Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1893-08-10
woMAMs WORLD IN PARAGRAPHS.
Concerning the Reading of Papers at Wom-
ems Meetings

A lady commenting on some OF the
great conventions Of women at Chicago
this summer remarked, 1--WE have been
papered to DEATH" That very nearly ex-
pressed one phase Of feeling that existed
amid the general satisfaction called forth
by those admirable meetings of women.
Too much papering is one drawback Of
nearly all assemblies of present day
women, whether in clubs or conventions.
The dear ladies consult libraries and
pore over the historic records of centu-
ries, wearing out their eyes. They copy
and read sweetly just what somebody
else has said 20 times before and APP
plaud one another and appoint some
other women to go through the same
programme another week, or when the
papers are not gathered from the musty
records Of the past they are apt to be Of
the sermonizing order We women do
love to preach, bless usi But the SER
mons, the lofty sentiments, the elegant
rhetorical periods we quote from Em-
erson and others, have been said
before SO often that they become
stale, Improbable platitudes to our
audiences. We are '.papering them to
DEATH" There are some things I do wish
women would do in this enlightened age
Of the world One is to learn to speak.
Prepare your words as carefully as you
please, the more carefully the better, but
speak them instead Of reading. Look
your audience in the eye instead of bury
ing your nose in q paper. Even Colonel
Ingersoll, when he wishes to be most i'm
pressive, lays down his manuscript, and
facing his audience like a lion pours out
a shining, electric torrent Of eloquence
extempore. Another thing women should
do in their attempts to instruct the pub
lie is to draw their instruction from the
facts of real, redhot, present life instead
Of making their papers up Of quotations
and musty history and preaching. For
this one thing I glory in the work Of
Helen Campbell, that she has bestirred
herself, read newspapers, studied labor
statistics and gone herself into shop,
hospital and factory and gathered mat
ter of vital, living interest. One fact
from the life Of today is worth more for
instruction than the whole side of
houseful Of books.
Helen Gardeners speeches, which Gre
ated genuine sensation at the congress
of women at Chicago, are to be published
in book form soon, in avolume which will
be called Facts and Fictions of Life"
Among the essays will be the one en-
titled woman as an Annex" also ssSex
In Brain" mention this particularly
for the benefit Of the New York Sun,
that it may know herewith the name of
at least one of Helen Gardeners books.
Great Britain has now 1853 regularly
graduated women physicians whose
names appear in The British Medical
Register.
Very funny are two resolutions passed
at nearly the same time in two southern
states. The southern Presbyterians In
high and mighty conyocation assembled
at Macon evolved from their inner CON
sciousness a resolution that s'the session
must absolutely enforce the injunction
Of Scripture forbidding women to speak
in churches or in any way failing to OBJ
serve that relative subordination to man
which is taught in Corinthians H, Is,
and in other places" But suppose the
women refuse to obey the southern Pres
| byterian ministers, what are they going
| to do about it? The other resolution is
the prettiest companion piece to that of
| the Presbyterian preachers that you ever
saw. 1t was passed by the Arkansas
woman suffrage association, and it
reads: Resolved, That as the churches
are mainly made up Of and sup
ported by women we will use our
influence against the employment of
ministers who are opposed to our
movement and pray the Almighty
Father to keep them from our midst"
Against the intense and solemn prayers
of an association of intelligent nine
teenth century women and the dictum
of lot of antique hunkers that plant
themselves on an 1,800-y 0-years-old utter
ance Of that disgruntled widower Paul,
who expressly discIaimed inspiration for
some of his sayings in regard to women,
which do you think will win? 1t is strik-
ing preachers exactly where they live
when women resolve to support their
churches no longer, and we could even
wish that every minister who sets him
self against the progress Of our sex might
be struck just so.
A woman has been appointed professor
of elocution at Kings college, England
But the University of Chicago has done
better than that and appointed no less
than four ladies among its instructors
Dali md 1a
Foote Grove being full professors.
At Cambridge university in England
all the medieval and modern language
honors this year were gained by women.
At the graduating exercises of Boston
Dental college the senior prize for the
best examination was won by Miss Mary
Esther Gallup. the one woman in a class
of 49,
Miss Cora Goodenow, candidate Of
both the Democratic and Populist par
| ties for school commissioner of Ottawa
county, Mich. was elected by large
majority.
Miss Louise L. Francis Of Castroville,
| CAL, is the assistant secretary of the
| National Editorial association. Miss
Francis is also the plucky and successful
proprietor of the Castroville Enterprise.
Sept. the Unitarian church at Gen
eva, Ills, will have for its pastor Rev.
Celia Parker Woolley. The Unitarian
church at Geneva is to be congratulated
on securing pastor of such eloquence
and earnestness.
|
| We are informed that for years the
Duchess Of Devonshire has been writing
anonymously for the London Saturday
Review. l wonder if she writes those
mean things about women7
One of the most cheering signs Of thu
| time is the universal interest women are
taking in physical culture and active
outdoor exercise. The craze has over
taken even the French and Russian la
| dies ELIZA ARcHARD CONNER
Showing That Plants Can see-
Can plants see? Darwin gave it as his