The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-01-29
ORATORS IN PETTICOATS
Called Down by the Presidents
Chestnut Bell.
POCKETS JUST LIKE A MAN
Amusing Things One Sees and Hears
at a Meeting of Women Who
Want to Take Charge
of Affairs.

ped forward ana TOOK the SaNel from
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw, who had
been holding down the meeting of the
Women Sutfragists during her brief
absence of a few moments.
We'll, we are in the midst of bush
ness, | wish somebody'd make mo-
ton" said Aunt Susan, dryly.
Il move we adjourn!" responded "a
sister from over in the corner.
NO, you can't move that just now,
we've got a little more business"
which ruling was accepted without a
murmur, and with a look of apology
on the face of the member who seem
ed to think she had made a bad break
All this happened yesterday after
noon in the Uniyersalist church, cor
ner 13 and L streets, \. w.
Last night there was Il greater
crowd than in the afternoon. There
was scarcely standing room The
auditorium was pentagonal in shape,
and the platform was almost in the
centre.
There were vague rumors of fight
while everybodys hair had been
smoothed in order to blind the public
TO any signs of internal feud yet there
were here and there little outcrop-
pings on the part of Aunt Susan which
plainly showed those who had incurr-
ed her pleasure or displeasure. She
got her revenge in her introductions.
Miss Emily S. Richardson came for
ward, a spinster who had scored at
least twice in years, in spite of her at
tempt to conceal it. And here is Just
where Aunt Susan scored
Said she: Wen now introduce
Miss Emily S. Richardson. who has
been heard by us for the last Is or 10
years" The Speakerina came forward,
her bang-frizzles trembling with rage,
which she tried to live down by put
ting on young voice and young eyes,
but Dame Nature was on Aunt Susans
side and fetched Miss Emily ere long.
She paused presently, grew tritle
pale, and then with ges-
ture almost pelutant, she went
down in her clothes, and got out pair
of specs, at which a laugh of triumph
heard all over the house, issued from
Aunt Susan's sarcophagus, a kind
of resurrection-day laugh as warped
in tone as a crack in a coffin.
But Aunt Susan soon threw of this
mood, and brought her lips together
until her mouth looked like a large
knife-wound that had been sewed up
by SURGEON. Miss Richardson con-
tinued, and was just in the middle of
her sentence, when she was startled
by stroke of a bell, which seemed
to be in Aunt Susan's clothes. IL
sounded like a chestnut-bell, and Aunt
Susan had given it a sharp stroke. 1t
was the "hurry-call' that was rung on
nearly all the speakers during the
evening.
When Aunt Susan rung it on Mrs.
Miller, of Maryland, that lady turned
around with her manuscript, skinned"
three sheets of her notes one over an
other as if she were sampling poker
hand, and looked appealingly at Aunt
Susan to let her finish. Mrs. Miller
deserves more than passing mention:
Aunt Susan introduced her as daugh-
ter of Maryland, whereas she looked
like a grandmother of Virginia and
MARYLAND combined. Presently Aunt
Susan interiected the remark that
the speaker was a Quaker, and was
for peace Mrs. Miller stopped in
stantIy and whispered TO Aunt Susan,
who announced TO the audience that
the speaker wanted it understood that
she was a fighting Quaker" which
brought down the house. Mrs.
Miller received SO much applause
that Aunt Susan found her reputation
growing too rapidly, and raped
the bell of time, but Mrs.
Miller had captured the convention
speaking of the men. She was as raw
boned as Abraham Lincoln, as long
armed as Henry Clay, with face like
Mrs. Darlington, and never in her mo-
ments of greatest triumph, once
cracked a smile. Instead she threw her
blue eyes over her spectacles by way
of danger signals that hotter stuff
was coming, and it arrived on schedule
time She had on n little black poke"
bonnet tied under grandmothers
chin with narrow black ribbons, and
the bow-knot underneath gradually
went to pieces. The audience grew
wild under her eloquence, which was
Henry Clay at first hand-and by the by,
the old lady said that she was born in
Virginia.
All this time the new United States
Senator Cannon, just sworn in yester-
day, was sitting on the platform, the
only man among them. He had made
his speech, which brought down Aunt
Susan's folks-with a smile, which was
the highest mark of her approval.
The crowd was great, and women
were pursed against the walls. Aunt
Susan got up with no foolishness in
her face Said she: lit may be against
the law, but if it amt, Wen just have
row of chairs put down this aisle"
There was pause, bu no chairs were
forthcoming. Aunt Susan churned her
thoughts-a while, and exclaimed: Nov
the time was when five women could
sit on a seat, and now with your puff
ed sleeves. you can only get three on a
seat; You'll just have to squeeze your
selves together to make way for the
otter women standing up" Then the
fight came over this last order. Some
of the women who were in favor OF
the free, independent and unlimited
expansion of sleeves, refused to obey,
and got up and left, while others went