The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-15
wOMEN's ORGANIZATIONS.


Women's organizations are so numerous,
so varied in character, and have so to
speak, so many wheels within wheels that
women themselves sometimes grow con-
fused when asked to define the purposes
Of the councils" and congresses" and
declarations" whose meetings are so fire.
quent. As for the average man. he is simply
and frankly bewildered by the gatherings
and makes no effort to comprehend their
mysteries. He reads of a Mothers Con-
gress' and grins, not believing that the
profession of motherhood can be taught or
promoted by town meeting, but, on the
whole, thinking the meeting can do no
harm. He hears of a National Council"
with less complacency because of his i'm
preston that it has something to do with
politics and suffrage, two things he is firm
ly convinced women have no business to
NEEDLE with. For in these progressive times
political privileges are pretty much all that
man can claim as exclusively his own, and
he clings to them with desperate earnest
ness. But after ALL it is not politics or suf-
frage with which the National Council in
session at Washington this week will
chiefly concern itself These topics will be
considered, but it is not primarily a suffrage
gathering. 1t is made up of delegates from
the local councils of the various towns and
cities of the country. A local council is com
posed of representatives from the several
women's organizations of the community
benevolent. religious. literary, temperance,
political, educational, etc. 1t undertakes
work that may may not be suggested by
any of these contributory elements, but of
a sort which may be supposed to have at
least the tacit approval of all such as
municipal, social or other reforms. The
work varies, being governed by what pre-
sents itself first for attention in the diff
ferent cities. The delegates to the National
Council will present reports of what each
local society has done and the national
body will discuss these reports and recon-
mend other lines of endeavor There is it
must be confessed, rather an alarming sug-
gestion of politics in the fact that the Ma
tional Council will be divided into two
houses, in imitation of the Congress of the
United States, each local council repre-
scented there being regarded as an imagin-
airy State. This, of course, affords the MEM
bers an opportunity to accustom themselves
to the machinery of official life and is per-
haps part of a crafty scheme. but is prob
ably less dangerous in tendency than it
appears at first thought. The scope of it's
endeavors will not be limited, however, to
mere political themes. Educational, social,
moral. reformatory. professional and liter
airy interests will be considered as well.
Nor will they deal with these matters in a
general way only; they will be specific. For
instance, a resolution on the programme for
discussion reads thus:
Whereas, The larger portion of church
members are women and whereas, we can
not conceive that the All-Father, who is no
respecter of persons has made minority
of church members the sole depository Of
wisdom therefore,
Resolved That women should be eligible
to all offices and dignities of the church and
should take part in the deliberations OF all
religious bodies to which they may be
elected by their church fellowship.
Another urges the government to avail
itself of the services of women in the COM
missary department of the army in future
war operations. Both these are of a some
what incendary character it is true, but
he is an uncommonly self-righteous man
who can protest against them with other
than a sickly smile, knowing as he does
what the churches would be without women
and that women in the commissary depart
ment could at least have done no worse
than men during the late war. These and
many other matters will be taken up, and,
while to the careless observer it may seem
that it all amounts to little, it must be re-
menbered that this body has ramifications
in the remotest hamlet of the country, and
that what is discussed in the National Coun-
ell will be echoed in the clubs which are
tributary to the local councils before the
year is over. The National Council has
great possibilities. When it under axes a
movement, as it may do at any time which
needs general cooperation it is in instant
touch with vast number of women. If
there is anything in organization these coun-
ellis should accomplish it, for they illustrate
organization of the most elaborate and COM
prehensive kind