The morning call., 1893-10-31
LISTS OF NAMES.
Ten Thousand Already on
the Petitions.
ALL WANT A CLEAN PRESS.
A Mass-Meeting That Will Overflow
Into the Street-SpeeChes of
Five Minutes.
ALL WANT A CLEAN PRESS.

signatures to the petitions are pouring
in" said a lady prominent in the women's
movement for purer press, when asked
yesterday by a CALL reporter how the
work of the committees was progressing
st is perfectly wonderful how women
of every church and nationality. / may
say. have come forward to help. All the
wOmen's organizations and social societies
seem willing and glad to give the move
ment their su, port. The way In which
champions seem to have sprung out of the
earth, so to speak. really reminds one OF
the old fable of Cadmus and his armed
warriors.
"You can say il you like" added the
lady laughing, that the papers which
furnished sensationalism sowed the
dragons teeth, and now, like Cadmus,
they find in their place a mass of warriors.
you must not think though that our
ladies' want to fight. They are carrying
their work forward in the most friendly
and conciliatory spirit toward the press.
but they are finding how much this reform
was wanted. The enthusiastic way in
which women respond TO the movement
shows this. So far l have only heard of
one sign ature being refused"
The ladies' energy is not only manifested
in San Francisco. Committees visited near
ly every church in Oakland last Sunday.
aud the various clergymen announced from
the pulpits that as the congregation passed
nut they would find the ladies presiding
over tables in the vestries. where the Pc
titons were spread out all ready for sigma
lures.
AS many as three ladies were sent to
some of the churches. Every woman In
The congregation signed at one church. At
the First Congregational Church the
women were little d ffident about comm g
forward to append their names to the Pc
titions. but their husbands induced them
to sign, saying that the idea was an excel
lent one.
In some instances men came forward and
requested permission to add their sigma
lures, but they were told that the petition
for press purity was woman's movement
entirely. A number of young girls were
anxious to fortify the petitions with their
names. but they were told hat those under
eigh teen were not considered to have
reached years Of discretion, and were
therefore refused the privilege.
The ladies reported on Sunday night tha at
only twelve refusals had been met with In
the whole of Oakland.
"Why will you not sign?" a lady of the
committee demanded of one of these
twelve. "Do you think the press at pres.
ent is entirely as it should be?"
NO." replied the lady who was with
holding her signature, ''but my husband
disapproves of my name appearing"
SIS your husband satisfied that no re-
form is needed ?" was asked, but the lady
passed on into the church without waiting
to answer the question.
Such refusals were SO rare, however,
that the ladies only considered them ex-
ceptions 10 prove the rule that all the
women were willing and anxious to sup
port the movement.
The committee that attended the various
81 Francisco churches were equally sue
cessful. At Trinity Church, in particu-
lar. large harvest of signatures was