Omaha daily bee., 1896-08-02

Paris. 1900; the part Afro-American women
should take.
The need Of a national Afro-American
woman's paper.
Plans for raising necessary money and Sc
curing necessary support for the same.
How can the national federation OF Afro
American women be MADE TO serve the
best interests and needs OF our women?
The strength OF this new national organ.
ization even while yet in its infancy gives
encouragement Of its ultimate power among
the people 1t represents. The roll now in
cludes fifty organizations, the average num-
Der composing q local organization being
seventy-fve members many Of the clubs
having on roll as many as ESQ names.
A BOSTON LEADER.
Prominent among the women who are
leaders in this laudBble movement for the
uplifting Of their race are Mrs. stephen
P. Ruffn. Boston: Mrs. Brooker T Wash
inEton, Tuskscee. Ala, president; Mrs. T. r.
Ridley. Brookline, Mass, secretary; Mrs.
Libbie c. Anthony, jefferson county Mis-
souri,. treasurer: and Mrs. William Z.
Mathews WiCturiH Earle, New York City,
chairman Of the executive committee.
in the space allowed II Is only possible
to make but a passing BllusiCn TO all these
workers, reserviuE for the last the most
important figure, the president, Mrs. Brooker
T.. Washington. First. Mrs. RUfin. who is
the widow Of Judge George Rufin OF Boston
OBSERVES MUCH NItQll lOI nbNlUE uItl AK
tated through her paper, the New Era, The
need Of and possibility Of the federation
She is one Of the foremost OF the Colured
women journalists and is ably assisted in
the conduct Of her paper by her daughter.
Mrs. T. K. Ridley. who, as secretary OF the
federation. has lahored earnestly for the
success OF the coming convention. Speak
ing Of this convention, Mrs. Ridley says:
NO body Of women in the world has ErBver
situations TO face or more serious problems
10 consider, and because Of this We con
slider 1t one Of the most serious and i'm
portant movements OF the time. No colcred
mother carefully considering the future
which America opens TO her child can Hnord
10 sit still and take things as they come
and with all the mothers combined for good
works the colured child may have reason TO
hope for his rightful inheritance Mrs.
Ridley taught in the public schools Of
Boston for over seven years before entering
Journalism.
FROM THE WEST.
Mrs. Libbie c. Anthony. who has in
charge the funds of the federation, is a
native Missourian. having been born and
educated in that state. She was for
many years q teacher in the St Louis
public schools. and il was there that she
early allied herself with temperance work
and has been actively engaged in II ever
since. being at present state superintend-
ent OF work among cOlored people in the
Missouri Women's Christian Temperance
union. After her marriage to Prof. Z. l..
Anthony she removed to Jefferson City,
Mo, where her work is still carried on.
She served in the faculty Of Lincoln insti-
tute and was commissioner from Missouri
in the woman's congress at Atlanta.
When interviewed as to the convention and
her part in it. Mrs. Matthew said: Il
| wished with all my heart ! had done some
thing besides trying to urge Afro-American
women TO think and work for the upbuild-
. irp m my vu.a We mood g n much nlT Uul-
tivated women must step down and help
their less fortunate sisters, must estab-
lish retreats for the reclamation Of our way
ward and homes for our outcasts. Our
generation must make the masses feel the
need OF these things, then the next genera
! ton will work actively in the construction
work, and so on. ] am living in an age
when our women are just beginning to think,
SO il is hard TO look around and say TINS
or that have / done. Ny chief work among
the women here has been TO encourage the
gathering and collecting Of race literature
and historical data concerning our race anc
its development. ! want to encourage then
through this means of realizing that we are
all making history daily such as will give
our children pride or shed the latent dispo
sition to feel that we amt nobody, NJ
how" Mrs. Matthew is well adapted FOL
the role she essays. for she holds a position
as one of the prominent literary women o.
her race. She has written extensively
number OF stories, plays with historical tex
books, besides journalistic work. She hai
been president of the Woman Loyal unior
of New York and Brooklyn since its organi
Zation.
THE MOVING SPIRIT.
Mrs. Booker T. Washington, the leading
figure of the convention, is q southern
woman, having first seen the light of da!
at Macon, Miss, in 1865. She is truly
self-made woman. the story of her life anC
struggles TO attain intellectual life being
full OF pathetic interest. A mere outline il
inadequate to do justice to the heroic efforts
that have placed her today as the mos
prominent woman Of her race. One Of
large family, of which the mother was breat
winner, her father having died when sht
was q small child. she would have had NJ
opportunity for education had she no
through her own exertions created for her
NJ 0~yL-.