The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-18
WOMEN WRITER'S.
Essay, Music and Recitation at
the Convention.
Large Attendances at the Two Sessions Yes.
terday Testify to the Success of the
Gathering.

The first semi-annual convention of the
| Pacific Coast Woman's Press Association
was continued in Union Hall yesterday.
! The morning was occupied with association
business. A number of resolutions were
/ passed during the morning session, upon
various topics of interest to women and in
the ass ociaton's line of work, and at the in
stance of Miss Sarah NJ. Severance of Gilroy
a memorial to the Assembly and Senate
asking their favorable action upon the
pending Woman Suffrage Bill was passed
around, and received the signatures of all
| the ladies assembled.
The members OF the convention were, be-
tween the morning and afternoon sessions,
entertained by delightful lunch by Mrs.
j. W. Bruner at the Elsmere. About
fifty members of the association were pres
ent and the following was the menu:
SALADS.
Chicken. Potato. Lettuce.
Bouilion.
SoEtshell Crabs
RELIsHEs.
Radishes. Onions. Pickles. Olives
COLD MEATS.
Roast Turkey, Raspberry Jam
Smoked Tongue. Roast Mutton.
DESSERT.
Apple Pie. Blackberry Pie. Cream Meringue
Oranges. Apples. Nuts and RaiSinS.
Claret sauterne Tea Coffee.
1t was shortly after ? 80 when Mrs. Nellie
3. Eyster called the afternoon session to
order. The body of the hall was filled, the
seats being almost entirely occupied by
ladies. few gentlemen had been able to
set away from business, and were scattered
e.,
panied by lady friends, and few had been
bold enough to attend the meeting unaccOm-
panied.
Miss Theresa l. Talbot Condor of New
\ ork recited IN an impressive and eff
fective manner the following poem, writ
ten for the occasion by Mrs. Ella HigginSon,
editor of the West Shore, Sehome, Wash,
who was unable to be present:
The New West.
Stand up, my West! Lift thy young, noble head
On the strong pillar of tty proud. white throat,
And let thy gold hair the winds float;
In the worlds march keep step with lofty tread,
And firm If passion from the South has fed,
And from the North and East, there yet rem aims
Its leaping FIRE in thy full, swelling veins;
If others have forgot the flag that led
To Independent freedom, and now fail
To rest in their own strength and pride, aud try
To ape the older nations, thou. my west,
As long as thou hast breath for freedoms cry.
And a strong. passionate heart within thy breast.
9iETIs AND PALLAs ATHENE.
Mrs Eyster introduced Miss Sarah NJ.
Severance Of Gilroy, who read an allegori-
cal, cleyerly written paper, entitled "Metis
and Pallas Athene.'
Miss Severance is a tall woman Of stately
appearance, with strongly marked features,
indicative of more than usual resolution
1fapg hat
stern, yet kindly face. inspires instant con-
fidence, while an occasional shrewd CLEAN
in her keen eyes showed no lack of apprecia-
ton Of the many good points she SO SOberly
made.
Athene was described rs the Goddess Of
Wisdom and Invention, above all things,
practical. She placed utility first. She is
the type of the model-tne perfect woman,
but she was an old maid, it might be said.
There is no god to match her However,
ZeuS. the type Of man, has never been inter-
viewed on the subject. MetiS. on the other
hand was the type of the patient hard-
working drudge The result of tBat ideal
was "drudges Tor mothers and louis IN great
number for sons" Metis is told to surround
herself with m0lasses to catch suitOrs. Re-
suit" Dolls for mothers and dudes for
sons" MetiS ShoHld rise out of her state OF
drudgery Athene is found in the kinder
gartens, in the slnm districts, in assisting
poor. seii-reSpecting women. The Woman'S
Press Association is one of Athene'S tri-
umphS.
MEND THE HOLES.
The kindergarten a Preventive OF
Crime" was the subject discussed by Mrs.
Kate Douglas Wiggin, in mastery address
Mrs. Wiggin is well-knOwn in San Francisco,
graceful blonde lady of winning presence.
and such face as children love and trust.
She wore street costume OF black, black
hat with wide brlm shading her face. Her
enunciation was clear, and her manner OF
Iii, arrI nl,a ,f,,fr In has
been for the past year in Europe studying
kindergarten work in the old country.
Mrs. Niggn quoted the saving of police
man, If we could have more klndergdrtens,
sir. we could shut of the peDiteutaries, sir"
Life is bridge broken by numerous
holes. through which the weaker are con-
stantly falling 1t is necessary TO mend
the holes in the bridge. The kindergarten
does this. The plans of educators must be
improved. In tile kindergarten system the
moral aim is the absolute aim. Doing right
is to a great extent the result of practice
The present system of education saps
moral sense and backbone. The kinder
garten fostered them naturally. After II
graphic description of the daily work of a
kindergarten, Mrs. Wiggin claimed that the
systematic development of sense of order
and harmony has an ethical significance,
and that the kiHdergartens by their admir-
able system. had been the pioneers in pro-
noting physical training in schools.
CAN W EIGh MEN
The next paper was on Representative
Women" by Mrs. Frances Edgerton, who
read in very pleasing manner her
thoughts upon this subject. Mrs. Elgerton
was beautifully attired in a soft gray
JenneSs- Miller gown, the graceful lines of
which set off to advantage her unusually
fine figure. She has clean-cut, Intelligent
face, and her fine delivery added much to
the enjoyment of her bright essay. Mrs.
Edgerton dealt mainly with Portia as type
of the perfect woman. Size typified woman
ly Quickness of instinct in weighing men,
wOmanly devotion to her husband and
womauly loyalty to her husbands friend.
When the test came she formed her plan
quickly, and r0ved herself quite the equal
of man in the department in which she is
said to be his Inferior
The eSsayist protested against the strug-
gle for wOniaD's rights. This field won d.
only be destructive. But away with the
idea That woman Is the playthlng Of man
and man the toy of woman. They should
open up every avenue Tor making a living.
There was a prejudice among women against
women who worked. A Portia was wanted
TO rescue women from women.
PHYsIGNoMY AND LITERATURE.
Mrs. Mary o. Stanton. Treasurer OF the
association, was the next speaker, her sub
ject being one she is notably able to handle,
"Physiognomy in Relation TO the Literary
Worker" Mrs. Stanton's face is one to
attract the attention OF even the skeptic re-
gardng the reliability OF physiognomy as a
science. 1t is full of force and determina-
ton. Mental power and concentration are
written thereon, and it is strong, kind
hel pful face, Withal. Attired in simple
costume of black, with lace at wrists and
sleeves, her garb relieved from severity by
the flash of diamonds at throat and ears,
she was pleasing type OF the intellectual
woman of the day, earnest and self-reliant.
"Physiognomy," said Mrs. Stanton, sub
stantaliy, has been my life's study. Most
learned men have written upon this subject.
The belief III it had waned and then revived
again in the eighteenth century. 1t might
be defined as the art of discovering the
qualities of the mind from the structure and
expression of the face. This had been ex-
, tended to include all human nature. The
literary calling required great knowledge of
the science Of human nature, of such details
as not only the form and expression of the
face, but Of the intOnation OF the voice, the
walk, gestures and shape of the head. This
IN in ma nf no first