ing She gave a number of interesting incl
dents connected with the movement. and stated
that social intercourse instead of being bene-
hc1al. sometimes engenders antaSonisms, often
dividing friendships and families
If We are to have Il salon it should not be
too much talked about. Let us not put on
sham hospitality. but let us remember that the
best hospitality is mutual
In our country. fresh and fluent its trammels
should be expansive. while in many others all
conditions are opposed to innovation and
change. We have mighty problems to solve,
great questions to answer. The fate of the
world will depend largely upon what We do.
Hrs Helen Foster Avery. the recording sec
-etaTy, was introduced by Miss Anthony. anu
announced the resolutions committee. which
consisted of one woman from each of the states
represented in the convention. There are 30
states and territories, represented by 122 officers
and delegates
REV. ANNA GARLIS SPENCER.
Rev Anna Garlin Spence of Providence r.
l.. was introduced and made brief address on
the question why in all the varied phases of
advance there seems to be SO much more sue
cess in all the others than iE the move for
woman suffrage. There Is no doubt that we
are behind our English sisters in the matter of
political freedom In England politics are
largely In the hands o. gentlemen. but here our
old faith IN the democrats principles of gov
eminent puts us back in a way. We saw that a
principle OF government depending upon the
the voters are unprineiplei. / have
not -aIth IN the principles of the
American government because / am a
woman suffragist. but am woman suffra-
gist because have faith in the principles of the
American government We must have free
schools Our philanthropy must be more radi-
Cal IN Its systems The uplifting of our people
must be. The woman nature must have further
expression IN order that human nature NAV be
complete. What great thing it is that has
been given US to do, to help to place woman in
her true position.
Mrs spencer referred to the celebration of
the 4th Of July by the nihilist prisoners in Rus
sia as described by George KEENAN,
III Is not because ignorance becomes evident
that 1t Is dangerous. but because ignorance ex-
ists- The average American citizen does not
know he wears q crown. and when some of us
women who do feel patriotic say We have a
hard task. let US help You. the shame and the
pity OF II Is that any men should say us nav.
THE STATUS OF WOMAN IN ENGLAND.
Miss W. Elizabeth johnson sang solo in her
accustomed pleasing manner and then Miss
Florence Balgarnie of London spoke on the
topic. The Status of Woman in England
Our status is fairly good. but not nearly as
good as We mean II shall be-" said The speaker
Il received my first inspiration to work for
women from the women of America. The status
A
CARDS the property of women. up to a few years
ago there were no women in the world so badly
on as tine women of England. When a woman
welded even the trousseau her mother made
her belonged to her husband They could not
inherit or sue 1t was no laughing matter and
marriage was somewhat at a discount as a re-
suit things have improved and now when a
man and his wife separate she has a right to
her own property. Now sometimes the law is
a little hard on the men and know of cases
where "A woman has nm ,,,;I
hnery bills and the husbands were imprisoned
because he could not paw them. We're such
cases common. i, "a fair minded woman
would assist IN the relief of men, for do not
believe that women should have more liberties
than men, They should have liberties in COM
mon.
Up to few years ago the mother had no
more legal right to her children in England
IMAM I'M the merest hireling nurse. Things
have improved since then. but still men can
orier In their wills in what religion the chill
dren shall be nurtured. Our laws for the pro-
lection OF women have also been greatly i'm
proved within the last few years. vet still every
thlng IL not a. II should be. l notice in this
country that You treat Your horses 30 well that
am sure you treat your women well too /
nave travelled great deal in Europe but
never before saw place where people put chest
protectors and mac kintoshes on their horses.
In England our marriage laws are blot
upon our civilization, and in education we are
not falriy treated, for, notwithstanding the
TACT that a woman has stood higher than the
senior vranger, the University Of Oxford re-
Gently refused to give a degree of medicine
10 a woman simply because she was a woman
We are going to remedy all this by possessing
ourselves OF the parliamentary vote would
never ask Tor the vote simply for the sake of
my sex, but ask IL on patriotic grounds for I
believe that no country can rise to its highest
civllizatlon without the union of the best minds
vi the land i ask you to work without ceasing
There Is room for You in the ranks The uast
and the future are nothing in face of the stern
to-day"
INDIANS VS.. WOMEN.
Miss Anthony made number Of announce
merts and introduced Rev. Ida Hultin of Des
MONIES, Iowa, who made such a pleasant i'm
preston at the religious exercises in conuec-
ton with the opening Of the womans council
last Sunday
Miss Hultin was to have spoken later in the
week. but she was unable to remain and so she
vas put in the place of Rev. Anna H. Shaw last
night, who was 10 have spoken on the subject
Indians vs.. Women" Miss Hultin made n
clever address, starting out by paying n pleas
ant tribute 10 the elder workers. in the suffrage
ess'lse, and continuing by saving that all had
come 10 believe that il is womans divine
night to develop to the highest and best that is
IN her power. society is a phase of individual
Development. We realize that organized we
can accomplish more than We can alone and
working together working out the uues-
mons and the problems of the day. Organiza-
uon ls phase Of human development and if
woman Is a human being organization is her
tnallienable right