Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-20
The National Council Holds a Bust
ness Session.
GOSSIP ABOUT THE PRESIDENCY
Temperance and Religion Discussed
by Noted Women.
THE SESSION TONIC HIT

The morning session of the woman's
council was today devoted entirely to the
transaction of routine business of interest
only to the organization. and the general
public was rigidly excluded.
When the council is organized for bust
hess it consists strictly of the general Of
ficers and the two delegates from each Of
the seventeen societies which compose its
membership. Today the courtesies Of the
meeting were extended to the fraternal
delegates also, though they are not allowed
the privileges of voting, but even with
these there wero probably less than sixty
ali told at the session.
The president of the council, Mrs. May
Wright Sewall of Indianapolis presided at
the meeting. which lasted couple of
hours. Most of that time was devoted to
consideration OF the membership, so that
there would be no ques tior. as to who is, or
is not, entitled to vote when the more i'm
pcrtant business of the council, the cleo
ton of officers. and matters of that sort.
come up for consideration at the business
meeting which Is to be held the latter part
of next week before the final adjournment.
The Presidency.
There is one matter that is, OF course. in
teresting the members of the council just
now as much any other and that Is Che
election Of officers to serve for the next
three years. To be president of organ
iZatiOn like this is an honor that most
men would delight in above all else. 1t
means al assured position in the ranks of
these who are interested in the advance
ment Of the sex Mrs. Sewall succeeded
Miss Frances f. Willard in the position,
and we'll has she administered the duties
Of the Office that she could be her own
rious oppostion-if she only cared to have
the honor But Mrs. Sewall has expressed
herself as in favor of rotation in office. and
has caused it to be definitely understood
that under no condition would she accept
a reelection.
Many OF the members of the council are
in favor of Mrs. Rachel Foster Avery as
the next president and there is no doubt
that she could be elected unanimously, but
she also has taken a firm stand il the ma
ter. and hes said that she does not care
for the office, as her duties now are TOO
onerouS for her to think of taking up such
an important task falls to the lot of the
executive head of the council. Mrs. Avery
has been the corresponding secretary of
the council since its organization. and for
an even longer time than that has been
prominently Identified with woman's work
and especially with the woman suffrage
movement.
Today it would seem though the
choice of president lay between two wo-
men, both of whom are well-known work
ers and popular with their associates, Mrs.
Frances +. Bagley of Detroit and Mrs.
Mary Lowe Dickinson of New York. Mrs.
Basley is vice president of the National
Council of Women. and has taken an active
part in the discussions of the present meet
ing. Mrs. Dickinson represents the Inter
national Order of Kings Daughters and
Sons. a fra;erTal delegate and is also
one of the patrons of the council. Both
Of these are women Of strong individuality
and of considerable executive ability and
the general opinion Is that either would
make a first-class presiding officer.
The council topic for tonight is education,
and will be represented by the Young La
dies Mutual Improvement Association and
WimodauShss. The interest in the latter
Institution is national as we'll as local.
and the speakers. Mrs. Ruth G. ID. Havens.
we'll remembered fer her Girl OF the Fu-
ture;" Miss Annie Tolman Smith and Rev.
Anna Shaw. ought TO command large au-
dience Mrs. Ravens ideas on education
will be subordinate to her large and quaint
humor Miss Smith is a woman of wide
cultiya ton and scholarly attainment and
Rev Anna Shaw is always welcome ana
attractive entertainer. Her quick wit and
keen intellect are seldom eXcelled on any
rostrum.
The National Council.
The National Council of Women has
brought together one OF the most notable
gatherings of brainy and active women that
Washington has ever seen. The sessions
held at Metzerott Hall have been attended
by unusually large audiences. and as they
are to last full fortnight. all phases or
woman's work will have a chance of pre-
sentation and will receive a full and fair
hearing. The sessions are becoming more
popular every day, and at the rate things
are going now. in a day or two standing
room will be at premium. Yesterday
there were very few vacant seats at any
session, and some of the most interesting
and valuable subjects for discussion have
not yet been taken up.
People who are not as well informed as
they might be often ask the question of the
National Council: What are they here Tor;
what do they want?
This question is not an easy one to an
swer at the first trial The council is made
up of societies and associations of one sort
and another. each with a special and par
ticular object Their names show their
aims. Thus, every one knows the purposes
OF the National American Woman Suffrage
Association and of the National w. c. T.
u. and the different home and foreign mis-
sionary societies. The name of the Anti
NiviSection Society at once discloses the
fact that it is composed of people who are
waging a determined war against expert
ments th,,i involve cruelty to living ami
mails; but ~" National Council of Women
is not one II these. 1t is all of these in one.
Each society which is a component part of
it is represented in the council by two dele
gates, usually it's president and one other,
VINO is CHOSEN by the society. Inc council
does not legislate for the societies nor does
it seek to control them
1t Is simply gathering Of representative
women whose object in coming together is
to discuss the general question of woman's
work and woman's position in modern
life. Different subjects of general inter
est are assigned for discussion, and the
carefully arranged program gives all the
different elements an opportunity to be
heard and to tell of the work they have
accomplished. This furnishes not only use
full information to others, but also acts as
a strorg incentive to all for future laborS.
Although this is the second 'trienniaP'
meeting of the council the one before it
was held four years ago this month in
this city. BY rights the second meeting
would have been last year, but that would
have brought it so close to the worlds fair
and the many great gatherings of women
that were held in connection with 1T that
it was thought wisest on the whole to post
pone the meeting Of the council until 1898.
The national council was, of course, not
the congress of representative women
which was held in Chicago in 1898. but it
was an active factor in the movement
that led up to the holding of that inter-
rational meeting and was largely RESPONSE
tle for the success that attended it. Many
of the women who are prominently ident-
fled with the council took an active part in
he 90 cfn