The Portland daily press., 1896-02-05
ABOUT WOMEN
On the School Committee Of Port.
land.
MANY SPEAKERS URGE THE VALVE
OF 1T.

III ISIS WEIGH of Buffalo and Mrs. Dowst of
Bangor Tell About Those Cities-Rey.
MIR. Bellows. A. f. Moulton, ESQ. and
j. b. Donham Makes Addresses.
In Reception hall yesterday afternoon
there was an enthusiastic and interesting
meeting OF woman for the purpose of dis
cussing the question of having woman
elected to the school board in this city at
the next municipal election.
Ihe situation at present is about as
follows: In Ward the term of Albert
B. Hall expires and he is a candidate for
reelection. There is no other Republican
candidate among the men of that. ward
but Mrs. Lydia ]. Burgess wife of N. P.
Burgess is candidate in opposition to
Mr.. Hall.
In Ward the term of DR.. Vose expires
and he is not candidate for reelection.
The name Of DR.. Files former member
OF the board is mentioned as candidate,
as is also the name of Mrs Theodore
Brown, although the woman candidate
from that ward is not yet decided upon.
Mrs. George S. Hunt presided at
Yesterdays meeting and on the platform
with her was Mrs. Henry l.. Dowst of
Bangor, president of the Maine Fedora
tion of Woman's clubs Mrs Hunt said
in an Introductory way that there was no
personal antagonism to the present mem
bers of the school board from Ward |, and
3, but since there terms expired as this
Time and since women are eligible to the
position they simply put women candi-
dates in the field as their right and their
duty. She read the following letter:
Mason street, February 8, 1896.
My Dear Mrs. Hunt:
am heartily interested in your move
ment to nominate a woman to member
ship i'll the Portland school board. l have
Tor so many years been accustomed to
school boards on which women served as
matter of course, that am almost sur
prised to learn that the matter is still de-
batable. Without citing school boards in
the West, where women are usually in
clud ed III the boards, let me call your at
tentlon to the Boston school board. Mrs.
Fifield is acknowledged everywhere to be
one OF the leading members of the board.
She has been member for nearly fifteen
years, is almost unanimously reelected,
term after term from the Dorchester dis
trict. Mrs. Fifield ia a member of i'm
portant committees, and serves as chair
man of the committee on kindergarten
as we'll as the committee on manual
training. DR.. Keller is also member of
long standing. who has just been re-
elected for another term. She is also
member of important committees. The
last election add to the board Mrs
Charles G. Ames, we'll known as factory
inspector, heretofore.
l have never heard any objection to
this including women in the school COM
lnittee. The people of Boston seem agreed
that children need the thoughtful care of
women as we'll as of men. Further the
Board of State Education has two women
memb ers, Mrs. Alice freeman Palmer
and Mrs. Kate Gannett Wells. / have
been informed that they are among the
most efficient mem bers of the board The
question of ligibility and fitness seems
to me past discussion. The history of
the past decade has proven the decided
advantage Of choosing women to the
offices of both superintendent and com
m1ttee. l sincerely hope that Portland
will join the ranks of those cities which
have recognized the ability of their
women and the needs of their schools
Yours cordially.
SARAH L. ARNOLD.
MISS HELEN L. BATES.