Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-19
WOMEN'S CONGRESS
Papers Read and Discussed at the
Sessions Today.
WOMEN'S RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
Development That She Has Made
and That to Come.
PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT

A small American flag was draped around
| the presidents desk on the platform at
Metzerott Hall this morning, when the sec
| ond day Of the sessions of the National
| Council of Women of the United States be-
| gan. 1t lent the finishing touch to the
| general patriotic effect, for the wall In the
| rear of the stage was hung with man.
| moth stars and stripes.
At 10 o'clock when the president Mrs.
| May. Wright Sewall, called the meeting to
order, the attendance was comparatively
| light, but during the hour many others
came in, so that the hall was well filled
| before the meeting got fairly under head
way.
The general subject of discussion for the
morning was church work, with especial
| reference to the share that woman takes
| in religious effort. After the opening of
| the meeting, Mrs Harriet Taylor Upton,
chairman of the press committee, an
| nounced that the local papers had made
arrangements to publish elaborate reports
| of the convention and urged that all the
members of the council subscribe Tor one
| or more of them and thus spread through
! out the land a general knowledge OF the
work done by the council. Mrs. Rachel
| Foster Avery, corresponding secretary Oh
the council also made number of i'm
portant announcements.
Two fraternal delegates from the Nation
al Farmers Alliance and Industrial Union
were then introduced to the council to de-
liver greetings from the organizations they
represented They were Mrs. h. w. war
dell of Topeka, Kan, and Mrs. Helen S.
Johnson of Cory, Pa, one of the national
lecturers Of the organization. They made
brief addresses, dividing the five minutes
between them, in the course of which they
spoke of the valuable lesson the Farmers
Alliance taught to the world In holding out
equal privileges to women.
Mrs. Amelia S. Quinton Of Philadelphia
extended fraternal greetings from the Wo-
mans National Indian Association. She
spoke hopefully Of the coming time when
in the work for common humanity there
will be no need for the use Of SeX-termS
There will be no difference between man
ard woman in the labors for one common
good. and 1t will not be another case Of
sex against sex.
The First Paper Read.
Then the general subject which was be-
gun at last evenings session was resumed,
the first paper being by Mrs. Minnie d.
Louis of New York on the topic, THE In
fluence Of Women in Bringing Religious
Conviction to Bear Upon Daily Life"
Mrs. Louis began with brief outline of
what religion may become in the work of
improving and raising the general status
of human existence and of ope's every day
life Her paper was an ethical and rather
mystical consideration of mans relation
toward religious convictions. After begin
ming with the theorem that religious con-
yictions were in the beginning the effect
of the impress of physical force she went
on to consider their effect on human life,
leaving out Of consideration their influence
as motive for worldly ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
She made an earnest appeal for more
scientific teaching of the truths of the
Bible, eliminating dogmas and creeds and
coming down to plain and simple truth.
This would clear away all the mists OF su-
perstition which have clouded religion IN
the minds of the people and would leave
true religion itself to be regarded as the
acme of human intelligence.
Mrs. Louis took very advanced ground
on the subject, her estimate or TINS phase
of human development being well summed
up in the statement that church walls have
too often restrained the upward flights of
spirituality. Woman, she said, is the ozone
of the metaphysical atmosphere. In the
true and unconfned understanding OF re-
ligion woman finds her true sphere of use
fulness. Centuries ago a woman-St. The
resa-taught the world lesson in her bat
tie for intellectual and religious freedom
and for an opportunity of unrestricted
growth. This century again has brought
forth a woman-Nrs. Humphrey Ward
who has cried aloud to the world in her
protest against the thralldom Of religion to
form, of spirituality to dogma. A new era
has dawned in the sociological world. Ed
ward Bellamy, said Mrs. Louis, is the
prophet of the post-biblical era. Woman,
with her sanative conscience, must lead in
the work of making from every church
spire, aisle and lectern glorious sunbeams
of a new spirituality, and from every hu-
man heart a new and perfect temple for
the untrammeled worship of God.
From Practical Standpoint.
The formal discussion Of the subject was
begun at the conclusion of Mrs. Louis
paper, and was inaugurated by Mrs. Mary
F. Lowell of Pennsylvania, who handled
the subject from a rather more practical
standpoint. She said that every woman is
taught a child to say, Thy will be
done" Yet, what does a woman mean,
said Mrs. Lowell, when she speaks Of doing
Gods service? She is not doing His will
when she ignores her influence in the mat
ter of her husbands relations to his en-
ployes If she does not interfere when he
grinds them down until they become mere
machines, and are not able to live as hu-
man beings. No woman is doing Gods
will when she dresses contrary to his laws.
Mrs Lowell is the delegate to the council
frcm the American Anti-Vivisection So
ciety, so that this phase Of her subject
gave her chance to speak of the prin-
ciples of her society. Thus, she said, no
woman is doing Gods will who wears upon
her bonnet a birds plume, the securing of
which has cost the little songster his
precious life So no woman is doing His
will who does not treat her servants with
humane consideration. She is not true
Christian If she compels a servant to live
in a room in which she herself would not
like to live If she was a servant, or when
she makes her servants work in a dark,
gloomy, depressing and unsanitary kitchen.
All these things should be considered, and
a woman Is not true to herself or to her
Maker If she ignores them.
A woman is not doing His will If she fails
to inculcate on her children love for hu-
manity and for humane behavior. Relig-
ious convictions have close and powerful
influence upon the most trifing details Of
everyday life, and a woman who does not
realize this is not doing Gods will as she
should do.
Another interesting paper this general
subject was read by Mrs. Frances f. Bag
ley, widow of the late Gov Bagley Of Michi-
gan. Mrs. Bagley member at large
Of the board Of lady managers Of the
worlds fair, who conducted much Of The
foreign correspondence of that body.
General Discussion.
The subject was then thrown open for a
general discussion by the members Of the
council, which lasted twenty minutes. 1t
was opened by Mrs. Jenkins of Detroit. The