The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-10-28
WOMEN
Bright Speeches Made Yes
terday Afternoon at the
State Federation.
MISS GAINES FAREWELL
Jersey City Well Represented
at Mrs. Williamson's Re
ception Last Evening.
MISS GAINES FAREWELL

Grafton opened at l40 HIS
the First Baptist Church of Elizabeth
with a rowde house. After the organ
voluntary. Miss Cecilia Gaines gave mel
last address as President of the State
Federation, in which she said that tne
day of reckoning had now come, ana re-
ported fifteen new clubs, with a total
membership of 1000, as having Joined the
Federation during her two years Presi-
dency.
II should like to nave said" said Miss
Gaines. in speaking of social purity
that the women of New Jersey pledged
themselves to the publication of social
life-the silent, but forcible, protest, re-
fusing her presence or her patronage TO
some of the evils of the day. The women
of our clubs, who have studied soclal
problems. awe observed seriously how
the stage, the ballroom and the gaietles
of very fashionable life tend to a certain
obliteration of the sharply drawn Inc
between virtue and vice. No club woman
should ever be seen in a decollette gown
which merits criticism, above all in a
public theatre. Should we not set our
faces against such plays as those In
which degraded womanhood is the central
interest of the plot?'' asked the President,
.or, in fact, against any public represen-
tation of vice? In this day women have
an interest in this thing which probably
has been withheld heretofore" said Miss
Gaines, s.for today woman is in many
fields of public and private professional
importance"
Miss Gaines was heartily applauded
throughout the entire address.
Mrs. Ferdinand Marshall Ward rendered
a vocal solo, THE Three Singers" by
Tours, and Mrs. Cynthia Westover-Alden
spoke on 9TH Press in Philanthropy"
an dealing with philanthropy" said
Mrs. Alden, 1T is better to. pay atten-
ton to results rather than motives. else
one is apt to become a pessimist.s and
then went on to show the good results ac-
complished by newspapers taking mold Of
this philanthropic movement. speaking Of
the Free Ice Fund, Tribune Fresh Air
Fund, etc, also of the donation Of space
in the daily papers given to the righting
of wrong. The newspaper" said she, IA
conclusion, is only the eye through
which the public must grasp the suffering
of humanity. May that eye never be
blind
Miss Mary McI<een was the next speak
e. Silc SDOkS OH ic hillQSi ( d II d.
a Factor in Civilization and Miss Sarah
Henderson and Mr.. Gage rendered a piano
and organ duet, and The Labor Problem
as it Affects Women and Children was
skilfully treated by Mrs. Martha Moore
Avery of Boston, w~h9gspoke from the la
Dor standpoint.
The labor problem said she" is the
problem of civilization. Knowledge comes
49, a
gain their knowledge through revelation,
and men are supposed to gain their know
ledge through science. What is the la
Dor problem? 1t is the base of c~iviliza-
ton. We have had in the past three
great stages in the industrial force to d.
vide civilization, and so we have hal
three great stages in the political force
of civilization. First the united stage Of
production; second. the period of congre-
eating men together; and third, the social
stage.
the beginning of this century a rev.
olution took place. No man makes a revo-
luton. The most man can do Is to aid
revolution. The revolution took place
when the tool was taken out of the hand
of the art artisan and put into the hand
of mechanism.
This tool, taken out of a free man in
America. and passing into mechanism,
changes his relation of man and man.
ChatteI slavery was not sallowed. The
nation would not stand it. Neither will
the Nation allow wage slavery.
Mrs. Avery here spoke of the scientific
appliances of the age crowding out the
mechanic, and its effect upon social econ
omy. t know said she, lis to accept,
and not to know is to resist. When you
see a machine covering ten acres Of
ground and throwing out thousands of
steel rods a day without a bit of help
from the hands of man, except to set it
Up, you can see how the tools are being
taken out of the hands of the mechanics.
but what has all this 10 do with
women and children? 1t has tais-that it
is forcing mechanics to sell their labor
power at a lower and lower rate, compell-
ing women and children to go into the
factories and mines. The labor problem
circles the globe. Therefore the labor
problem is the social problem of the
relation of men to women
In conclusion, let me say that women
have all the rights of men under the
State and labor laws, and one other, the
right Of being protected"
Mrs. Wiliamson's address on How the
State Cares for the Unfortunate Classes =
came next In speaking of the club work
in New Jersey, she said
New Jersey is in the front ranks of
the care of her detectives, and it has been
done by al organization that you have
all supported. Our jail system is better
than most States. We have only one
jail in the State that we are not proud
OF, and we have twenty-one. think that
is doing very well. There is one thing
that we have not accomplished. but we
will. and that is to have all our prisoners
work; especially the women, because if
the women know they have to work,
they will not go to jail"
This was followed by the Reeessional.,'
Rudyard Kipling, music by De Koven,
and Mrs. NJ. F. De Hart. M. D., spoke of
"The Duty Women Owe the Race The
doctor treated her subject from an edu-
rational standpoint, pointing out the i'm
provement made in this line during the
past half century.
Mrs. Julia Ward Howe recited the
Battle Hymn of the Republic
and Mrs. Rose spoke of the
wonderful work accomplished by
The New Century Club of Philadelphia. of
which she is President. Mrs. Dock also
Of Philadelphia. gave a short address, at
ter which the meeting was dismissed.