The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-01-04
Facts of Interest
To Women Readers.
Symposium of Information, Partly Grave,
Partly Gossipy and Partly Gay.

This was probably the largest demon
stration of Anglo-SaXons or of woman
hood i'm general known to history. The
temperance organizations of the United
States and Canada, England and Aus
tralasia, Scandinavia. Germany. and
France, Austria. Italy and Spain,
Egypt, India. and Ceylon, Japan,
China, and the Sandwich Islands, Maui
ritius and Malta, the Bahamas and Ber-
mudas came together in the worlds
metropolis and there for ten days held
council. If the mere numbers be taken
into consideration, the feat itself was
extraordinary. on Sunday il held di-
vine service in one hundred London
churches 20 following OF nearly 200OUO
souls. 1t had nearly 10000 delegates
IRON every part of the world and ii rep
resented nearly 100000 women. VI to
the regular membership be added those
i'll sympathy or affiliated with them,
the sum total rises up into an army that
is almost inconceiyable in influence and
grandeur The Worlds council In Lon
don was followed by gatherings of Ep-
worth Lcaguers and Christian Endcav-
orers, whose numbers are already fami-
liar to the public, and these in turn gave
way To the International exposition at
Atlanta. OF this great function the
most distinguishing feature was the
woman'S department. OF it's many su-
pCrb ediliceS the most striking was the
Woman building. of its many public
events the most noteworthy were the
women's congresses. and of the inliu-
ence, action and reaction which have
sur ged from II to every coign and cor
ner of the South, the most pregnant
was that of the magnificent women at
its head. II marked a new era for
4
one step il raised that section of our
land twenty-five years, and put it on
the same plane and in the same sphere
of activity rs the most progressive por-
tions Of the Northern and central states.
An incomplete list shows that the wo-
men Of America in the past 365 days
have held over 300 important convcn-
tionS OF some sort or kind This means
an activity, an executive power. an in
tellectuality and enthusiasm of the
highest order II means an eXpendi-
ture Of mental energy greater than that
of any country in Europe. with the eX-
ceDton of Great Britain and Germany.
If mental activity is to be measured in
foot pounds of force, the American wo-
man in the past twelve months has ac-
complished Il work greater than the
raising of all the pyramids greater
Sue2, and greater than all the work
done in such lands as Spain, Turkey,
and Egypt.
II
"The cause Of suffrage keeps on ever
stronger and more eXultant. In the
past year it has won Utah to its ban
ners in our own political system, and
Bermuda and the Australasian pro-
vinces in the British. This gives three
American and nine British common
wealths where political equality is now
the organic law of the land. In Massa-
chusetts it was defeated at the polls,
but even there showed that 1t had
following of 100000 out of 10000. This
is one of those defeats, which, when re-
peated three or four times, means n
crowning victory at the last. III South
Carolina, to the surprise of everybody.
suffrage for women came near carry
ing the state constitutional convention.
1t was defeated in that ancient com
monwealth by just about the same pro-
portion as in the Bay state. Last but
not least. the year has witnessed. n
wholesome growth of the movement
toward abolishing the slums of the
great cities. Much good work has been
done by the legislature, thanks to nu-
merous petitions from philanthropic
women in every part of the state. Much
has been done by such noble societies
as the Searchlight. the organizations
in Trinity. st. Bartholomews st. Mi
chael's, st. Georges, st. Phoebe's, and
Plymouth. Much has been done by the
college settlements in New York and
the Good Neighborhood club In Brook
lyn. Much has been done by the Unit
ed Charities and the United Hebrew
"a 4 -