The Portland daily press., 1895-02-01

| without fear of interruption. lnat SHOWS
the evolution of man." Miss Thomas urged
the committee to give the women chance
| TO make fools of themselves IT that was to
| follow the extension of the suffrage, al
though the experience in other states had
| not shown il 10 be the result. Miss Thomas
added that the women proposed to aid poor
| fallen man well as woman.
Mrs. Hannah j. Bailey and several others
also made brief remarks. AS Mr.. Spofo1d.
chairman of the committee announced the
close of the hearing, he remarked, looking
over the dense throng in front of him. that
| the committee would retire as soon as 1T
could.
Then, amid the babel of sound made by
seven or eight hundred female voices, the
gathering dispersed to lend to the streets
of Augusta an unwonted iiveliness. The
throng in and around the State House
during the afternoon must lave numbered
over one thousand people.
THE EVENING MEETING.
Seats for the evening meeting at the
| Opera house were in demand at o'clock at
SIS each, and a few went. it was said, as
high as $40. The original price was VI.
Further comment on the size of the audi
|
with American and English flags and
adorned with palms and flowers. Seats on
the stage were occupied by many ladies and
gentlemen, and in the boxes were officers
and members of the Maine Press Association
| and Others Many seats in the body of tie
! house had been reserved for members of the
/ LEGISLATURE IL of which were occupied.
Lady Henry Somerset, who was the
principal speaker of the evening, arrived
from Portland at 7.5O. and when few
minutes after eight size appeared on the
stage accompanied by Mrs. L. NJ. N.
Stevens, she was greeted with the applause
| of crowded house.
The meeting was opened by the singing of
1.-THE Star Spangled Banner" by the
Cecilian Quartette of Portland. who in re-
Spouse to an encore sang, God Save the
Queen" a compliment to Lady Somerset, OF
which the audience showed theil apprecia-
ton by standing.
Mrs. Stevens introduced Lady Somerset
in few graceful words. The distinguished
speaker was clad in black, relieved only by
a bow of white ribnon, the badge of the W..
G. r. u. OF medium height and graceful
presence, Lady Somerset has clear and
pleasant voice. and her remarks. which
/
tnrous bout. were frequently interrupted by
applause. Her expression Of pleasure at
speaking in Maine, the graceful allusion to
Mrs. Stevens. as a leader of Maine women
whom she was proud to call friend. and
n ention Of Gladstone, all called cut hearty
applause. aN
Lady Somerset traced the development OF
Industrial life which has provided those
| i 10 Tab thn nj
of woman's fingers in providing for the
needs of the home until woman is becoming
of the unemployed. Woman is not less
femme becluse she has wider outlook
man is not less brave because he no longer
buckles on steel armor and goes forth 10
war. Rather the world has changed and
woman has progressed.
In the course of her remarks. Lady Somer-
sci said in substance: l will not for one
moment in the words l shall speak tonight
deny what women in their progress have
owed to the kindness and generosity of
men.
Now what has so vastly changed woman's
outlook? First. education. Woman has at
last received that to which she is entitled,
equal education with man. Not only has
the college done this, but especially in
| A
| schools, believe the best in the world, is
the leaven working through the whole
| lump.
| So also womans outlook has changed in
| the laws recognizing her property rights.
Woman has learned that IN relieving misery
she must look for the cause as well as try to
avert the result. She IS no longer satisfied
TO trip out with her little basket of pudding
for some humber sister to eat.
| Lady Somerset said the matter after all
came back to question of sexes. Woman
is held responsible for the crimes she COM
mits She must pay her taxes. Men are
eager to represent women in government
but. said Lady Somerset, never saw one
anxious to represent me when the tax
collector comes round. daughter,
We are told that homes will be disrupted
if woman has vote. | am very much
amused at that argument when l think of
the many homes that according to it must
be disrupted in England, in New Zealand
and in South Australia.
I believe that woman's wider outlook an
intelligent participation in public affair
will make the home ties stronger. | believe
it will strengthen mothers influence over
her son if be knows when he goes out into
| the world tnaE MS mother ) luHueuCo 10 tan
strong by the political hearthstone as it is
by the freside of the home.
''John Bull does not take transcendental
views of anything. In one of the colleges
in Oxford is still written up Women and
Dogs Not Allowed - said Lady Somerset.a as
she began her account of the working of
woman suffrage in municipal affairs in Eng
| land. She told of women's influence
| through her vote in purifying the municipal
| affairs of London until now the county
council propose to secure an act of Parlia-
ment to admit women to full membership in
place of their present advisory relation.
Then it has been said that women would
not vote. I wish you could have seen the
first election at which women voted in Glas-
gov. There came out great number of
women from the lower strata. There were
five men running on the temperance ticket
and all were elected. 1t was feared that
women might be molested but they went to
the polls as quietly as they might have gone
TO church cannot understand this talk of
protection of women at the polls. If there
a. lie hi nly