The San Francisco call., 1895-05-21


of the Pacific Slope than it is possible for
YOU to get from my being here with you"
i Again the hall rang with applause and
the hower-scented air was agltated by the
waving OF spotless handkerchlefs as the
honored pioneer who had blazed the path
for the new woman, DoWlng 10 tne rlgnt
and left, took her seat.
ssThere has been call from the audi
ence," said Mrs. Cooper, advancing as the
applause subsidized, "for one who captured
both Oakland and San Francisco yester-
day. l have the honor of introducing the
Rev. Anna Shaw"
'.I wan. to say to Mrs. Cooper and to
this audience" exclaimed Miss Anthony,
| rising before Miss Shaw had time to step
forward, that Miss Anna Shaw is my
first lieutenant but is the first lieutenant
of the great National Woman 's~Council of
the United States. She is vice-president-
at large. She comes to you representing
that body, which is composed OF twenty
of the different National organizations
of women of this country, representing
| twenty different purposes OF the women
who have been organized, and l hope be-
fore this Pacific Council shall adjourn you
will vote yourselves members of that great
National organization of the women of
the United States"
More applause, and Mrs. Cooper again
introduced Miss Shaw, who came forward
smiling at the white greeting of waving
| handkerchiefs.
"My friends" " she began, "ycu make me
feel bashful, because come with Susan to
hold her bonnet, and it is honor enough
for any young woman to hold the bonnet
of Susan B. Anthony. But as you have
called me here, / am almost tenn pied to tell
a joke on her. Some time since, they told
the women in this movement that they
were out OF their sphere. Finding that
this did not scare US, they said we were
strong-minded. Well, would rather be
strong minded than have no mind at all.
Then, when none of these things seemed
to have any effect on US, they called US a
lot of infdels, and that nearly scared us to
death. Here's where the joke comes in.
Zone night in introducing me to con-
gregation in a large church Miss An
hearers that 1 at least was not an infidel,
This is the Rev. Anna Shaw she said, AN
orthodox minister. She is orthodox Of
the orthodox, and she is my right bower
"Now just think of the impression ON
that congregation" resumed Miss Shaw
when the laughter at her Joke had ceased
echoing. "And the interesting thing
about it was that every orthodox person
in the congregation knew what a right
| bower was.
Gentlemen and ladies, 1 certainly thank
you on behalf of the Womens Council
which l am representing here; and l thank
you on behalf of Miss Anthony, myself
and the other ladies who have gathered
from various parts of the country to be
present at this congress. / thank you on
| behalf of womanhood because / think this
congress means better conditions for the
! home and If for the home, then for the
whole world. President Eliot of Harvard
says the home is the sap-root of the state,
and II that be so, whatever tends to uplift
the state uplifts the home There can be
no perfect state without perfect home;
and there can be no perfect state, if the
home is the sap-root OF the state, without
direct connection between the sap-root and
the state.
"If you sever from the life of the state
one-half of the tap-root you sever one-haH
of the power and vital energies of the
state. That for which Miss Anthony and
Mrs. Stanton stand is the direct connec-
| ton between the tap-root and the state,
and we have come to see this great prin-
clple accepted all over our country by the
wisest and best people. We thank you for
your welcome to our ideas and to our
principles and, in the name of the
Women's Council, which hope to speak
OF hereafter, thank you for this kindly
welcome"
81 now take pleasure" said the presi-
dent, sin Introducing to you Mrs. Caroline
| M. Severance of Los Angeles, one of the
earliest OF those women who stood for suf-
frage and H. not not only that but the first
Club; and If / were to tell all that Ms.
| Severance has done for the Pacific Coast 1
| should rob her of a good portion of her
time. 1t is my great pleasure and honor
to INTRODUCE to you, therefore, Mrs. Caro-
| line M. Severance of Los Angeles"
| There was more waving of handkerchiefs
as Mrs. Severance took her stand to the
| left OF the president, at the rear of the
| magnificent floral arch. Her voice trem-
| oled with emotion as she responded to the
reception and she was visibly affected. She
said she had neither strength nor voice
enough to tell how grateful she was. Her
| heart and her effort had always been with
the work at present in hand and her in
terest had never Tagged since 184s.
have been co-workers in way"
"Yes," said Miss Anthony, once more
rising, ..let me tell you about Mrs. Sever
ance. Just forty-two years ago, in the
beautiful month of October, the third, or
| rights conyention-we talked about the
woman's right to earn an honest living
and to get an education-just forty-two
years ago next October such a convention
was held in the city of Cleveland. was
guest OF this dear woman at that time.
! Lucy Stone, Antoinette Brown, dear
Lucretia Mott and Fannie Gage, as we
called her, Ernestine Rose of New York, q
Polish woman who said such beautiful
things in broken English. think we
were nearly all the guests of Mrs Sever
ance. remember that beautiful home of
| hers out on Euclid avenue-a palace where
| we used to love to assemble.
"Ah, how different it was then. Mrs.
| Severance" said Miss Anthony, turning to
her old friend. ''How different it was.
Instead of having preacher to come and
pray for u.s. we actually had one take Mr..
Garrison by the nose. Yes, Mrs. Sever
| ance has been with US from the begin
| ming"
The Rev. Ada G. Bowles of Pomona
added her tribute to the work and worth
| OF Mrs. Severance, and called upon the
audience to give her the Chautauoua
salute, which was done with will. The
president then introduced to the audience
| the following ladies, who made short ad-
dresses appropriate to the occasion: Mrs.
John T. Swift, president of the Century
| president of the Laurel Hall and Philo.
math clubs; Miss Mary c. Smith of the
Ladies Literary Society of Santa Maria;
! Mrs. Nellie Blessing EYster of the