The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-06-04
Many Americans to
Attend International Council

The international council of women,
which will be held in London from June 2e
to July A, will be the most important as
semblage of women ever brought together.
Assembling as it will in the largest city
in the world, and being attended by the
most prominent women from every civil
liked country, the occasion will be notable
in every way. Among the American wo-
men who will sail for England will be SUI
san B. Anthony, Mrs. Mary Wright Sewell,
ex-president of the national council of wo-
men, Mrs. Rachel Foster Avery Rev. An
ma Shaw, Mrs. Fannie HUMPHREYS Gaff-
ney, Mrs. William B. Lowe, president Of
the general federation, and the we len
leaders in literature, reforms and philan-
thropy.
The program IS divided into five sessions
-educational; professional legislative and
indust-iiI, political and . cial. There will
! - two public mass meetings in Queens
hall, st. Martins and the Convocation
hall of church house. Westminster. The
social fGhctions for the visiting women
will include a reception at Staffard house
by the Duke and Duches of Sutherland.
Lord and Lady Battersea will entertain at
at the Surrey house the Bishop of
London, and his wife will give a garden
party at Fulham palace.
The origin of the international council,
as told officially in an eastern paper, is
as follows:
certain amount of pride in the fact that
this international council was formed in
the United States throug their efforts. In
1888, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Su-
san B. Anthony were in England, they
agreed with the very progressive women
of that country to hold an international
woman suffrage convention in 1898 in
Washington city, to celebrate the fortieth
anniversary of the first womau's rights
convention, which was held in 1913 in Sene-
ca Falls, N. Y. Before the preparations
scarcely were well under way it was DEEM
ed advisable to broaden the scope of this
proposed meeting so as to include all Or
CARNATIONS of women, whether or not they
stood for suffrage, and to give it the COM
prehensive name of international woman 8
council This proved to be so great a sue
cess and women were present from so
many different countries that the ida
preached by Mrs Sewall to make it a
permanent organization, was eagerly ac-
cepted. The first officers were: President
| Mrs. Millicent Garrett Fawcett, England;
| vice president Clara Barton; secretary,
| Mrs. Foster Avery, United States. The
| financial responsibility of this immense
| gathering was assumed by Susan B. An
| thony, Mary Wright Sewall and Rachel
| Foster Avery, all the money needed being
| secured by eIsonal letters of appeal, ad-
| mission fees, etc.
The first quinquennial meeting was to
have been held in London in 1893, but The
| ladies of England waived their rights in
! favor of Chicago, on account of the
| Worlds fair. The international council be-
| came a part of the great woman's congress
| of that year, and thirty nationalities were
| represented The Woman's council of the
! United States. Mary Wright Sewell presi-
dent, made itself responsible for the enter
tainment of all the representatives from
foreign countries. AS a result of the en-
thusiasm created at this time number of
these returned home and organized nation
al councils among their own people, which
The officers elected in Chicago were: The
Countess of Aberdeen, Scotland, president;
Mrs. Sewall, United States, vice president;
Baroness Gripenberg. Finland. treasurer;
Miss Theresa +. Wilson, London CORES
ponding secretary; Nine. Marie Martin,
France, recording secretary. Upon these
women has devolyed the immense task of