New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-29
WOMEN'S ORG4NIZiTIONN.

The General Federation of Womcn's Clubs Is
holding its biennial session in Louisville this
week II X the third gathering of the kind. the
first convention having been held at Chicago in
lS.r1 and the second at Philadelphia In 1884
This organization gathers representatives OF
women banded together for every sort OF social,
literary moral religious and professional pur
pose According 10 the reports OF last Febrl-
AIRY. seventeen State FcdcrationS are numbered
IN the central body. and these include i3I clubs.
Since then the New-York clubs have Increased
from iOD 10 40, and there has probably been
"A corresponding growth In other States.
The development Of these clubs is profoundly.
Illustrative, both Of the activity OF women In
affairs and OF the direction of their activities
Thirty yenrs ago women in this country were
taking their first real steps for work In unity.
Their efforts during the War had taught them
how TO come together, and placed ideals before
thousands which had before been seen only by
"A few. The struggle awakened new interest
In public affairs and brought "A new sense of
political inequality which was aggravated by
the new rights conferred on the recent slaves
yet withheld from women Therefore 1t was
not unnatural that the first manifestation of
organized feminine effort should have been In
the primary ambition Of the new woman" OF
that day. and she looked on 1t rs promising her
every social right she needed and promising the
State cure for all it's Ills About the time that
Miss Anthony voted ut Rochester In 1872 and
was convicted Of Illegal voting the woman
movement as opposed To man. sex antagO-
nlsm. reached its height. The unorganlzed
mass Of enthusiasts from unpleasant experience
learned that fathers. husbands and brothers
were as safe and sympathetic advisers and CO.
workers as some women Of whom they knew
nothing but their pretence of liberalism. The
reserve power among women then turned itself
in various directions, and has accomplished
great good In cooperation with the most en-
lightencd masculine sentiment. The suffrage
agitation still continues. The cause, perhaps,
numbers more adherents than ever before, and
limited franchises have been granted in many
States and full franchises In some few. But
even the most enthusiastic suffragists are no
longer persons Of one idea nor do they regard
the ballot as the sole panacca for the evils Of
society. The women doing other work have
accomplished many OF the things suffrage was
expected TO give. Education for women has
come, the professions are open TO them. every
year they have new avenues of work and near
or an equality of pay with men, the laws have
been changed with regard to property so that
women instead Of men are in some States now
the favored sex. and the feminine influence on
the morals Of individuals and communities has
grown steadily. Women's cooperation has done
all this, and has done 1t with the approval Of
masculine public opinion.
1t has not been done without friction, without
exhibitions OF unreasoning enthusiasm and bad
taste. That is inevitable in the fermentation
that goes with every new movement. But no
body whose opinion counted thought less Of
what was being done or respected less the mass
Of those who did II for these manifestations
Women realizing themselves and their possbli-
ties for good have made all who came in con
tact with them better. Men are more civilized
than they were. Women's clubs and unions
have no more revolutionized society than any
machinery ever revolutionizes it, but they hive
developed individual women by the thousand
who are working one by one In quiet ways for
Durer society. ulster laws and better govern