The morning call., 1893-12-11
OF THE WOMAN'S CONGRESS.
The Duties of the damaging
Board Misunderstood.
EXPLANATIONS NOW IN ORDER.
The President and Secretary Give
Their Version, and Peace and Har-
mony VIII Again Prevail.

aging board of the Woman's Congress
Auxiliary to the Midwinter Fair. The IDEA
gained currency ia certain quarters that
the board was empowered to make ar
rangements for the general congresses.
and that this onerous charge had been
fully assumed by the ladies forming the
above board
When those in authority fail to agree, it
is somewhat difficult to arrive at the abso-
lutte truth. 1t is safe TO assert, however,
mat the ladies of the managing board are
simply concerned in the success OF the
Woman's Congress. and TO this end their
energies are being concentrated.
1he following communicate from Mrs.
Charlotte Perkins Stets0n Will be OF inter-
est In this connection:
In order to clear up some misunderstanding
as 10 tile scope power ana purpose of their or
ganlzatlon, the managing board OF the Wom-
ans Congress Auxiliary to the MidwinIer Fair
wish TO publish the leter which they nrst sent
TO as official Endorsement:
SAN Francisco Cal, Oct. l9. 1898.
M. H. dc Young, Director General Mtd10t1lter
ETpoStiOR-DEAR SIR: The outcome of the pre-
IimnaTy meeting held 10 discuss the possibility of
a congress auxiliary to the Midwinter FAIR
the appointment of a managing board TO Invite
the cooperation OF the thinking men aud women
of this coast In general conference upon the AZ
fairs OF moment TO the world. to be held curing
the time OF the MdwTnter Exposition. aud to
carly OUT woman's branch of such a congress.
Then follows the list of officers and members
OF the board. which now stands as follows:
President, Mrs. John Vance Cheney; vice
presidents. Mrs. Sarah b. Cooper and Mrs. A.
q. Soule; recording secretary, Mrs. Ada Van
felt; corresponding secretary. Mrs. George Z.
Gaden; treasurer. Nine. l.. A. SOrbrler; with
MIS-. a. A. Sargent. Miss Cordelia kirkland,
Mrs. hlncaid, Mrs Edna Shell VOulsOn, Mrs.
Hoyt Mrs. Sears, Mrs. {. Z. Stetson. Two
places are yet 10 be filled, making board of
hfteen.
The letter closes:
Awaiting the official recognition of your exc
cnEve committee. that we may proceed at once to
invite such an undertaking . ready awak-
ehed great interest am yours respectfully,
MINNA V GADES,
Corresponding Seer tary
1t VIII be made plain, we hope, that no pre-
tense was made of inauguratiug the general
congresses, Tor which steps are now being
taken by some prominent men and women, but
simply 10 invite a conference 10 urge the neces-
siy OF such congresses.
The special work of the board-to arrange
for one weeks woman's cougress-had TO re-
main IN dbeyauce until IL was known whether
there were 10 be o olonged general congresses
or not, "a matters OF finance, location and
genel al management would be materially AZ
iecIed. But the work Is now going on, aud We
hope 10 bring together all the most representa-
tive women OF California and the coast for
their own benefit ana. much more, that OF their
hearers.
Headquarters of manager board of woman's
congress auxiliary to Midwinter Fair, at The
Occidental, Montgomery street.
D
John Nance Cheney, resident of the
Ladies' Managing Board, said to a CALL
reporter yesterday: The misapprphen-
sion regarding the duties devovIng upon
the board of the Woman's Auxiliary first
arose, l think, in consequence of a letter
received from the M.dwin;er Fair head
quarters. 1t had been written hastily, and
the wording made the sense rather OBJ
scure. At any rate it went abroad that
upon US had deyolved the duty of arrang-
ing for the general congresses. OF course,
this is far from being the case. Prominent
men in the city, believe, are now ana
have been for some little time arranging
for these congresses. and meantime we
have enough to do in making arrange
ments for the Woman's Congress. We
hope TO hold 1t shortly after Easter. and 1t
will last for seven days. At the last meet
ing of the board it was decided that one
day should be devoted TO the con sideration
of the following subjects: Education. art
and literature, reform, science, phllaE-
lhropy, charities and religions.
ut may readily be understood" con-
tinued Mrs. Cheney, that In making pro-
vision for the proper treatment of so all
important and yet so widely diversified
list of suhjec g, our time is likely 10 be-
fully occupied without travelling on ground
which may more properly be occupied by
gentlemen. | must say. however-al-
though of course | speak without au-
L
ing in charge the arrangements for the
general congress ought 10 be mixed one
composed of both men and women. The
arrangements, owever. have not assumed
definite shape, and 1t is useless TO attempt
to discuss ma;terlbet0re anything decisive
has been arrived at by the gentlemen hav-
ing it In charge"
Mrs. Mnna Y. Gaden, the correspond
ing secretary of the managing board, when
Questioned respecting the WOman's Con-
gress Auxiliary TO the Midwjnter Fair
said:
There were several meetings held at the
Hotel kenton in the summer to consider
the matter. We invited the attendance of
every woman's organization We could
think OF. just naming a few at hazard !
may mention the Associated Charities, the
Ladies' Catholic Aid Society, the Century
Club the WOmen's Educational and In
dustrial Union, the W0men's Exchange,
etc.
so many people were out Of town at the
time that, although a number of ladies
attended the meetings, it was impossible
To compose the ma aging board OF elected
representatives from the various wOmen's
societies. We simply chose those ladies
who were here and were most interested
In the work. From their names, however,
you can see that they all belong to one or
more societies.
What We waited to organize was
WOman's congress auxiliary. Of course
we could not organize anything else. being
all women. We did feel. however, that
when we had secured official recOgni-
lion for a woman's cOOgres5-and
woman's only, remember-we might invite
the men to Cooperate with us, and with
their assistance form general congress
Indeed, may say that since the recog-
milton has been gained some of us have
preached the subject to men likely to be
Interested in tile matter. This led Us to
the discovery that the men of this State
already had the idea of congress under
consideration. so we have taken no further
steps, but left that entirely TO them.
No! L would rather not mention their
Names" continued Mrs. Gaden in reply To
question. ''At present the men are not
organized. and it might be premature TO
say who the most interested ones are. 1
can state confidently. however. that they
are well-known business men of this city.
OF course the fate of general congress
Will depend upon whe ther the men organ
lZe or not, but ths women's congress is as
| much certainty as any event still in the
future can be.
The efforts of the managing board In
trying to secure TO cooperation OF women
throughout the State have met with the
IL,