Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-21
Reports From Branches

Reports From Branches.
At the conclusion Of Mrs Washington
address reports from branches were read
as follows Allegheny. Pa, by Mrs. Bent
ley; Rochester, N. Y, Mrs. Jerome Jeffrey;
Pittsburg, Pa. Mrs. Aldridge; Newport. r..
l., Mrs Dickerson; Jefferson City, Mo-,
Mrs L. C. Anthony; New Bedford Mass,
c. Williams; Boston, Mass, Mrs. Agnes
Adams; Golden Rule, Cambridge. Mass,
Mrs. Lewis; Minneapolis, Mimi, Mrs.
Kemp; Richmond, Va, Mrs. Rosa D. Bow
Home for Friendless Girls, Washington, D..
c., Miss A. E. Greenige; Lucy Thurman
Union, Washington, Mrs. ]. W. Hawkins;
Equal Rights Council, Washington, Miss
Eta Webster: District of Columbia w. c.
T. u, Mrs Rosetta E. Lawson, superin-
tendent.
At this point Mr.. A. S. Gray moved, and
the motion was carried, that the courtesies
and privileges of the convention be extend
ed to Mrs. Francis E. w. Harper and Mrs.
Fanny Jackson Coffin, both of Philadelphia.
An effort was made to postpone the read
ing of the reports from the remaining
tWenty-nine leagues until tomorrow, but
the motion was defeated, and the reading of
these reports occupied the convention for
the rest of the session.
The Afternoon and the Evening Ses-
siOns.
The program for the afternoon and even
ing sessions is as follows: More Homes for
Our Aged" Mrs. Harriet Tubman; Noun
tain Women of Virginia. Miss Jennie Dean;
RESCUE Work." Miss Sarah j. Thomas:
The Douglass Monument Mrs r. Jerome
Jeffrey: John Brown" Mrs. T. H. I.yles
Temperance Mrs. Lucy B. Thurman;
Reform Mrs. Ida Wells Barnett; The
Separate Car System as 1t Affects the Dig
nifty Of Afro-American Womanhood," Mrs.
l.. T. Fox; Prison Reform" Mrs Marie
81 Foster. "A Plea for RefOrmafp Mjss
Mamie Mason. There, perhaps, will also
be other papers read.
Last Evenings Session.
The entire program at last evening 8
meeting of the convention of the National
Federation of Afro-American Women was
extremely Interesting. but the most striking
feature was the reception rendered to Har-
riet Tubman, the venerable colored woman
who, 1t Is said. assisted more slaves to run
away from the south during the period the
fugitive slave law was in force than any
other one woman. Mrs. Tubman, who Is
now verging on toward ninety years of
age. was introduced to the audience by
Mrs. Victoria Earle Matthews, who pre-
sided. at the request of the president, Mrs.
Booker T. Washington, in happy speech,
in which she referred briefly to the great
services that Mrs. Tubman had rendered to
her race.
When Mrs. Matthews retired to take the
>.
Tubman stood alone the front of the
rostrum, the audience. which not only filed
every seat, but also much Of the standing
room in the aisles, rose as one person and
greeted her with the waving Of handker-
chiefs and the clapping of hands. This
was kept up for at least minute, and
Mrs. Tubman was visibly affected by the
heartiness of her reception.
Mrs. Tubman's Talk.
When the applause had somewhat sub
sided Mrs. Tubman acknowledged the COM
pliment paid her in some appropriate
words. and at the request of some of the
leading officers of the convention related
little Of her war experience. Despite the
weight Of advancing years, Mrs. Tubman
is the possessor of a strong and musical
voice. which last evening penetrated every
portion Of the big auditorium in which the
convention was held, and a war melody
which she sang was fully as attractiyely
rendered as were any of the other vocal
selections of the evening.
At the opening Of the session an address
reviewing the work accomplished by the
National Federation during the past year
was made by Mrs. Victoria E. Matthews.
An address Of welcome to the District of