The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-09
FIRE SCARES CLUB WOMEN
~rrTIyG on TOP STORY BRoKEN ,UP
ny BLAZE IN CELLAR.

M
-
n. sscisty for Peiiticni SISSY Ass.i. ~
and Follows the Elevator Was poNn
-. much smoke. Little Fire-rwp poorn
~n.oL,n-RinEIug Letter from Mrs. stanton.
= r,ro was discovered in tho basement OF the
.,".,rIaI building, Lexington avenue and For
"m3sd street, while the Society for Political
so'sr ,yos ir session yesterday afternoon. IL
!. n.sdL,ss TO say that II was the most excittnR
.aionrnmcnt Of any meeting In the history or
,ho c,ub. The fire was caused by the directive
,nsr,ation Of an electric wire, ana the damage
So very slight. Men connected with the build
Inc estimated 1t at $3.50. 30 that as II may,
Us uas about S23, 900 worth Of smoke and
sIcitement in the atmosphere. The society TOT
pa,,,ical study meets In a room on the top floor.
q. nnn.ually large turnout, numbering at
-, I5o women, attended Yesterdays meeting.
Thcv vero having an excited discussion over
letter to tho club from Mrs. Elizabeth Cady
c..n,on an honorary member, in which abe
s.,,Ic,.ed the subjects selected for discussion.
menber was Just speaking her mind whom
a.. elevator man came quietly into the room,
wiling a peaccful smile. and whispered ONE
,hi,, IN n woman near the door. Before you
.o,LJ sar caterpillar she rushed out Of the room,
Nth seven or eight others after her, pell NELL
Then Mrs Hanaford, who was preslding,
learned OF the fire, and in the calmest way asked
that no one leave the room until the meeting
had been properly adjourned. She was smiling
.na .elf.contained and instantly she had the
women in hand. She marshalled them out Of
the room a few at q time and came out herself
last Of all.
Tbe hall, were filed with smoke, and the
elevators had stopped running as tho fire was
at the foot OF tho SHIFT. Notwithstanding the
extren,e disagreoableness Of the situation, not q
woman screamed, tainted. or became hystert-
cal. Finally the elevator man, Patrick Nc
Grath, led.them through winding corridors and
broad halls to the rear Of the building and down
the back stairs. When he and his female fol-
owing reached the main hall. or audience
room, all Of the big doors were found to be So
purely locked and barred. One woman shrieked
.Wo have been trapped" and ct this q dozen
or two scurried back and started up the stairs
again. 1t was just here that .Patrick's chance
10 play the hero came, and he promptly em-
6TsSod lit it. ., W shs bls a d %1Ehts and Sl9 WITH be 4 s cSesfss.
Then he rushed back and headed of the scared
Uosition to enjoy tho excitement as only wo-
men can, they expressed a desire to make Pat
rick an honorary member of the society,
,nf r1 To- DAMAGE %sss a ! d tnS 0h Nrs pe Wiiiia an H. Il. HAITI RS1ld-
son, o member of the West En- Woman's Re-
publican Club; was vs.! 2 guest Gg est 81 the meet meeting mg.
stairs, she shivered one-made mostly OF glass
into atoms, thinking that it might lead to q
women congratulated each other on how beautl-
fully they had behaved. About this time DR..
Ellen Miles exclaimed In q serious VOICE. well.
that was the first time in all my life that l ever
asked a man to lead me, or wanted ono to do 3d."
and this sent everybody, away Laughing, for
VI ib MI nesting + q sP 81 the s socie sSys w sne a u aoSe OF y:
when the fire occurred and IL had been an I'M
commonly interesting one. The following is
Il suppose we have upward of twenty wo-
mems clubs in this CITY, discussing every vari.
ETY. Of topics, (which our journals report, In
earnestness and responsibility women manifest
in the vital questions Of the hour. Think what
might exercise in discussing the moral and ethi-
cal aspects Of the science Of political economy.
industrial economics and tho various bills be-
Of these Bills have an infuence on women's wei.
fare, Of which all these clubs take no notice.
with all these questions Of tho hour why
resurrect such dead men as Aaron Burr and
Henry Clay. who never stirred the.hearts Of
their generation with one grand thought of lib
: sTSGI sss ssSs Ss siSs1f! oF dead Il y sub} Rss1sfi lie hS m %Sdi.
eal students. pray resurrect some OF the glori-
Gus martyrs Of the past who wero imprisoned.
eiple Of science or religion. instead Of men who
aid mot represent the highest ideals even Of
Jeremy Bentham said long ago, Watch well
yourrulers. Women should know what their self
constituted rulers are doing and proposing. and
a. to use their influence in the right direction.
civil rights Of women the pioneers in the wo-
a cat does. q mouse. We did not get together
and talk of art. .esthetio tastes, and defunct
p pow c Ras.. but to on the rights e persen prop;
the laboring masses in mines, factories, and all
me marts Of trade; on our jails, prisons. chart;
t ta1ls n marriaSe. d Ifna mo9&o s M6 anao os itb snd
questions are still open for discussion.
how many women here to-day know that
amend our divorce laws TO mako them more
HOMOGENEOUS in all the Statesi Is 1t not in the
interests OF women to make them more homo
Eeheousi The FREQ States have been for un-
happy wives what Canada was for the black
man in the old days of slavery.
again, women should have some knowledge
and influence in oar building laws. we should
protest against these high buildings running up
twenty and thirty stories, making our streets
and putting in peril our husbands and sons on
account OF the constant strain on the elevators
s spsrtmeSt i%Sh hei !mts Consider; too. the
me sunshine never penetrates-so many pris-
an tor women and children. In similar
twenty and thirty feet square, with sunshine
IN every room, whilo our building laws Kermit
1 1aes SIX feet wide, wharf.-the light meyer pene-
shS sanitary co ditions Of such homes for the
[Iich and far worse for the poor, our building
avs would soon command better conditions.
Mhat Mrs. Darlington Booth has been doing
~ our prisons should at least be described in
STur eIuos; we,should rehearse the work in this
farnham. ~ - ono mfA-
IN AZ our clubs We should discuss questions
Tor pporertx . economy the cause and remedies
~ bm nH' the mistakes OF. our statesmen in
Sris,t nAiis q legislation. Of our bishops and
SSats III thelr ecumcnical councilB, OF Presi-
INV MESSAGES and Popes' encyclical letters.
H. mah holus the sceptrc with which to restore
tio w niorai conditions of the world. The Ques-
NJ is oIten asked, Why does not the moral
pavsress OF the race keep pace with its material
Ns SnoeMehtr The answer lies on the surface.
Snna FtPIesents the material forces and he has
ninmnl s work. lie has felled our forests,
R,ynI,sned up our prairies, bridged our chasms,
tba our railroads.. linking the Atlantic and
as la:inc, the Rocky Mountains and the Allie
ssbhaannys together, and with his ocean cable an
nsVtenu continents side by side and welded the
@nr.Io,'s oi the earth into one. And now the
coIytIn walls Tor the moral power OF woman to
H. aom " IN me rough wake OF the pioneer and add
hIotoMhlnEg glory to his work to make the land
SIt,heoih WITH fruits and flowers and humanity
iirsIio VI 'he virtues and graces of a higher civil
~ me letter provoked a heated discussion. Soma
is, NJ members liked it and some didn't. THAT
NorL i Said lr. Gum, Indicates what our
do oS should be during the coming year. We
Srom m%s " discuss live questions and not mouse
NOuil IN RruglVuFla a. Mira