Omaha daily bee., 1898-10-28
WOMEN LATE IN ARRIVING
Mrs. Sewall Somewhat Put Out at Their
Tardy Appearance,
RELATIONS TO THE GENERAL FEDERATION
National Council Instructs Its Prcsi-
dent to Prepare an Address on the
subiect-summer schools
for Children.

The main subject for the morning session
Of the National Council of Women was the
relation Of local councils to municipal poi
tics, public education and to local charities,
but as the one who was to deliver the ad-
dress on this was not present up to the noon
hour the discussion took on a rather rainb-
ling character, starting at local work and
winding up with comparison between the
National council and the General Federation
of Womens Clubs in their respective meth
DDS and scope. motion was carried di-
recting the president, Mrs May Wright Sc
wall to prepare a statement which would
give to the public clear idea of the genius
and purpose of the national council and
yet not give offense in any way to the GEN
eral Federation.
Fully half hour OF waiting ensued before
the meeting was called to order, and then
only sixteen women had appeared The slim
attendance seemed to annoy Mrs. Sewall and
she INDUCED In some very plain talk. Not
alone the meetings in which the
women were down for reports were
important. she said in tone Of voice and
manner which conveyed stronger meaning
to her words. She then went on to tell Of
what had been done by the local council in
her city--Indianapolis. The expectoration
udi uOl Dttn pd5Stu, DuL d tulltN
ordinance had. and she insinuated that the
curfew ordinance was necessary check
against the facilities the bicycle afforded
the young people for a good time in the de-
lightful phosphorescent light OF the pale but
indugent moon.
Mrs. Castle talked for some time on what
was being done by the quincy, H., local
club, when Susan b. Anthony called for
something practical Mrs. Castle is mild
little woman, who is more interested in the
esthetic side of things, and she continued
to dwell upon the work of her organization
in its relation to the schools and the parks
OF her city.
Mrs. Sewall again found an occasion for
disqulsltion upon the methods Of the In
dianapolis club. So far as the visitation
committee for the public school work was
concerned it was much more representative
OF all classes of society than would be one
COMPOSED exclusively of the refined, we'll
educated and well-to-do club women. She
had always voted against her literary club
being turned into a charity or civic reform
organization. There is a great difference
between laundry womans union and a
literary club of that union. 1t is the former
that should have representation on the Wis
itation committee. In this respect she took
an opportunity to argue that while Glasses"
may be spoken of different" there
should be no such distinction as "higher
and lower classes" The indianapolis club
had succeeded in inducing the school board
there to allow 1t to maintain a vacation
school during the summer interval This va.
cation school she thought quite in harmony
with republican institutions, as well as a
preventative against vice on the part of the
children, and she said her club intended
to propose to the school board the establish
ment by the city of several vacation schools
In her clubs vacation school there are $50
pupils and manual training and cooking are
i taught u d ~ I.
Touches Up General Federation.
Here is where the discussion turned onto
the General Federation. Mrs. Francis w.
Letter OF Mansfield, o., made motion that
Mrs. Sewald prepare for publication a state
ment "of the genius and scope of the Ma
tional council sufficiently ample to be clear
and yet brief enough to be readable" and
Mrs. j. Ellen Foster seconded the motion.
Mrs. Foster hoped the statement would be
SO worded az not to give offense to the
General Federation. Speaking on this mat
ter Mrs. Sewall thought the General Fed
Grafton would do better work If it confined
itself to its literary work, las the language
and literary tastes of the nation had be-
come debased," and 1t would do we'll to
frankly state its purpose as it had in the
beginning. to improve the literary tastes OF
the country. She but wished that the gem
eral officers of the General Federation were
present so she could talk candidly to them.
The practice of the federation needed re-
casting to make it conform to its code. The
fear of the federation has been that were
1t to come into the council it would be
subordinated. but Susan B. Anthony, as the
president of the Woman Suffrage association
Mrs. j. Ellen Foster. as president of the
Woman's Republican association, or Mrs.
Hannah G. Solomon, as president Of the Ma
tional Council of Jewish Women had not
been subordinated to the president Of the
National Council. They were like govern
ors of states in the union. their states being
spiritual ones, and the president OF the Ma
tional Council could not interfere with their
respective domains.
Questions Of local, state and national rep
resentation of the various organizations al
lied in the National Council, as respects the
local and state councils, then had some at
tention paid to them. Finally, Rev. Anna
Shaw said so little of the discussion had
been confined TO the main question that she
would like to hear what it was. When Mrs.
Sewal stated 1t Miss Shaw said she did not
want TO discuss it, but to see it passed.
Nrs' Letter, however, lnslsleu upon CLOSING
the debate as the mover OF the motion, SO as
TO clear the atmosphere, and after she con-
cluded the motion went through without op-
position
Woman as Legal Entity.
Womau's domestic status under the law,
her political status as regards patriotism and
the efforts being made by the Universal
Peace union in the direction of arbitration
each had a good share OF attention from the
National Council Of Women last evening. In
cdentally. the conduct of the late war with