New-York tribune., 1896-11-17
THE WOMAN MOVEMENT"
MISS Won CRANACH SPEAKS BEFORE
THE LEAGUE FOR POLITICAL
EDUCATION.

SOCIAL EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN IN GER
MANY" WAS THE sUBJEcr DISCUSSED
TWO FAMOUS GERMAN WOMEN.
Miss Cranachs lecture on The Woman
Movement in Germany" delivered yesterday morn
ing before the League for Political Education at
tho Berkeley Lyceum. was devoted to two of its
leaders. Frau Cauer and Frau Gnauck Kuhne
Botn OF these women said Miss Won Cranach,
are between forty and fifty years Of age.
highly educated and had spent nearly twenty
years In preparation for their work before they
attempted 10 do anything or dared TO speak in
public
Frau Cauer is the founder and head OF the
Mercantile Association. which aims at bettering
the condition OF the shop girls of Berlin. and is doing
a great work. 1t has many thousand members. and
has inspired much confidence that the Govern
ment has allowed 1t to draw upon the hospital fund
for its work. This fund Is maintained by the
working and women who pay a certain per-
centage OF their wages into IT, and in return receive
medical attendance and care when i'll. II they
too poor pay their fee their employers
Obliged TO pay IL for them.
The Mercantile A. ISOLATION assumes the hos
pital fund with regard to it's members. and also
maintains registry office and day and evening
schools. and secures for the members numerous
opportunities for recreation and mental improve
ment Tickets for public baths. lectures and the
theatre secured at very low rates. and even
bicycles loaned those that to them.
THE registry office undertakes to fll all the
places held by in stores. and carefully in
vestigates the conditions existing In the latter. As
soon as firm is found to iiltreat Its employees II
Is put the black list and one is ever sent to IT
again. The w1iting-room of the registry office is a
particularly sensible and useful institution, it
is provided with books and papers. and the women
allowed to eat their lunches there
Two years ago Frau Gnauck Kuhne was entirely
ilif ia
woman In Germany. She made her appearance in
Eisenach at meeting OF the Protestant Social
Workers. an organizatior composed entirely Of
men. Frau Gnauck kihne made speech at this
meeting which stirred all Germany. II not
only that she was a woman aud that for a woman
TO speak I'm public scandalous and previously
almost unheard Of thing. but also that what she
said was so true that every one recognized II as
the truth. and so elegant and finished were her
one OF the Protestan, Social Workers, a man
high In social position and who had not only
spoken but written AGAINST women on the platform,
said when she had finished that she had spoken
better than any of the men. and had entirely over
come his pr-iudiccs.
Frau Gnauck K4hne said in this speech what hat no
one had eyer said before. namely that the women
OF the upper classes were discontented. And they
had right to be she continued. for they mad
nothing TO do. their work having been taken from
them by the proSr' - of civilization II they occupied
themselves IN household matters they felt mat
they simply killing time. for others could do
THIS as well and it was the SAM way vita chari;
methods useless. And why should they spend
time making garments for the poor whcn !, they t
-
then called attention to the fact that the women
% the lower classes were shOckingy oN"rwork"d,
and said that the OF leisure VINO were now
dying with .rnui ought to study the condition OF
their poor sisters and try nclhgenily 20 help them
'Th" Protestant Social Workers succumb"d COM
pl-iely to her logic and when she suggested form
INK fcminu" auxiliary to their organiZation tnry
welcomed tn. idea. and actually helped h'r 10 30
II. Ten Of their viv.- were induced TO JOIN. ana
ar" now siuNing social problems. theoretically ana
practically and working along original lines inde-
pendent Of their leaders. 49,,
"Frau ,nauck Klhne IS the daughter OF hgh
Government official and shocked her family ana
friends Al q very carly az" by her advanced
thoughts She became a teacher when II was no'
necessary and because she could not go 10 college
Induced some Of the professors TO give her lectures
privately she studied social problems ana IN orh'i
10 r"t some practical knowledgc of the subject
worked I'm % pai.r nil FOR month. Here sh' was
Obliged 20 continually IN draughi meant ior ven
ilafiOn and the result was rheumatism, "iri'n
often causes her oNcruciaiing pain. II was attrr
sho had don. this that she felt that she was READY
for her M. work and appeared at Eis'nach She i
now irving FORM trades unions among tn'S'
poor factory women and shop workers ana ~ con,
s'anilv running the risk OF arrest TOT SupP'S'"
completely I'm soclaistic schemes